Can you transfer an Office license to another PC? Yes. According to Microsoft, you may move Office 2024 or Office 2021 as a one-time purchase to another computer of your own, but no more than once every 90 days. In the event of a hardware failure, it is possible sooner. You must remove Office from the old computer. For the move you need the Microsoft account with which you redeemed the product key; you do not enter the key itself again.
Quick decision
| Situation | What Microsoft provides for |
|---|---|
| New PC bought | move allowed, remove Office from the old PC |
| Old PC defective | move possible immediately, even within 90 days |
| Second move after a few weeks | only after 90 days, except in the event of a hardware failure |
| Office on two PCs at the same time | not provided for; a one-time purchase covers one PC or Mac |
| Passing it on to another person | in the European Economic Area via Microsoft’s customer support |
The information applies to the one-time purchases that are linked to a Microsoft account: Office Home 2024, Office Home & Business 2024, Office Home & Student 2021, Office Home & Business 2021 and Office Professional 2021.
Before the move
- Clarify the account. You need the email address and the password of the Microsoft account with which the key was redeemed. Without this account, Office cannot be reinstalled.
- Clarify the version. In Word, open File › Account. It shows the product name and version.
- Back up your data. Documents and templates are not part of the license and do not move automatically. Copy them to the new computer or to an external drive.
- Check the requirements. Office 2024 and Office 2021 require Windows 11 or one of the three most recent versions of macOS.
Step by step
- Uninstall Office on the old PC. Open Settings › Apps, select Microsoft Office and then Uninstall. Microsoft requires that the software is removed from the previous computer and that no copy remains.
- Sign in to the Microsoft account on the new PC. Open account.microsoft.com and sign in with the account you used to redeem.
- Download Office. Find your Office product in the account and select Install.
- Run the installation file. Confirm the User Account Control prompt with Yes. The installation runs automatically.
- Activate. Open an Office app, for example Word, and sign in with the same account. Office checks the license and activates.
You do not need the product key for this. If you enter it at microsoft365.com/setup anyway, the message appears that the key has already been used. According to Microsoft, that is not an error: the key has been redeemed and is no longer needed.
The installation is shown in detail in
Install Office: redeem the key and download.
Deactivating is neither necessary nor possible
Many people look for a button to deactivate the license on the old device. There is none for one-time purchases. Microsoft writes: Office Home & Student, Office Home & Business, Office Professional and individual Office programs cannot be deactivated. Instead, you reinstall and activate Office on the new device. Signing out of devices via the account is only available for Microsoft 365 subscriptions.
If the old PC is defective
If the old computer no longer starts, you cannot uninstall Office there. The move is still possible: Microsoft expressly names hardware failure as a reason for which a move is allowed sooner than after 90 days. Install Office on the new device as above, from step 2. If activation fails, see
Office activation: fixing common errors.
Passing it on to another person
Microsoft describes a separate route for this for users in the European Economic Area: you contact Microsoft’s customer support and confirm via your Microsoft account that you are entitled to the license. You also give the email address of the person who is to receive the license. Microsoft then removes your entitlement and sends the new person instructions on how to link the license to their own Microsoft account. We only report here what Microsoft publishes on this; the conditions in the individual case are clarified by Microsoft support. We answer questions about a license bought from us via the contact form.
Office Professional Plus and Office Standard
These editions (Microsoft’s name: Office LTSC) are not linked to a Microsoft account. They are set up with an installation file and product key; Microsoft describes Office LTSC as a device-based license. The Microsoft page on moving mentioned above does not name these editions. If you replace a computer with Office Professional Plus, write to our support before you reinstall. The installation itself is covered in
Install Office Professional Plus.
Typical cases
New laptop, the old one still works. Uninstall Office on the old device, install it on the new one from the account, sign in.
Old PC no longer starts. You do not have to wait 90 days. Install Office directly on the replacement device and sign in with your account.
Account forgotten. Try all your own email addresses. Microsoft advises the same: Office was often redeemed with a different address from the one you use every day.
Switching from Windows to Mac. Microsoft describes the one-time purchase as a license for one PC or Mac. In retail, the editions for Windows and Mac are often separate products; check your product description or ask us before the move.
Office at VivaKeys
Do you need a new version anyway? The current ones are
Office Home 2024 and
Office Home & Business 2024. All editions are in the Microsoft Office category, the overview in the
comparison of the Office 2024 editions. How the move works with Windows is explained in
Transferring a Windows license to a new PC.
Frequently asked questions
How do I transfer my Office 2021 license to a new PC? Uninstall Office on the old PC, sign in on the new PC at account.microsoft.com with the account with which the key was redeemed, install Office from there and sign in in Word.
How do I deactivate the Office 2021 license on the old PC? You don’t. According to Microsoft, there is no deactivation for one-time purchases. You uninstall Office on the old device and install it on the new one.
Where do I find my Office product key for the move? You do not need it, because the license is held in the Microsoft account. You will find the key from your order in the delivery email and in your customer account.
How often may I transfer Office to another PC? According to Microsoft, no more than once every 90 days, and sooner in the event of a hardware failure.
Can I change the product key or use a different account? The redeemed key remains linked to the Microsoft account with which it was redeemed. For transferring it to another person, Microsoft names the route via its customer support.
Sources
Checked on 2026-11-10 against the publisher’s information:
- support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-activation-licensing/transfer-your-office-license-to-another-device-or-another-person
- support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/lifecycle/officeinstall/download-install-or-reinstall-microsoft-365-or-office-2024-on-a-pc-or-mac
- support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-activation-licensing/office-install/deactivate-an-installation-of-office
- support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-activation-licensing/office-install/where-to-enter-your-office-product-key
- support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/office-for-mac/office-2021-and-office-ltsc-for-windows-and-mac-faq