Office Pro 2021 Activation Issue

Hello,

Resetting is not formatting: it will return the PC to factory settings (so possibly with Microsoft 365 or a pre-installed version of Office) and should, in principle, keep the data...including possibly remnants of license files and the KMS server.

It’s not unusual for Office to be installed in different folders with different version numbers (I have a folder 15 in Programs and 16 in Program Files (x86) even though I only have 2019; I even seem to recall that Money 2001 adds another layer by creating a shared folder with another number), but now that you're in a mess, I suggest a thorough cleanup.

Make sure to use the Office uninstallation assistant (OffScrub.exe from Microsoft) to completely remove everything: 2021, 2016, 365, then manually search your disk for any residual Office folders to delete, and of course the "KMS software"; the "clean" purpose of these is obviously to prevent the normal Microsoft license control mechanism, which will cause issues when you need to do it with a legitimate license.

If you're sure you've cleaned up everything above except 2021, you can initially attempt the next step (phone).

You should then be able to reinstall 2021 without trouble except that some licenses can only be activated once (does a failed activation count?) and others only by automated phone for volume licenses, refer to the instructions on the site where you possibly purchased that license; if you log in under a Microsoft account rather than a local account, an old license could block it (unlikely since I understood that there were no valid ones) which would need to be removed or alternatively switch to a local or offline account.

Hello and thank you for your response.

Indeed, I did not properly format, which is probably why there are residual files that may be causing problems. That's surely what I will have to do.

As for uninstalling Office via OffScrub.exe, I have already done this several times by selecting all the versions to remove (but I will do it again just in case). After browsing the files afterwards, I did not find any residual files, but it's possible that the problematic program or file is buried somewhere I can't find.

Regarding KMS, I think I cleared it some time ago because I had an interception with Windows Defender, but I did find two kms.config.xml files that I deleted.

As for the number of activations, I don't know; it is not mentioned by the seller's site. Furthermore, during my Windows reset, I made sure to connect without a Microsoft account but locally, and during the last attempt, it did not resolve the issue...

What I gather is that, in my opinion, there must be residual memory of the old Office even after a clean uninstall and reset, possibly with a previous key or license that interferes. I am thinking of doing a complete format of the PC including Windows and then reinstalling a brand new and clean Windows via an external hard drive or USB stick that I will have downloaded beforehand. I retrieved my Windows license key (25 digits). That would allow me to have no link with my current files and Windows which may be corrupted...

Is this a good option?

Thanks in advance

It's noted, I will opt for a complete formatting of the laptop and then install "new" Windows 10 Home (the original operating system when purchased) via a USB drive.

Normally, I should be able to activate the new Windows with the activation key from my current Windows.

Once that's done, I will directly test the installation of that darn Office 2021....

To be continued!

Good evening,

I understood what you wrote, but my father installed one of the keys I bought and it worked without any issues.

One of the keys may indeed be invalid, but I still believe that the problem lies elsewhere. Thank you for your response.

Good evening,

In my opinion, your activation issue is not due to remnants of old versions, but rather to the license you paid very little for. At Microsoft, a professional Office costs €800, so all the keys we find for just a few euros—let's not kid ourselves, those are volume-type keys whose resale by companies is illegal practice, and Microsoft blocks a large portion of them. I therefore think that your key has been rendered invalid by Microsoft.