License & Subscription Issues

Do You Need Microsoft 365 After Buying an HP Laptop with Office?

Emma Brown Oct 1, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user wants to know if they are required to purchase or renew a Microsoft 365 subscription after receiving a renewal prompt on an HP laptop that initially came with Microsoft Office.

Do You Need Microsoft 365 After Buying an HP Laptop with Office?

Product: Microsoft 365
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Receiving a Microsoft 365 renewal prompt one year after purchasing an HP laptop that included Microsoft Office.
Observed behavior: The system prompts the user to renew a Microsoft 365 subscription, causing confusion about whether the included Office was a 1-year subscription or a perpetual license.

Before you start

Before making any purchases, you need to identify exactly which version of Microsoft Office was included with your HP laptop by checking your Microsoft account.

Solution 1Recommended

Verify Your Office License Type in Your Microsoft Account

Determine if your HP laptop included a perpetual license (like Office 2021) or a 1-year Microsoft 365 Personal subscription.

Many HP laptops come with either a lifetime perpetual license of Office Home & Student or a 1-year promotional subscription to Microsoft 365. You can check which one is bound to your account to see if renewal is actually required.

Sign in to Microsoft Services

Open your web browser and navigate to account.microsoft.com/services. Log in using the same Microsoft account you used to initially set up the HP laptop.

Check Subscriptions and Licenses

Look under the 'Services & subscriptions' section. If you see 'Office Home & Student 2021' or similar, you own a perpetual license. If you see 'Microsoft 365 Personal', it was a subscription.

Decide on Renewal

If you have a Microsoft 365 subscription, you must renew it to keep using the desktop apps and 1TB of cloud storage. If you have a perpetual license, you do not need to buy Microsoft 365 to use Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Verify Your Office License Type in Your Microsoft Account

Perpetual vs. Subscription: A perpetual license means you own that specific version of Office forever on that PC, without ongoing fees. A Microsoft 365 subscription provides the latest updates and cloud features but requires an annual or monthly fee.

Solution 2

Uninstall Microsoft 365 and Install the Perpetual Version

If you own a perpetual license but are still getting Microsoft 365 prompts, your PC might have the wrong version installed.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Use WPS Office as a Free Alternative to Microsoft 365

If your HP laptop's Office subscription has expired and you prefer not to pay for a costly Microsoft 365 renewal, WPS Office is an excellent free alternative. It offers powerful tools for word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations without the recurring fees.

Completely free to use with no mandatory annual subscription fees.Highly compatible with Microsoft Office formats (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx).Lightweight and fast, saving your laptop's storage space and resources.Familiar user interface makes it incredibly easy to switch.

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did my HP laptop come with Office if it only lasts for one year?

Many PC manufacturers, including HP, bundle a 1-year subscription to Microsoft 365 Personal as a promotional offer to add value to the device. Once the year is up, you must renew the subscription to continue using the desktop applications.

Can I use Word and Excel for free after my Microsoft 365 subscription expires?

Once your Microsoft 365 subscription expires, the desktop apps will go into 'view-only' mode, meaning you cannot edit or create new files. However, you can use the free web-based versions at Office.com, or switch to a free desktop alternative like WPS Office.

How do I activate the perpetual Office license that came with my laptop?

Open any Office app like Word, sign in with your Microsoft account, and follow the activation prompts. If it fails, ensure you aren't accidentally opening a pre-installed Microsoft 365 trial instead of your purchased perpetual version.

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