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Uninstall & Reinstall Issues

How to Reinstall Microsoft Office 2016 Professional After Uninstalling

Maira MehtabMaira Mehtab Sep 21, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to reinstall their perpetual-license version of Microsoft Office 2016 Professional or Professional Plus after it has been removed from their system.

Product
Microsoft Office 2016 Professional
Device & OS
not provided
Scenario
Restoring previously purchased, perpetual-license Microsoft Office software on a computer.
Observed behavior
The user must reinstall the Office suite using the Microsoft account associated with the original purchase, rather than managing a subscription.
Before you start

Ensure you know the email and password for the Microsoft account that was originally used to purchase or register your Office 2016 Professional license.

Solution 1Recommended

Reinstall Office 2016 Professional via Your Microsoft Account

Use your associated Microsoft account to manage your perpetual license, deactivate previous installations, and securely download the setup file.

Microsoft Office 2016 Professional and Professional Plus are perpetual licenses (one-time purchases), meaning they are not managed as ongoing Microsoft 365 subscriptions.

Because the license is tied directly to your Microsoft account, you must log in to the official portal to verify ownership and initiate the installation.

1
Sign In to Your Account

Navigate to office.com/myaccount in your web browser and sign in using the Microsoft account linked to your Office 2016 purchase.

2
Locate Your Product

Go to the 'Services & subscriptions' section to find your Office 2016 Professional or Professional Plus product.

3
Deactivate Previous Installation (If Required)

If you are reinstalling on a new device or a reformatted drive, look for an option to deactivate the previous installation to free up your license.

4
Download and Install

Click the 'Install' button to download the setup file. Once downloaded, run the installer and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the process.

License Verification: If the displayed product name or product key is unclear on your dashboard, contact Microsoft Support to verify your license details.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I reinstall Office 2016 Professional without my Microsoft account?

No, Office 2016 Professional is a perpetual license tied directly to the Microsoft account used during the initial purchase or activation. You must log into that specific account to access the installer.

Why does my account say I need to deactivate my previous installation?

Office 2016 Professional is a one-time purchase typically valid for a single PC. If you are reinstalling it on a new machine or a recently wiped hard drive, you must deactivate the old instance to transfer the license.

What is the difference between Office 2016 Professional and Microsoft 365?

Office 2016 Professional is a perpetual, one-time purchase that does not expire but does not receive feature updates. Microsoft 365 is a subscription-based service that requires regular payments but includes the latest features and cloud storage.