M365 product key is not activating

Hello, I'm Quinn and here to help!

May I ask if you have redeemed it here? https://setup.office.com/

If you have already tried this and it still isn’t activating, kindly let me know the exact error message you’re seeing. Thanks.

Hi, Simon and Erika Gee

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.

Sorry for this frustrating experience regarding your Office license cannot be activated. Here are some workarounds you can try to resolve this issue:

Fix M365 product key activation (single solution)

• Redeem the key in the right place: Go to Microsoft365.com/setup (or Office.com/setup), sign in with the Microsoft account you want tied to the subscription, and enter the 25‑character key (no hyphens). Follow the prompts to finish redemption.
• Install/activate from your account: After redemption, install M365 from account.microsoft.com/services (Services & subscriptions). Open Word/Excel and sign in with the same account, no key entry is needed for subscriptions.
• If the apps still show “Unlicensed Product”:
  • Confirm you’re signed in with the same account that redeemed the key.
  • Remove duplicate Office installs (having multiple versions causes conflicts), then run Online Repair.
• Run the official activation troubleshooter (Windows 10/11): Launch the Microsoft 365 troubleshooter and follow the guided steps.
• Check for known/licensing issues: Recent deactivations after license changes are resolved by Reactivate (sign‑in) or sign‑out/in across Office apps. If your admin changed license plans, ask them to review your assignment.
• Region mismatch error: If you see “This product key isn’t meant for your region,” the key must be redeemed in the country/region of purchase. Contact Microsoft Support to resolve or reissue.
• Blocked/invalid key: Errors like “key not valid” or 0xC004C060 indicate a blocked key (often from third‑party sellers). Request a refund from the seller; buy from Microsoft Store if you need a replacement.
• Business Standard (tenant setup): If your purchase was Microsoft 365 Business Standard via a setup key, use signup.microsoft.com/get‑started/setupkey to redeem and complete tenant configuration.

Tip

Activation problems can also stem from time, firewall/proxy, or antivirus settings. Verify date/time, update Office, and check firewall/proxy rules if needed.

Hope this helps. Feel free to get back if you need further assistance.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment."    

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread. 

Hi , Simon and Erika Gee

It has been a while and I am writing to see how things are going with this issue.

Have you had a chance to check the replies provided?

Any update would be appreciated.