Microsoft 365, Office

Hello Viktorija Viktorija, thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A forum.

You mentioned losing your Office license key and not seeing it in your Microsoft account, plus using a university license in the past. Let me explain what might be happening.

Nowadays, Office is tied to your Microsoft account, so you don’t need to worry about losing the key, and you can simply sign in to activate. This is automatic for newer versions of Office (2019 and later) because activation always requires signing in, and then the license is linked to your account.

For older versions like Office 2013 or 2016, which matches your timeline of about seven years ago, linking the key to an account was optional. There are two possibilities:

• If you redeemed the key online at https://setup.office.com and signed in, the license is tied to that account. In that case, you might be checking the wrong account.
• If you only activated locally and skipped online redemption, the license stayed on the device and will not show in your account.

University licenses are usually temporary and expire after graduation, so they cannot be reactivated now.

So, here is what you can do:

1. Verify if Office is still installed and activated
   • Open any Office app (Word, Excel, etc.).
   • Go to File > Account (or Office Account) and check the activation status.
   • If it shows as activated, you can keep using it on that device even without the key.
2. Check all possible Microsoft accounts
   • Go to https://account.microsoft.com/services and sign in with any email you might have used when setting up Office.
   • If the license was linked, it will appear under Services & subscriptions.
3. Contact Microsoft Support with proof of purchase
   • If you have a receipt, product key card, or any purchase confirmation, contact https://support.microsoft.com/contactus. They can help recover or reassign the license if you provide proof.

Otherwise, unfortunately, the old license cannot be restored. If you need access urgently, you might want to try free Office Online, which lets you use Word, Excel, and other apps directly in your browser at no cost. It’s often enough for everyday tasks. If you require full desktop features, consider subscribing to Microsoft 365 or purchasing a new perpetual license (Office 2024).

I hope this helps clarify things. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

Warm regards,

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