Lost MS office 2016 product key

Question

Hi,

I had purchased Home and Student edition of MS Office in June 2021, which I lost it. This is neither showing in my MS account login.

How to get this retrieved?

This was purchased from Amazon India. I have contacted them as well and meanwhile exploring here.

Regards,

Answer 1

Hi,

https://support.microsoft.com/contactus/ getting support over here is a super rocket science, options not showing. Not sure, if it due to my windows version is out of support.

To answer the queries-

• I have valid proof (invoice) of the purchase.
• The validity of the license was lifetime
• I can't remember the way, it was delivered. Probably both, over display on device and hard copy. However, none of them is recoverable.
• The machine where it was installed was suddenly ripped off the licenses and asking for it whenever opened. So, yes, the license was successfully redeemed on my machine after the purchase.

Answer 2

Hi!

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.

Based from your explanation, recovery depends on how the product was originally activated. If you can recall if you bought it from Amazon as a digital purchase(Amazon may have displayed the product key in your order details or sent it by email OR is it a physical card/package (The product key was printed on the card or inside the packaging when you bought it or got delivered to you).

Also, is there any chance If Office(the one you are looking for) is still installed on an old computer that still works? If you still have a device with the Office you can check it from there.

Answer 3

For Office Home & Student 2016 purchased as a one-time product key, there are only a few supported options when the key is lost and the product does not appear in the Microsoft account.

1. If the product key card is damaged but there is still valid proof of purchase (for example, invoice or order details from Amazon), Microsoft Support may be able to help by replacing the key or offering other options. Use the official support channel and keep purchase proof ready.
   • Go to the Microsoft support page: https://support.microsoft.com/contactus/
   • Choose the appropriate product/category and explain that the Office 2016 Home & Student key was lost and provide proof of purchase.
2. If the product key was bought separately from the software and no longer works or cannot be recovered, it may have been blocked (for example, if it was stolen or otherwise fraudulently obtained). In that case, the guidance is to contact the seller (Amazon or the specific marketplace seller) and request a refund or resolution.
3. If the key truly cannot be recovered and cannot be replaced by support, the remaining option is to purchase a newer version of Office or a Microsoft 365 subscription. When buying again, ensure the product is genuine and follow Microsoft’s safer shopping tips.

There is no self-service way to view or recover a lost Office 2016 product key online if it was never successfully redeemed to a Microsoft account.

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References:

• Using product keys with Microsoft 365
• Where to enter your Office product key
• Get help with product key errors on Office.com/setup
• Find your Office product key
• Much of my scratch off is unreadable - Microsoft Q&A