Error “Product activation failed” can occur in any version of Microsoft Office, whether it’s versions 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, or 2021. What could cause this error, and how can it be resolved?
First, it’s necessary to clarify whether you have previously activated Microsoft Office or if you have used a trial period of the application. Let’s go through all possible scenarios in our article.
1. Trial period – After downloading and installing Microsoft Office, you are given a 30-day trial period to use the application. The trial period is not limited in functionality, and you can use all the features of the application. However, after the expiration of the 30-day period, you need to enter a product key into your application. If you don’t have a product key, you can purchase one in our catalog starting from 8.9 €. Product key delivery is instant, automatically sent to your email.
Once you have a product key, you can simply enter it into the application for activation.
2. You used a free pirate installer that was previously activated by an illegal method, or you activated it yourself using various activation bypass applications – This activation method is not only non-licensed but also very unreliable. Such activation methods occasionally “fail” due to antivirus software or Windows Defender. Additionally, if you used pirate KMS activators, they have a tendency to “fail” on their own.
To avoid such problems in the future and activate your Microsoft Office once and for all, you will also need an product key. You can purchase it in our catalog. Also, we strongly recommend using only original Microsoft Office installers. You can download them from our website.
3. The application was previously activated with an official product key, but now it’s giving this error – in this case, try the following:
Check if the date, time, and time zone are set correctly on your PC. Incorrect date can disrupt synchronization with the Microsoft server.
Try updating your Microsoft Office application. Install all available updates. You can check for updates from any Office application, for example, Excel => File menu => Account => Updates.
Try running the application as an administrator and checking the activation.
Check if you are using any proxies or VPN services. They can also affect the appearance of this error.
Try activating the application by phone, the call is toll-free. Instructions on how to activate applications by phone for different versions: Office 2010, Office 2013 and Office 2016, Office 2019, Office 2021.
If none of the manipulations helped, contact your product key seller. Or you can purchase a new product key from our catalog for your version of Microsoft Office.
