Microsoft Office is indispensable for many people: Word for documents, Excel for spreadsheets, Outlook for email, PowerPoint for presentations. But installing, activating, and getting it to work can...
Microsoft Office is indispensable for many people: Word for documents, Excel for spreadsheets, Outlook for email, PowerPoint for presentations. But installing, activating, and getting it to work can be surprisingly tricky. Especially if you don't know whether you have Microsoft 365 or Office 2021, or if you get an error message during activation.
Microsoft 365 vs. Office 2021: what's the difference?
Microsoft 365 is a subscription. You pay monthly or yearly and always have the latest version, including 1 TB of OneDrive storage. Office 2021 (or 2024) is a one-time purchase: you pay once and have that version forever, but you don't receive major updates. For most people, Microsoft 365 is the better option due to automatic updates and cloud storage.
Installing Office: step by step
Go to office.com and sign in with your Microsoft account. Click Install Office and then Office 365 apps (or Microsoft 365 apps). The installation file downloads. Open it and follow the instructions. Installation takes five to fifteen minutes, depending on your internet speed.
Bought Office in a store? Then there's a product key included (a 25-character code). Go to office.com/setup, sign in, and enter the code. Office is linked to your account and you can download it.
License issues: activation failed or license expired
The most common error message is that your license isn't recognized or has expired. First check that you're signed in with the correct Microsoft account. Have Microsoft 365? Then check if your subscription is still active at account.microsoft.com/services. Has your subscription expired? You can renew it there.
Have a one-time Office license and the product key doesn't work? Contact Microsoft Support. In some cases, the code has already been used or linked to another account.
Word, Excel, or PowerPoint not working
If an Office program crashes or freezes, first try the repair function. Go to Settings, Apps, Installed apps. Find Microsoft 365, click the three dots, and choose Modify. Select Online Repair and let the process complete. This fixes most software issues without losing your files.
Lost an unsaved Word document? Open Word, click File, Info, Manage Document, and check if there's an automatically saved version.
Installing and setting up Teams or Zoom
Need to video call? Microsoft Teams is included with Microsoft 365 and is free to download at microsoft.com/teams. Zoom can be downloaded at zoom.us/download. Both programs install in a few minutes.
Need help? We install Office remotely
Installing, activating, and configuring Office is one of our most requested services. Call us and a specialist handles it remotely: installation, activation, and if you want, setting up Outlook with your email account too.
Need to install or activate Office? Call +31 10 268 7172 and we'll handle it remotely [link to /remote-help]
Frequently asked questions
Is Microsoft 365 the same as Office?
Microsoft 365 is the successor to what was previously called "Office 365." It contains the same programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) plus extras like OneDrive storage and Teams. "Office" as a standalone purchase contains the programs without the cloud extras.
Can I install Office on multiple computers?
With a Microsoft 365 Personal subscription, you can use Office on up to five devices simultaneously. With a one-time Office license, you can install it on one computer.
How much does Microsoft 365 cost per year?
Microsoft 365 Personal costs about 70 euros per year. The Family subscription (for up to six people) costs about 100 euros per year. Both include 1 TB of OneDrive storage per person.
Is there a free alternative to Microsoft Office?
Yes. LibreOffice is a free, fully functional office suite that can open and edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides are free via your browser. For basic use, these alternatives are excellent.
How do I recover an unsaved Word document?
Open Word and click File, Info, Manage Document. Word automatically makes interim copies of files you're working on. If a version is available, you can restore it.
Need help? We connect remotely.
A specialist looks at your computer remotely. The assessment is free.