None of us can remember long activation keys, right? Especially Microsoft Office keys which can be up to 25 characters long. If you install Office on a new machine after an upgrade or loss of data, you’re probably going to be prompted to enter the product key for it. If you don’t have it stored somewhere safe, you will need to find the Microsoft Office product key.
There are several ways to retrieve your lost Microsoft Office product key. This article will look at some of the ways you can do this. Follow along to learn how to find Microsoft Office product key codes.
Ways to Find Microsoft Office Product Key
If you switched from Sheets to Excel, you might have uninstalled Office. If you’ve lost your keys there are several ways to find the product key for Microsoft Office. Here are some of them explained in detail.
How to Find Microsoft Office Product Key Codes With Email Receipt or Printed Stickers
If you brought your Office copy from an online store, you received the product key through an email. Look through your mail folder to find the email receipt for Office. Make sure to check through the spam folders, as emails from companies are often routed to these folders.
If your Microsoft Office product came with a hardware purchase, such as a laptop or computer, it likely has the product key printed on its Certificate of Authenticity. Also, look through the manuals as the product key often comes on a card bundled with the warranty cards and manuals.
If you bought a CD for the product, check for the product key inside the box.
How to Find the Product Key for Microsoft Office Through the System Registry
This method works on all versions of Windows from 7 up to 11 that have Microsoft Office installed locally. Once you install Microsoft Office onto your system, the product key is also stored locally on your hard drive for offline verification of the product. Your system does this by holding the key in the system registry. However, you can’t view this key by simply going to the file’s location as it is encrypted using binary code.
First, you will need to find the DigitalProductID in your registry. You can do this by following these steps:
- Press the Start symbol (⊞) on your keyboard. This will open the Start menu on your desktop.
- Type in regedit on your keyboard
- Right-click on the Registry editor icon and click on Run as administrator
- In the searchbar at the top, type: HKEY_LOCAL_MATHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindowsNTCurrentVersionDigitalProductID
To obtain the product key, you need to use a script file. To do this, follow these steps:
- On your desktop, create a new text document file.
- Use Notepad to open this .txt file.
- Paste this code into the file.
- Click on File and then on Save as.
- Type the File name as “find key.vbs” and select the file type as All files.
- Click on Save to save this file.
- Double-click the saved file to execute it. This will show the product key in a new window.
- Click on OK after you have noted down your product key.
Use Command Prompt to Find the Microsoft Office Key Code
You can use this method to find the product key for Microsoft Office 2013, 2016, and 2019 versions. One more thing to know is that this method works best if the last five characters of the product key are stored on the computer locally.
Here are the steps you need to follow in order to find the Microsoft Office activation key:
- Press the Start symbol (⊞) on your keyboard. This will open the Start menu on your desktop.
- Type in CMD or Command Prompt on your keyboard
- Right-click on the Command Prompt icon and click on Run as administrator
- Type in the command that suits your needs. You can find a list of these commands at the end of this section.
- Press Enter to execute the command.
- The product key will be displayed as soon as the command is executed
Here are the commands to find Office product key:
- Office 32-bit on Windows 32-bit: cscript “C:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeOffice15OSPP.VBS” /dstatus
- Office 32-bit on Windows 64-bit: cscript “C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft OfficeOffice15OSPP.VBS” /dstatus
- Office 64-bit on Windows 64-bit: cscript “C:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeOffice15OSPP.VBS” /dstatus
How to Find Office Product Key Through Microsoft Account
This method works with all versions of Microsoft Office, including 2013, 2016, and 2019. It will even let you find a Microsoft 365 product key. Suppose you have registered and activated a copy of Microsoft Office using your Microsoft account. In that case, your product key is attached to your account, and you can easily view your key as long as you’re able to access your account.
Here the are steps you need to follow to do this:
- Open your internet browser.
- Go to the Microsoft official website and log in to your account. You can do the same by clicking on this link.
- Once you’re logged in, click on Services & subscriptions in the top bar.
- This will open a new page that contains all of your subscriptions.
- There, look for your Microsoft Office version and look for the Product key option.
- Click on View product key.
- This may prompt you to enter your Microsoft account password again.
- Once you do that, the key will be made visible to you.
Contact Microsoft Support
If all else fails, your best bet is to contact Microsoft customer support. However, you will need to provide proof of purchase in order to receive the product key. You can visit Microsoft support using this link. Or, you can use the Get Help application on your Windows 10 and 11 devices. This can be downloaded through the Microsoft Store.
No matter which method you opt for, you will be presented with a virtualized agent that will present you with several options to allow you to solve your issue. Simply follow the onscreen instructions given to you by the agent, and you should be able to receive your product key once you provide the proof of purchase.
If that doesn’t work, you can click on an option that allows you to talk to a human agent who can provide you with better assistance,
How Do I Find My Microsoft Office Product Key on macOS?
Office is one of the best productivity apps for macOS. Finding the product key for Microsoft Office on a macOS system follows many of the same steps we discussed before.
Firstly, if you bought the product from an online store, check your email receipt for the code. If you bought the key from a third-party website, log in to your account. Most websites track your purchase, and you should be able to find the product key in the “orders” section. If all else fails, contact the seller and ask them to resend the link or the receipt.
If you bought your copy of Microsoft Office from the Microsoft Store, head over to the Order History and find the key or contact customer support to get your product key.
Check the box, card, or packaging for users who bought the physical edition of Microsoft Office without the disc. This contains your one-time-use PIN. If you have already used the PIN, the product key will be stored on your account page. If you haven’t used it yet, go to https://www.microsoft.com/mac/getkey and enter the PIN to get the product key.
If you bought the disk edition of Microsoft Office, the 25-digit key is printed on a yellow sticker inside the case of the disc. If you lose this key, you will have to buy a replacement key.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Find My Microsoft Office Key on My Mac?
If you bought the product from an online store, check your email receipt for the code. Check the box, card, or packaging for users who bought the physical edition of Microsoft Office without the disc.
If you bought your copy of Microsoft Office from the Microsoft Store, then head over to the Order History and find the key.
If you bought the disk edition of Microsoft Office, the 25-digit key is printed on a yellow sticker inside the case of the disc.
How Do I Locate My Microsoft Office Product Key?
You can locate the key inside the packaging, usually on the card or disc or inside the box. Digital owners can find the license by going to their Microsoft account and checking the services tab.
Where Can I Find My Office 2013 Product Key?
If you have a lifetime license of Office 2013, here’s where to find the Microsoft Office product key: You can find the key inside the cover of the disk. The key can be found in the services tab in your Microsoft Account for digital buyers. For users who bought a physical code, the 25-character key can be found on the card.
Wrapping Up the Microsoft Office Product Key Guide
If you have lost your Microsoft Office product key, you probably won’t have to go out and buy a new one.
Newer Office versions tie your Office product key to your Microsoft account, so there is a lesser chance of you losing access to it.
Other than that, your Office keys are also locally saved onto your computer.
We hope this guide on How to Find Microsoft Office Product Key codes helped you out. Let us know in the comments if you have any questions.
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Chris is a spreadsheet expert and content writer for Productivity Spot and Spreadsheet Point. He has a double Bachelor's Degree in Teaching and has been working in the education industry for over 11 years. His experience makes him adept at breaking down complex topics so that everyone is able to understand.
