windows 11 office 11 on new Dell laptop

Question

Download office 365 even thought it is on the laptop with windows 11 from the get go. Why do i have 2 down 0ffice 365 when office 365 appears to be on the laptop 2 begin with? Why cant i get a code to use it on the laptop. OH that is right, its all cloud based right? is that true? Installed Office setup from the download folder okay where did it go????? I have now idea where it is maybe you can clue me in some? what I am missing?

So does this office setup load into the cloud?

Thank you

Answer 1

New computers may include a trial version of Microsoft 365, sometimes in multiple language versions, each of which has its own entry in the list of Installed Apps in Windows Settings. Add to that the dashboard app, nowadays confusingly named Microsoft 365 Copilot.

The version you purchased may not be any of these preinstalled (trial) licenses, which is why an uninstall followed by an install is often required. (Sometimes, just signing in with the correct account will work to get the correct product and license.)

With a license to install the full Microsoft Office suite, the apps are not cloud-based. However, saving to the OneDrive cloud is usually the default (but you can change that if you prefer to save locally).

Note that contributors in this user-to-user forum usually won't be able to answer why questions. Only Microsoft can explain why they do what they do. You can send feedback directly to the developers and decision makers via the portal at https://feedbackportal.microsoft.com/feedback.

Answer 2

Hi, I'm John!

New Dell laptops often come with a trial of Microsoft 365 or the Office apps preinstalled. They are usually not activated yet, which may be why you downloaded Office again.

Microsoft 365 is not purely cloud-based. The full desktop apps (Word, Excel, etc.) install on your computer, but they activate through your Microsoft account, so you usually do not need a product code.

After installation, the apps will not appear in the Downloads folder. Instead, try opening the Start menu and searching for "Word" or "Excel".

To better understand what happened, could you confirm:

1. When you open Word, does it ask you to sign in or activate Office?
2. Did the laptop come with a Microsoft 365 trial or subscription?

Then we can check the next step.

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Click "Add comment" to let me know.

Regards,

John J.D.