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Fix Office Home and Student 2021 Asking for Purchase After Reinstallation
Question details
The user's preinstalled Microsoft Office Home and Student 2021 prompts for a purchase instead of activating after the device was formatted.
- Product
- Microsoft Office Home and Student 2021
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Reinstalling and activating a preinstalled version of Office after formatting the computer.
- Observed behavior
- Office asks the user to buy a new subscription or license, and signing in with the previous Microsoft account does not automatically restore the activation.
Ensure you have the exact email address and password for the Microsoft account originally used to set up the preinstalled Office 2021 on your device.
Verify License and Reinstall from Services & Subscriptions
Check if your Office 2021 license is correctly tied to your Microsoft account and install the exact matching version directly from your account dashboard.
Preinstalled Office licenses are digitally linked to the first Microsoft account used to activate them. If you install a generic version of Office or Microsoft 365, it will not recognize your Home and Student 2021 license and will prompt you for a purchase.
Go to account.microsoft.com and sign in with the email address used when you first activated the computer.
Click on the 'Services & subscriptions' tab located at the top of the account dashboard.
Scroll down to 'Products you've purchased' and find 'Office Home & Student 2021'.
Click the 'Install' button next to the product to download the exact setup file associated with your license.
Run the downloaded installer. Once finished, open Word or Excel and sign in with the same Microsoft account to complete the activation.
Contact Microsoft Support for Preinstalled License Issues
If your preinstalled license does not appear in your account's purchase history, you may need assistance to restore the digital entitlement.
Use WPS Office When Microsoft Office Fails to Activate
If you cannot recover your Office 2021 license or simply want a hassle-free experience without activation headaches, try WPS Office. It provides a robust, lightweight, and completely free suite for all your document creation needs.
- 1. Download WPS Office: Visit the official WPS website and click the free download button for your operating system.
- 2. Install the Software: Run the lightweight installer to quickly set up the office suite on your newly formatted computer.
- 3. Open Your Documents: Launch WPS Writer, Spreadsheet, or Presentation and open your existing Microsoft Office files without any formatting loss.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my preinstalled Office asking me to buy it after formatting?
This usually happens if the wrong version of Office (such as a Microsoft 365 trial) was installed by default after formatting, or if you signed into the software with an incorrect Microsoft account that does not hold the license.
How do I know which Microsoft account is linked to my Office 2021?
You can verify this by logging into account.microsoft.com and navigating to 'Services & subscriptions'. If the license is successfully linked, Office Home and Student 2021 will be listed under your purchased products.
Can I activate Office 2021 without a product key?
Yes, preinstalled Office Home and Student 2021 typically uses a digital license tied directly to your Microsoft account. You do not need a 25-character product key to reinstall it; simply signing in with the correct account will activate the software.
