need product key for MS 365 Business standard for our nonprofit

Question

We are a nonprofit and purchased the MS365 Business Standard. When we try to use the apps. it asks for a product key which we do not have nor ever received.

How do we proceed? It says we have a license, but don't see that anywhere either.

[Moderator note: personal info removed] 

[Moderator note: personal info removed] 

Answer 1

Hi @Susan Dix,  

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A forum.     

Thank you very much for reaching out regarding the activation of Microsoft 365 Business Standard. I appreciate you choosing Microsoft solutions, and I'm glad to assist so your nonprofit team can start using the apps smoothly. 

Microsoft 365 Business Standard (subscription) does not use a 25‑character product key for activation. The apps are activated by signing in with the organization’s work or school account that has been assigned a license in the Admin Center. 

Seeing a “Enter a product key” screen usually means: the device has an incorrect Office version (trial/perpetual/OEM); the user has not been assigned a license or the user is signed in with a personal Microsoft account instead of the organization account.  
Here are my recommendation, please follow the steps below: 

Step 1 - Ensure each user has been assigned a license 

(For the organization’s admin) 

1. Go to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center and sign in using your admin account (the onmicrosoft.com account that was created during your initial subscription sign‑up). 
2. Navigate to Users > Active users > Select the specific user > Licenses and apps. 
3. Enable Microsoft 365 Business Standard > Save changes. 
4. 
5. Alternatively, assign licenses via Billing > Licenses if applying to multiple users.  

If a user is not assigned a license, Office cannot activate even if the organization owns the subscription.  

More info here: Assign or unassign licenses for users in the Microsoft 365 admin center - Microsoft 365 admin | Mic… 

Step 2 - Install the correct Microsoft 365 Apps and activate by signing in 

1. Go to https://www.office.com (or https://www.microsoft365.com) and Sign in using the organization’s work/school account. 
2. Select Apps > All apps > Install apps to download the correct installer. 
3. Open Word/Excel > choose Sign in (do not choose “I have a product key”). 
4. Sign in using the same account that has been assigned a license in Step 1.  

More info here: Activate Office for Windows - Microsoft Support 

Step 3 - If the device still shows “Enter a product key” 

1. Uninstall any old/trial/perpetual Office versions already on the device (e.g., Microsoft 365 Family trial or Office 2021/2019). 
2. (To uninstall: On Windows, go to Settings > Apps, find any “Microsoft Office” or trial version > Uninstall. On macOS, open Applications and move all Microsoft Office apps to Trash.) 
3. Restart the device and reinstall Office from office.com following Step 2. 

Microsoft notes that pre‑installed trial versions often prompt for a key unless activated via proper account sign‑in. 

Step 4 - If your organization received a product key from a reseller (Optional)

• If a reseller provided a 25‑character key, it is only used one time to redeem the subscription at setup.office.com,  not inside Word/Excel. 
• After redeeming, the apps still activate using Sign in, not by re‑entering the key.  

Additionally, the device must connect to the internet at least once every 30 days to maintain activation. If it remains offline longer, Office will temporarily enter reduced functionality mode until signed in again.  

For additional information, you can refer to these articles: 

• Activating Microsoft 365 Apps for Business with a product key - Microsoft 365 Apps | Microsoft Learn 
• Where to enter your Office product key - Microsoft Support 

Step 5 - Contact Support 

If the license appears valid but the apps continue to request a product key. I recommend contacting Microsoft Support so they can check the backend subscription status, licensing assignment, and activation records for your tenant. 

To proceed, please follow the steps below:  

• Sign in to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center with your Microsoft administrator account (If you're not an admin, please contact your organization's administrator to submit a request on your behalf.)
• On right bottom corner click on "Help & support"     
•  
• After that choose the "Contact support".    
•  
• Describe your issue and request to speak with a live agent. You may be offered options for chat or call depending on your region and support availability. 

We kindly ask for your understanding that, as moderators, we do not have access to the administrative tools or permissions required to investigate or modify these configurations. We also do not have the capability to initiate remote sessions for direct assistance. Our role is to guide users to the appropriate resources and support channels.   

I hope this information is helpful. Should you have any further questions or need additional assistance, feel free to reach out.   

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this.

---

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have any extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".  

Note: Follow the steps in our documentation to enable email notifications if you want to receive email notifications related to this topic.  

Answer 2

For Microsoft 365 Business Standard, a separate product key is normally not used to activate the apps. Activation is done by signing in with a licensed work account.

Proceed as follows:

1. Verify that licenses are assigned
   • An admin in the organization should sign in to the Microsoft 365 admin center.
   • Check that a Microsoft 365 Business Standard license is assigned to each user who needs the apps.
   • If a license is not assigned, assign it and save the changes.
2. Sign in instead of entering a key
   • On each device, open an app such as Word or Excel.
   • When prompted to activate or sign in, choose Sign in (do not choose options that ask for a product key).
   • Sign in with the work account that has the Business Standard license.
   • The apps should activate based on that account.
3. If the apps still prompt for a product key
   • Confirm that the correct account is being used (the same account that has the Business Standard license).
   • If the purchase originally involved a product key card for a business subscription, redeem it (if not already done) using the guidance in Enter your product key for Microsoft 365 Apps for Business.
   • If any error appears when redeeming a key, follow the guidance in Problems with your Microsoft 365 for business product key? or Get help with product key errors on Office.com/setup.
4. When a product key is actually required
   • For normal Microsoft 365 Business Standard subscriptions, activation is by account, not key.
   • Product keys are mainly used to start or renew subscriptions or for certain volume-licensed or special programs; in those cases, the key is redeemed once, then installs and activation are still done by signing in.

If, after confirming license assignment and signing in correctly, activation still fails or product key errors appear, contact Microsoft Support using the paths described in the references below so they can check the subscription and licensing status.

---

References:

• Activating Microsoft 365 Apps for Business with a product key
• Using product keys with Microsoft 365
• Get help with product key errors on Office.com/setup
• Office product key errors ERR_MISSING_PARTNUMBER or ERR_INVALID_TOKEN
• Download, install, or reinstall Microsoft 365 or Office 2024 on a PC or Mac