We purchased office home and student and now it has expired

Alan Simpson 0 Reputation points
2026-10-29T11:56:31.29+00:00

I spent nearly 3 hours trying to figure out how to get use of my computer specifically office; word; excel and even with help from AI I couldn’t get it to work. It is saying that it expires yesterday. We have used this software since 2020 and there have never been any issues with it since I don’t understand what happened please help. My key works but nowhere is showing up my software

Microsoft 365 and Office | Install, redeem, activate | For home | Windows
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  1. Thomas4-N 23,140 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-11-04T09:55:06.1866667+00:00

    Hello Alan Simpson,

    I’m sorry you’ve spent so much time trying to get Office working again. Before uninstalling anything or buying another licence, could you open Word > File > Account and tell me:

    • The exact product name and year under Product Information.
    • The exact wording of the expiration message.

    A screenshot would help but remember to hide your email address and any product key.

    This will help establish whether Word is using your purchased Home and Student edition or a Microsoft 365 subscription. The Microsoft 365 activation troubleshooter is intended for subscription activation, so we should identify your edition before choosing that route.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-10-29T11:56:54.23+00:00

    If Office Home and Student suddenly shows as expired, the most likely issue is that Office is signed in with the wrong Microsoft account, the license is not attached to the account being used, or another Office installation is causing an activation conflict.

    Try this in order:

    1. Check the Microsoft account that owns the license
      • Go to the Services & subscriptions page: https://account.microsoft.com/services
      • Sign in with the Microsoft account that was originally used to redeem Office Home and Student.
      • If Office Home and Student appears there, use that account for installation and activation.
      • If it does not appear, the license may be tied to a different Microsoft account.
    2. Sign in inside Office with the same account
      • Open Word or Excel.
      • If prompted to activate, sign in with the Microsoft account used to buy or redeem Office.
      • If the wrong account is used, Office can show Unlicensed Product or say no products were found.
    3. Check for multiple Office copies
      • Having more than one Office installation can cause activation conflicts.
      • If there are multiple versions installed, remove the extra copy and then try activation again.
    4. If a product key was bought but the subscription/license is still not active
      • A retail box or card does not start the license until the product key is redeemed.
      • If the key is valid but the software still does not appear, redeem or verify the key at www.office.com/setup.
    5. If Office is still showing expired or unlicensed
      • Close all Office apps.
      • Run the Microsoft 365 activation troubleshooter on the same Windows PC where Office is installed.
      • This requires Windows 10 or later.
    6. If the key says it was already used
      • That usually means the key has already been redeemed and the correct next step is to sign in with the Microsoft account that redeemed it, not enter the key again.
    7. If the purchase was a one-time Office purchase from 2020
      • Office Home and Student is a one-time purchase, not a Microsoft 365 subscription.
      • It should not require a Microsoft 365 subscription to keep using it, but it still must be installed and activated from the Microsoft account where it was redeemed.

    If the license is missing from Services & subscriptions even after signing in with the correct account, and the key has already been redeemed, contact Microsoft Support.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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