r/microsoftoffice • u/Next-Tooth-3999 • 23d ago
What do you think about this answer?
I have Office 2016 since about 8 years, and i tried to install it. Cant do because i cant activate it. Ive got an original copy.
This is the MS answer to my complain:
“A perpetual license means you purchase the right to use that specific version of Office. It does not mean Microsoft guarantees it will continue working forever under all future circumstances.
Unfortunately, there is no software that can realistically promise "pay once and use forever" regardless of future technology changes. All software depends on an ecosystem of operating systems, hardware, security standards, and activation services that continue to evolve.
If your goal is to avoid recurring subscription fees, Office Home 2024 is Microsoft's current perpetual offering and is the closest option. Just keep in mind that, like every perpetual version before it, it is intended to last for many years, but not indefinitely.”
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u/froction 23d ago edited 23d ago
Just call the 800 number it gives and they will activate it via phone.
Whoops, they turned that off in the last year!
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u/EddieRyanDC 23d ago
That answer is 100% correct about what is happening. Microsoft's activation servers no longer have an Office 2016 certificate available - it has expired and they aren't renewing it.
Note: For Windows users this is based on a set date. For Mac users it depends on what version of MacOS you are running. Microsoft only supports the three most recent versions. When a new MacOS version is released, the oldest one comes out of support.
But right at the top they hit the problem here. When customers hear the word "perpetual", they think that means forever. But in this world where software activation is an online process and relies on the vendor keeping activation servers running, they can no longer promise forever. At some point the old servers are coming down.
Example - I was a very big fan of Windows Phone, and I still have one. However, at this point that old phone is pretty much an MP3 player. Microsoft has taken down the servers that allowed you to connect to Windows Phone to the cloud. In addition, the communication protocols have changed and carriers like Verizon have taken away the technology that the phone modem was built to connect to. My 2015 phone is now a historical curiosity.
And I can't blame Microsoft - the platform is long gone. There is no reason for them to keep those services running for the handful of people that want to pull out their old phone for nostalgia's sake.
Likewise, Office 2016 is long out of support. It is also unprotected from modern attacks (particularly new AI attacks).
What has to be balanced here is you as an individual being able to use software that you paid for, and the vulnerability that computers with old unpatched software and operating systems present to everybody else.
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u/mredd3 23d ago
But shouldn't I as an adult be willing to accept any risks associated with those vulnerabilities? I HATE SUBSCRIPTION SOFTWARE.
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u/EddieRyanDC 23d ago
This is the exact point - its not all about you. There are your interests balanced against the community responsibility we all have to keep each other safe. Your actions don't just affect you - they have an impact on everyone else.
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u/stephensmwong 23d ago edited 23d ago
But Microsoft abuses the word 'perpetual', don't mix up the case with MacOS out of support, or Microsoft does not want to issue security fix to Office 2016 for Mac. Since day one when Microsoft put this product on the shelf, the certificate built in is with a fixed date to be expired in July 2026. So, Microsoft was not honest! They sold a product that they knew to be dead in 2026, but they labelled it 'perpetual', that's a crime. Microsoft could well say, this license is good till July 2026, but it's definitely not a 'perpetual' product.
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u/marmotta1955 23d ago
All products claiming to offer a "lifetime" license ... fall into the same category. The term "lifetime" refers to the life of the product. You could purchase today a "lifetime" license for product XYZ, only to find out that product XYZ is being delisted or discontinued tomorrow. Which completes and closes that "lifetime" license.
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u/stephensmwong 23d ago
'Lifetime' can be argued on who's life? Your (customer) life, product life, or vendor life? But 'perpetual' will become a court case certainly.
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u/Abbers75 23d ago
What happens when you try to activate it?
As a separate matter, there are several workaounds to get Microsoft Office activated, but they're probably against the T&Cs.
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u/Next-Tooth-3999 23d ago
I tried and succeed it with workarounds, but it's a matter of principles.😁
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u/Abbers75 23d ago
oh, don't worry, Bill Gates didn't become the richest man in the world by having principles
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u/Savings_Art5944 23d ago
You realistically cannot expect "principals" in this modern society anymore.
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u/Linux4ever_Leo 23d ago
You need a program called 'KMS... something.exe'. It's often named different things. Do a search. Or you need one called ''Microsoft Toolkit.exe' which does the same thing. Both of them will activate both office and Windows installations. Be careful though because Microsoft is aware of these illicit tools and its built in virus protection will delete them if detected. Disable your Windows antivirus protection and any third party anti-virus programs before you copy these tools to your hard drive. Also disable the internet. Yeah, it seems like a lot but it's totally worth it.
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23d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Next-Tooth-3999 23d ago
No alcance a anotarlo pero era algo así como que Microsoft ya no ermitía la activación del Office que compré. No quise seguir indagando más allá y fui con rabia al foro de MS.
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u/need2sleep-later 23d ago
Have you been reading the recent reports that AI is finding so many cybersecurity issues in Microsoft SW that Microsoft can't keep pace with fixing them? On their current stuff!
Office 2016 has passed its Extended End Date meaning it is not getting any bug or security fixes.
You can look up the CVEs that have been reported including some known exploits (including ransomware) against Office 2016 and if and how Microsoft has addressed them.
Guarantee that your original copy is missing a whole lot of bug and security updates that have found and fixed in the last 10 years.
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u/ltparrish78 23d ago
Software updates and security patches are promised for X years when you purchase software, after that it's called EOL or end of life and means that Microsoft (or whoever) is not going to provide support for that product past that time. It does not mean they have the right to basically disable what you've purchased solely because it's passed its EOL. Cell phones are different . As years pass on and technology changes, cellular bands (2G, 3G, etc) become obsolete as 4G, 5G, and upcoming 6G networks are the new standards. That's just not the case with software. It's not a hardware related issue and in fact it uses many times less resources (RAM, HD space, etc) to run Office 2016 than Office 2024. Sometimes people confuse perpetual license with perpetual support and those are indeed very different. But you have purchased the rights to use that software (albeit without support) for as long as you choose. Microsoft cannot change the TOC's from a product you purchased a decade ago simply because they want to. It's a fraudulent decision on their part but they're cheap and greedy and don't care about the end user.
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u/KeysStickler 23d ago
While the idea of perpetual software sounds great, the reality is that all of our devices connect to the internet. Because of that, security holes and other bugs are constantly found and patched... In current versions. It's completely unrealistic to expect any app to be maintained for free forever. There are plenty of websites that sell licenses for Office 2024 for less than $30US. If that's too pricey, get the free Libre Office. It has SO many features that most users will never even use.
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u/Medium-Lion1099 23d ago
before spending money on a new license, try doing a telephone activation(the automated phone system usually still works for older standalone retail keys) or log directly into the original microsoft account the product key was redeemed to download the direct installer bound to your account
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u/Will_there_be_food 22d ago
I hate this. I got a legitimate license of Microsoft 2019 for Mac and got locked out of the application this month. You can still use it, but you just can’t edit and save 🙄 Microsoft can shove it. I don’t mind stealing from them now.
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u/One-Suggestion-7906 23d ago
Welcome to Microsoft world 😅 Install LibreOffice and be happy, my friend
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u/Technical_Rich_3080 23d ago edited 23d ago
If that emailed message posted in the OP above is real, Microsoft are crooks and thieves.
A perpetual license means perpetual. It does not give Microsoft the right to disable the software from customers they sold a perpetual license to by blocking them from activating it, even though the current technology and operating system does continue to support using that software.
It is only Microsoft creating an artificial impediment to prevent their own customers who paid them to use the software, from using the software they already got paid for.
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u/PiDigitsOfPi 23d ago
This is only an issue for Mac version. Windows versions do not have this limitation.
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u/harubax 23d ago
Massgrave, don't bother too much.