Downloads FAQ

You must purchase a license for the products you plan to download and have access to a valid product key for each license to complete the installation. Verify your license entitlement before downloading products.

You can find the system requirements for each product in the Product Description on the Downloads & Keys page of the VLSC. For detailed information about the products to which you are entitled, see your License Summary.

The user experience is very similar and self-help documentation is available at Downloads Frequently Asked Questions.

If your download rights are associated with the Open License, Open Value or Open Value Subscription program, you may download only those products that you have already purchased. The VLSC will display downloads only for licenses you have already purchased.

Other licensing programs (Select +, Enterprise, Campus or School) allow you to download any product from the catalog before you purchase licenses.

If your VSLC profile is linked to both Open and other licensing programs, you will see the entire catalog.

To determine if a product is eligible for download:

1. Click Downloads and Keys on the top navigation bar to view a list of products based upon your license entitlements. Use the filters on the left to narrow your product search by category.
2. Click the Download link associated with that product.
3. In the Download Settings drop-down box, you will see this message if the product is not available: This product is not available for download.

A CAL is not a software product; rather, it is a license that gives a user the right to access the services of the server.

You don't need a software download file or 5*5 product key to activate a CAL. Instead, the product is activated and installed through the activation wizard directly from your machine. Example of Client Access Licenses include

• Windows server
• SQL Server
• Exchange Server
• Skype for Business Server
• SharePoint Server
• System Center
• Project Server

Learn more about the Microsoft CAL Suites.

To run a volume licensing version of Office for Mac you must download and install 2 separate files

1. The Volume License (VL) Serializer package found in the Microsoft Office for Mac download file on the VLSC.
2. The Microsoft Office for Mac installation package from the Office Content Delivery Network (CDN) on the internet. Installer package files for individual applications are also available. Microsoft Office for Mac does not require a product key as the VL Serializer is used to activate Office 2019 for Mac as a volume licensed version.

Upgrading Office for Mac Volume licensed customers don't need to uninstall Office 2016 for Mac or Office 2019 for Mac in order to update. See Upgrade to Office for Mac or Office 2019 for Mac for more information and demos of this process

Click Downloads and Keys on the top navigation bar to view a list of products based upon your license entitlements. Use the filters on the left to narrow your product search by category.

To download a product, click the Download link associated with that product. Click the Keys link to find product keys associated with the selected product.

To access VLSC Downloads, a VLSC administrator in your organization must assign you one of the following roles:

• Administrator
• Download
• Software Assurance Manager

To access Download Settings in the VLSC:

1. Click Downloads and Keys on the top navigation bar to view a list of products based upon your license entitlements. Use the filters on the left to narrow your product search by category.
2. Click the Download link for the product you want to download. The Download Settings drop-down box opens.
3. Select the Download Method, Language, and Operating System Type.
4. Click Continue to confirm settings and download products.

Executable (EXE) and image (ISO) files are the two file types you can select when downloading products from the VLSC:

• Executable (EXE) files can be downloaded and installed on the same system; however they cannot be made into separate boot disks for installation on to other computers.
• ISO (International Standards Organization) image files are exact representations of the content and the logical format. You can install these on the computer used to download the package, or write the files to disks for distribution and installation on other computers.

If you are using a PC with Windows, you don't need any additional software to burn a CD-R or DVD-R. Simply double click on the ISO file you downloaded and then follow the steps in the Image Burner Wizard.

If you are using any other operating system than Windows, you may need additional software. If your computer is equipped with a CD/DVD burner, this software is probably already loaded on your PC. Most CD-R/DVD-R writing software enables disk creation from an image file. Select a menu item such a "Copy Image to CD" or "Burn Image to access" to access this feature.

For Operating System Windows 7 or higher:

1. Insert a blank DVD disk.
2. Locate the ISO file and right-click on it.
3. Select the Burn Disc Image option.
4. Select the appropriate drive for burning the disc and click the burn button.

For detailed instructions, see the software's help documentation.

If you don't have a CD/DVD burner installed on your machine, or you don't have media available, you can "mount" the ISO file as a virtual drive. With this method, your computer will believe that the file is a real disk drive, and you will be able to read files from this "virtual disk."

You will need to download software for this. There are several software options for the virtual drive approach, though they have not been tested and are not supported by the VLSC team.

For Operating System Windows 8 or higher, follow Option 1 or Option 2:

Option 1

1. Right-click the ISO file and select the Mount button.
2. Navigate to the My Computer (or Computer) folder to access the new virtual drive under the Devices with Removable Storage section. Double-click on the new virtual drive to access ISO file contents.
3. Then locate and run the setup.exe (or setup) file.

Option 2

1. Right-click the ISO file.
2. Click on Open with.
3. Select Windows Explorer. A new Windows Folder will show up that contains the ISO file contents.
4. Locate and run the setup.exe (or setup) file.

Contents for ISO image files can be accessed directly using third-party tools that allow file extraction from the file to a temporary folder on your hard drive (similar to .zip files). As with the virtual drive, this approach is advisable to install application software or system upgrades.

The following tools offer ISO file support:

• IsoBuster
• Daemon Tools

To download software products from the VLSC using only your web browser (that is, without Download Manager):

1. Click Downloads and Keys on the top navigation bar to view a list of products based upon your license entitlements. Use the filters on the left to narrow your product search by category.
2. Click the Download link for the product you want to download. The Download Settings drop-down box opens.
3. In Download Settings, select Web Browser as the Download Method.
4. Select the Language and Operating System Type.
5. Click Continue.
6. Confirm the settings you selected and then click the Download icon to begin downloading the product.
7. The File Download - Security Warning window opens and displays the message: Do you want to run or save this file?
8. Do one of the following:
   • Click Run if you want to install the file immediately after the download has completed.
   • Click Save if you do not want to install the file immediately. Double-click the file to launch the installation wizard when you are prepared to install the software.

A frequent resolution to download issues is to clear temporary Internet files and history from your system. To clear the cache (in Internet Explorer):

1. Click Tools and then click Internet Options to access the Internet Options window.
2. Click the General tab.
3. Under Temporary Internet Files, click Delete Files and then click OK to delete the cache of temporary Internet files from your system.
4. Under Temporary Internet Files, click Settings and then select the Every visit to the page box to remove temporary Internet files each time you access the VLSC Downloads page. Then, set the size of the Temporary Internet Files folder to a size larger than the intended download.
5. Under Temporary Internet Files, click View Files.
6. Click Edit to open the menu and then click Select All.
7. Press DELETE. When asked if you would like to delete all the cookies you have selected, click Yes.
8. Click OK (multiple times) until the General tab is displayed.
9. Under History, click Clear History and then click Yes. When asked if you would like to delete the history of the Web sites you have visited, click OK.

If these steps did not resolve the issue and your company allow it, you can also try to download the software on a PC that is not behind Proxy restrictions (such as at home), otherwise please Contact Us.

Most people are able to download software from VLSC with their own web browser. However, the VLSC also offers the option to install Download Manager to help efficiently download large files. With Download Manager, you can easily pause, resume, and stop the download process. Download Manager also allows automatic restarting if the download process is interrupted.

The use of Download Manager is an option when downloading a software product from the VLSC. Once installed, Download Manager is automatically used to manage subsequent product downloads. To install Download Manager:

1. Click Downloads and Keys on the top navigation bar to view a list of products based upon your license entitlements. Use the filters on the left to narrow your product search by category.

2. Click the Download link for the product you want to download. The Download Settings drop-down box opens.

3. In Download Settings, select Download Manager as the Download Method.

4. Click Continue.

5. Confirm the settings you selected and then click Download icon.

   Note

   An information message may appear in the Microsoft Internet Explorer browser, prompting you to install an ActiveX control. This message occurs if you have not already installed the ActiveX control or the JavaTM applet. To continue, click the message and then select Install ActiveX Control.

   

6. In the Internet Explorer - Security Warning window, click Install to confirm that you want to install Download Manager from Akamai Technologies, Inc.

   

7. In the Save As window, select a location to save the Download Manager and then click Save to begin the download. The Download Manager window appears and your product download begins.

   

1. Click Downloads and Keys on the top navigation bar to view a list of products based upon your license entitlements. Use the filters on the left to narrow your product search by category.
2. Click the Download link for the product you want to download. The Download Settings drop-down box opens.
3. In Download Settings, select Download Manager as the Download Method.
4. Select the Language and Operating System Type.
5. Click Continue.
6. Confirm the settings you selected and then click the Download icon to begin downloading the product using the Download Manager.

Please visit Microsoft Support to access a list of support options. Some Volume Licensing customers may be able to use Problem Resolution Support, a Software Assurance Benefit. Review your Software Assurance Benefits to verify eligibility.

You can find more VLSC training resources on this site, including videos.

VLSC customers may also Contact Us by phone or by Web Form. Microsoft will respond to Web Form submissions within 24 hours.