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licensing issue

Help Desk 0 Reputation points
2026-02-20T13:12:45.1+00:00

I have an issue where a user has a 0/365 license to his laptop but we purchased him a new one. Lucas' old laptop has the office installed to his laptop but it is licensed to the machine. The serial number for his old machine and new machine are attached. If they can transfer it would be nice, if not, he would like a new license and the old one cancelled. The serial number of METALCARD225 (NEW LENOVO) is PF-5XLFP4 & the serial number of his old laptop (HP) is 5CD20904MP.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Install, redeem, activate | For business | Windows

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  1. Stefan Blom 335.4K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2026-02-20T13:32:54.5366667+00:00

    Which specific Office product is this? Subscription versions (Microsoft 365) can always be installed from the associated account at https://account.microsoft.com/services, so you should definitely be able to run it on the new PC, assuming that the subscription is still active of course.

    Perpetual licenses such as Office Home & Business 2024 are a bit different. Those can still be installed from a Microsoft account but you may be required to contact Microsoft support if the activation fails.

    Note that a preinstalled perpetual license usually can't be transferred to a new machine.

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  2. Q&A Assist
    2026-02-20T13:12:53.5966667+00:00
    AI generated content. This question contains an answer created with AI from Q&A Assist. Learn more

    To address the licensing issue for Lucas, you have a couple of options:

    1. Transfer the License: If the Office installation on the old laptop is device-based licensed, you may not be able to transfer it directly to the new laptop. However, if the license is associated with a Microsoft 365 subscription, you can uninstall Office from the old laptop and then install it on the new one using the same account.
    2. New License: If transferring the license is not possible, you may need to purchase a new license for the new laptop. After obtaining the new license, you can cancel the old one if it is no longer needed.

    For detailed steps on uninstalling Office and installing it on the new device, you can refer to the Microsoft support documentation.

    References:

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