- Home
- News
If you want to reinstall an old piece of software, you usually need two things: the installation files and the product key. But what if your installer is on a DVD that's missing and you lost the paper with the code on it? If you have an older version of Microsoft Office, you may be in luck.
Reader Anna, who goes by the ID truthseekerandteller, wants to know how she can copy Office 2010 from her old computer onto a USB so she can install it on another PC. While you can't just copy an installed program and move it from one computer to another, there's a way to get the product key and installer for Office, Windows and several other programs. You can then use those to install the program on another computer.
To get the product key, download Magical Jelly Bean KeyFinder, and run it. It's not guaranteed to find all your keys, but it usually works. Then, write down the product key for Office [or another app], and keep it somewhere.
To download Office 2010 or 2013, visit this page [opens in new tab] on Microsoft.com, and enter the product key. You should then be able to download an installer for Office and put it on any Windows system you like. Note that if your license is for only one computer, you should uninstall it on the original PC.
If you need to reinstall Windows 7 and have its product key, you can download a Windows 7 ISO file [opens in new tab] from Microsoft.com. There's also a different page for Windows 8.1 ISOs [opens in new tab] and Windows 10 ISOs [opens in new tab].
Once you have an ISO file, you can use the Windows USB/DVD Download tool [opens in new tab] to "burn" it to a flash drive or disc. After you've created your install disk, you can use it, along with your product code, to install the app.
Microsoft Outlook Tips
- Previous Tip
- Next Tip
- Block a Sender in Outlook 2016
- How to Instantly Mark Messages as Read in Outlook 2016 and Prior
- Edit New Message Alerts in Outlook
- How to Mail Merge in Office 2016
- Set an Out of Office Reply in Outlook
- How to Create Custom Groups in Outlook 2016
- Download Your Address Book in Outlook 2016 and Prior
- How to Archive Mail in Outlook 2016
- Create an Email Signature in Outlook 2016 and Prior
- Attach a Calendar Event to an Email
- Set Up a Universal Inbox
- Import Contacts to macOS Address Book
- Purge Deleted Messages
- Delete Addresses in Outlook Autocomplete
- Change the Attachment Size Limit in Outlook
- Import Contacts via CSV
- Back Up Outlook Data
- Change Fonts in Outlook
- Export Contacts to CSV
- Add an Image to Your Signature
- Set Up Out-of-Office Messages
- Create Email Templates
- Restrict Notifications to Important Emails Only
- Get Read Receipts
- Use Two Time Zones for Meetings
- Recall an Email
- Save Common Searches
- Filter Email
- Block Unwanted Mail
- Stop Sending Winmail.dat
- Automate Repetitive Actions
- Schedule Outgoing Mail
- Create Canned Replies
The official Geeks Geek, as his weekly column is titled, Avram Piltch has guided the editorial and production of Laptopmag.com since 2007. With his technical knowledge and passion for testing, Avram programmed several of LAPTOP's real-world benchmarks, including the LAPTOP Battery Test. He holds a master's degree in English from NYU.
If you own a product key for Microsoft Office 2021, 2019, or 2016, but don't have the installation files available, it's really simple to download them legally and direct from Microsoft.
Whether Microsoft Office was included with your system purchase or you just want a copy of the files, we'll show you the different methods available to get Office 2021, 2019, or 2016.
Don't forget that if you have a Microsoft 365 subscription, you're entitled to the latest version of Office as part of that. Regardless, these steps will work whether you're on the latest auto-updated version from Microsoft 365 or the standalone Office.
1. How to Download Office From a Microsoft 365 Subscription
If you have an active Microsoft 365 subscription, you're entitled to download the full versions of some of the most popular Microsoft Office applications, like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. This is also applicable if your business has an Enterprise license, where the service might be called Office 365.
If you're on the fence about buying a subscription, we've previously compared Microsoft 365 against Office 2021.
- Go to the Microsoft 365 subscription page and log in.
- Click Install Office.
- A window opens to confirm that you wish to download and install Office. Select your language and version, then click Install.
If you have an enterprise account, you may be redirected to your organization's Office page to complete this process. If so, select Install Office & Office 365 apps.
2. How to Download Office From a License Key
If your system came with a copy of Microsoft Office, it may already be pre-installed. If not, you should have a product key from the manufacturer, which you can use to download Office from Microsoft.
Alternatively, if you bought Microsoft Office from Microsoft or through another retailer, you can use this same method to download replacement installation files.
Whatever your situation, head to Microsoft's Download Office page. Sign in, input your product key, and download your version of Office. There are ways to get a free and legal Microsoft Office license if you don't have one.
How to Install Office 2021, 2019, and 2016
No matter which method you use to download Office, the installation process is the same. It's quick and simple to use. Start by opening the installation file. A window opens to detail that Microsoft Office is being installed.
Office comes in both 64-bit and 32-bit versions; the former is the default. If you already have part of Office installed in 32-bit, the other applications will also use that. If you want to reinstall everything in 64-bit, you must first uninstall Office.
When the installation process is complete, a message will read: You're all set! Office is installed now. You'll find the apps, like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, within the Start Menu. Of course, you can always do a system search to find them too.
When you open an Office program for the first time, it will ask you to agree to the license agreement, so click Accept if you do. You might also see the Microsoft Office Activation Wizard; follow the instructions for this. It's always best to select I want to activate the software over the internet option for the speediest activation.
Free Alternatives to Office
While you can download Office 2021, 2019, and Office 2016 for free from Microsoft, you need to own a license key or have a Microsoft 365 subscription to actually use the programs within.
As such, you might want to consider a free Office alternative, of which there are plenty. Programs like LibreOffice, or online tools like Google's work suite, might not have all the advanced functionality of Office, but still offer plenty to get the job done.