Hey everyone! I'm in a bit of a bind trying to find some non-subscription Office licenses for a few computers. Our company has a project that needs temporary offices set up around the country. These setups won't last long—some for 3 months, others for 6. The employees will be using their personal Gmail accounts and won't need company emails, but we still have to provide them with computers and Office applications.
I'm looking into options like Office 2024 Home and Business, but I'm concerned because it looks like even those require linking to a Microsoft account, which would be a headache to manage. I've also reached out to a Microsoft partner about getting volume licenses that can be activated by key alone.
Does anyone have recommendations or solutions I might have missed?
5 Answers
Do you really need Microsoft Office? For basic tasks, I've found that installing LibreOffice works perfectly fine, especially if your team mainly uses Google services. If you do decide on Office, go for the Home & Business licenses and just set up a simple personal Microsoft ID for activation. That route might be easier than managing volume licenses now that they’ve altered the licensing system.
The Office Home & Business license ties to the specific computer, even if it needs a Microsoft account for initial activation. What we do is set it up using a local admin account so that it remains active for other users. It can be a bit slow at times—if you face issues entering the product key, wait a few minutes and try again. You can consolidate all your keys under one Microsoft account just for activation, too.
You might want to check out Office LTSC Professional Plus 2024. It’s specifically designed for businesses needing a one-time purchase without ongoing subscriptions. Just keep in mind some versions might still need a Microsoft account for activation, though the process can still be simpler than having multiple accounts.
Isn’t that plan still going to require a Microsoft account? Plus, I wonder if you can move the license from one computer to another if needed.
If you require offline activation, going for a volume license for LTSC is the way to go. You can use a MAK to activate them, which you can bundle in a configuration.xml file for easier management.
Honestly, I wouldn’t recommend buying standalone Office licenses. I think they still tie to a Microsoft account, and I’m not even sure they offer standard volume licensing anymore. If you already have Microsoft 365, consider using Microsoft 365 Apps for Business at around $8.66 a month. You can keep those licenses active just for the duration of your projects, which might be cheaper than buying individual licenses.
Do you have to go through that activation process every time the computer starts? Also, can the same Microsoft account handle multiple keys? Isn’t that risky for sharing credentials?