Instructions, Software Activation Updates
Free Microsoft Office Product Keys 2026: Updated List
Oct
Looking for free Microsoft Office product keys for Office 2024, Office 2021, Office 2019, or Office 2016?
There are many 25-character Office keys published online, but not every key serves the same purpose. Some are Microsoft’s official Generic Volume License Keys, also called GVLKs, while others may be old, incorrectly labelled, or intended for a completely different Office edition.
In this updated 2026 list, we focus on Microsoft-published Office GVLKs and explain what they actually do, why they may install but not permanently activate Office on a normal home PC, and when you need a genuine Office license instead.
Microsoft states that volume-licensed versions of Office use GVLKs to connect to an organization’s KMS host or Active Directory activation infrastructure. The key itself is not a free retail Office license.
Free Microsoft Office Product Keys for 2026
Before using any of the keys below, check exactly which Office version and edition you have installed.
An Office 2024 key will not normally configure Office 2021, and a key for Professional Plus should not be treated as interchangeable with Standard, Project, Visio, or a retail Home edition.
These are the official Microsoft GVLKs currently documented for supported and legacy volume-license editions.
Free Office 2024 Product Keys
Office LTSC 2024 is Microsoft’s current perpetual volume-license Office generation.
Microsoft publishes the following GVLKs for Office LTSC 2024 products:
| Office 2024 Product | Microsoft GVLK |
| Office LTSC Professional Plus 2024 | XJ2XN-FW8RK-P4HMP-DKDBV-GCVGB |
| Office LTSC Standard 2024 | V28N4-JG22K-W66P8-VTMGK-H6HGR |
| Project Professional 2024 | FQQ23-N4YCY-73HQ3-FM9WC-76HF4 |
| Project Standard 2024 | PD3TT-NTHQQ-VC7CY-MFXK3-G87F8 |
| Visio LTSC Professional 2024 | B7TN8-FJ8V3-7QYCP-HQPMV-YY89G |
| Visio LTSC Standard 2024 | JMMVY-XFNQC-KK4HK-9H7R3-WQQTV |
| Access LTSC 2024 | 82FTR-NCHR7-W3944-MGRHM-JMCWD |
| Excel LTSC 2024 | F4DYN-89BP2-WQTWJ-GR8YC-CKGJG |
| Outlook LTSC 2024 | D2F8D-N3Q3B-J28PV-X27HD-RJWB9 |
| PowerPoint LTSC 2024 | CW94N-K6GJH-9CTXY-MG2VC-FYCWP |
| Skype for Business LTSC 2024 | 4NKHF-9HBQF-Q3B6C-7YV34-F64P3 |
| Word LTSC 2024 | MQ84N-7VYDM-FXV7C-6K7CC-VFW9J |
Is the Office 2024 Professional Plus key a free activation key?
No.
For example:
XJ2XN-FW8RK-P4HMP-DKDBV-GCVGB
is Microsoft’s official GVLK for Office LTSC Professional Plus 2024.
It tells a volume-license installation which Office product it should use, but permanent activation still requires a properly licensed KMS or Active Directory-based activation environment.
Microsoft specifically warns that these GVLKs cannot activate a personal copy of Office at home.
Free Office 2021 Product Keys
The following are Microsoft’s official GVLKs for Office LTSC 2021 products:
| Office 2021 Product | Microsoft GVLK |
| Office LTSC Professional Plus 2021 | FXYTK-NJJ8C-GB6DW-3DYQT-6F7TH |
| Office LTSC Standard 2021 | KDX7X-BNVR8-TXXGX-4Q7Y8-78VT3 |
| Project Professional 2021 | FTNWT-C6WBT-8HMGF-K9PRX-QV9H8 |
| Project Standard 2021 | J2JDC-NJCYY-9RGQ4-YXWMH-T3D4T |
| Visio LTSC Professional 2021 | KNH8D-FGHT4-T8RK3-CTDYJ-K2HT4 |
| Visio LTSC Standard 2021 | MJVNY-BYWPY-CWV6J-2RKRT-4M8QG |
| Access LTSC 2021 | WM8YG-YNGDD-4JHDC-PG3F4-FC4T4 |
| Excel LTSC 2021 | NWG3X-87C9K-TC7YY-BC2G7-G6RVC |
| Outlook LTSC 2021 | C9FM6-3N72F-HFJXB-TM3V9-T86R9 |
| PowerPoint LTSC 2021 | TY7XF-NFRBR-KJ44C-G83KF-GX27K |
| Publisher LTSC 2021 | 2MW9D-N4BXM-9VBPG-Q7W6M-KFBGQ |
| Skype for Business LTSC 2021 | HWCXN-K3WBT-WJBKY-R8BD9-XK29P |
| Word LTSC 2021 | TN8H9-M34D3-Y64V9-TR72V-X79KV |
Important: Office 2021 has reached end of support
As of October 2026, Office LTSC 2021 has reached the end of its Microsoft support lifecycle.
Microsoft says Office LTSC 2021 reached end of support on October 13, 2026. After that date, Microsoft no longer provides normal technical support, bug fixes, or security updates for the product.
That does not mean Office 2021 immediately stops opening.
However, for a new installation in 2026, a supported release such as Office 2024 is generally the more sensible long-term option.
Free Office 2019 Product Keys
Microsoft also publishes official GVLKs for Office 2019:
| Office 2019 Product | Microsoft GVLK |
| Office Professional Plus 2019 | NMMKJ-6RK4F-KMJVX-8D9MJ-6MWKP |
| Office Standard 2019 | 6NWWJ-YQWMR-QKGCB-6TMB3-9D9HK |
| Project Professional 2019 | B4NPR-3FKK7-T2MBV-FRQ4W-PKD2B |
| Project Standard 2019 | C4F7P-NCP8C-6CQPT-MQHV9-JXD2M |
| Visio Professional 2019 | 9BGNQ-K37YR-RQHF2-38RQ3-7VCBB |
| Visio Standard 2019 | 7TQNQ-K3YQQ-3PFH7-CCPPM-X4VQ2 |
| Access 2019 | 9N9PT-27V4Y-VJ2PD-YXFMF-YTFQT |
| Excel 2019 | TMJWT-YYNMB-3BKTF-644FC-RVXBD |
| Outlook 2019 | 7HD7K-N4PVK-BHBCQ-YWQRW-XW4VK |
| PowerPoint 2019 | RRNCX-C64HY-W2MM7-MCH9G-TJHMQ |
| Publisher 2019 | G2KWX-3NW6P-PY93R-JXK2T-C9Y9V |
| Skype for Business 2019 | NCJ33-JHBBY-HTK98-MYCV8-HMKHJ |
| Word 2019 | PBX3G-NWMT6-Q7XBW-PYJGG-WXD33 |
Office 2019 reached end of support on October 14, 2025, so it should be considered a legacy release rather than a recommended choice for a new internet-connected PC.
Free Office 2016 Product Keys
For older Office 2016 volume-license installations, Microsoft documents these GVLKs:
| Office 2016 Product | Microsoft GVLK |
| Office Professional Plus 2016 | XQNVK-8JYDB-WJ9W3-YJ8YR-WFG99 |
| Office Standard 2016 | JNRGM-WHDWX-FJJG3-K47QV-DRTFM |
| Project Professional 2016 | YG9NW-3K39V-2T3HJ-93F3Q-G83KT |
| Project Standard 2016 | GNFHQ-F6YQM-KQDGJ-327XX-KQBVC |
| Visio Professional 2016 | PD3PC-RHNGV-FXJ29-8JK7D-RJRJK |
| Visio Standard 2016 | 7WHWN-4T7MP-G96JF-G33KR-W8GF4 |
| Access 2016 | GNH9Y-D2J4T-FJHGG-QRVH7-QPFDW |
| Excel 2016 | 9C2PK-NWTVB-JMPW8-BFT28-7FTBF |
| OneNote 2016 | DR92N-9HTF2-97XKM-XW2WJ-XW3J6 |
| Outlook 2016 | R69KK-NTPKF-7M3Q4-QYBHW-6MT9B |
| PowerPoint 2016 | J7MQP-HNJ4Y-WJ7YM-PFYGF-BY6C6 |
| Publisher 2016 | F47MM-N3XJP-TQXJ9-BP99D-8K837 |
| Skype for Business 2016 | 869NQ-FJ69K-466HW-QYCP2-DDBV6 |
| Word 2016 | WXY84-JN2Q9-RBCCQ-3Q3J3-3PFJ6 |
Office 2016 also reached end of support on October 14, 2025.
The public keys listed above are intended for Microsoft volume-activation environments. If you need Office permanently activated on your own PC without an organization’s KMS infrastructure, choose a genuine Office license that matches the version and edition you install.
Want Microsoft Office Activated? Get a Genuine Key:
Using a Mac? Choose a Mac-compatible Office license:
What Are These Free Microsoft Office Product Keys?
The keys above are called Generic Volume License Keys, or GVLKs.
They are mainly intended for businesses, schools, government organizations, and other customers using Microsoft’s volume-licensing technologies.
A typical setup works like this:
The organization owns the required Microsoft volume licenses.
Office is installed as a volume-license edition.
The correct GVLK identifies the Office product.
The PC contacts the organization’s KMS host or Active Directory.
Office activates through that licensed environment.
Microsoft says Office LTSC 2024 and other volume-license editions are installed with GVLKs so they can automatically discover the organization’s activation service.
The important part is that the GVLK is not the purchased license itself.
Why Don’t These Free Office Keys Activate Office?
This is the part that causes the most confusion.
A user may enter a public Office key and see that Office accepts it, yet activation still fails.
That happens because the key may have successfully configured Office for KMS activation.
The PC then tries to locate an authorized organizational KMS service.
If you are using Office on a personal home computer and are not connected to such an environment, there is nothing for Office to activate against.
That is why Microsoft says its published GVLKs cannot activate a personal copy of Office at home.
Entering another random GVLK usually does not fix the underlying problem.
Office GVLK vs Genuine Retail Product Key
Although both may look like:
XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX
they are not necessarily the same type of license.
| Key Type | Purpose | Normal Home Activation |
| GVLK | KMS / Active Directory volume activation | No |
| Retail Office key | Purchased individual Office license | Yes, when valid for that edition |
| Microsoft 365 subscription | Account-based subscription activation | Yes, while subscription remains active |
A genuine retail Office license is intended for the purchased edition and activation method.
A GVLK is intended to configure a volume installation.
What About Free Microsoft 365 or Office 365 Product Keys?
Microsoft 365 works differently from perpetual Office releases.
For most users, Microsoft 365 activation is associated with the Microsoft account that owns the subscription.
Microsoft says your account takes the place of the product key for many tasks, including activation and reinstallation.
If you purchase a new unused Microsoft 365 product-key card, you can redeem the key through Microsoft’s setup process. Once it is associated with your Microsoft account, you generally activate the applications by signing in.
There is therefore no universal public Microsoft 365 key that gives everyone a permanent free subscription.
If a website promises an unlimited Microsoft 365 subscription from one generic public key, treat that claim cautiously.
Where Do You Enter a Genuine Office Product Key?
If you have purchased a new and unused Microsoft Office or Microsoft 365 product key, use Microsoft’s official setup process.
Microsoft instructs users with a new unused key to redeem it through its Microsoft 365 setup page and follow the prompts to associate the product with a Microsoft account.
Once linked, that account can often be used later to reinstall and activate Office.
This is much easier than trying to remember or recover the original 25-character code.
Can You View Your Full Office Product Key Later?
Usually not.
Microsoft says Office does not display the entire product key inside the applications for security reasons.
Instead, open:
Word or Excel → File → Account
and look for the account shown under the product information.
For many Office 2021, Office 2019, Office 2016, and Microsoft 365 installations, the associated Microsoft account can be used to reinstall and activate the software.
Why Does Office Say “Unlicensed Product”?
If Office displays:
Unlicensed Product
it means the installed applications have not completed a valid activation.
Possible causes include:
- You installed the wrong Office edition.
- A product key does not match the installed version.
- Your Microsoft 365 subscription expired.
- You are signed in with the wrong Microsoft account.
- A KMS-configured Office installation cannot find its organization’s activation server.
- An old Office license is still interfering with the new installation.
Start by opening:
File → Account
and check the exact product name and account shown there.
Do not simply keep trying random keys from the internet.
Should You Use Public KMS Servers?
No.
Microsoft publishes the GVLKs because legitimate organizations need them for their own licensed activation infrastructure.
That does not mean random public KMS servers found online are an official Microsoft activation method.
Connecting your PC to an unknown third-party activation server can introduce security, privacy, reliability, and licensing concerns.
If you are a normal home user, use the activation method that came with your genuine Office purchase.
Final Thoughts
There are legitimate free Microsoft Office product keys available online, but it is important to understand what they actually are.
The official keys in this article are Microsoft GVLKs for volume-licensed editions of Office 2024, Office 2021, Office 2019, and Office 2016.
They are useful in correctly licensed organizational KMS and Active Directory environments, but they do not provide a personal PC with a free permanent retail Office license.
For a home or personal computer, use the Office license and activation method that matches the product you purchased.
If you want a current perpetual Office release for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other desktop applications, browse our Office keys and choose the license that best fits your PC.