Microsoft isn’t making it easy to upgrade to Office 2013. Even if you’ve figured out what programs you really need in your Office suite and what your budget will tolerate (see this chart that shows the different Office options), you now have to consider how many machines you’ll want running the latest version of Office.
It seems Microsoft quietly changed the licensing terms in its Office 2013 productivity suite so that you can no longer install the software on more than one device – ever.
Adam Turner from Australia’s The Age newspaper first reported on the changes in the Office 2013 End User Licensing Agreement, chronicling all the conflicting information he received from various Microsoft technical support and public relations staff about the updated language and found that retail copies of Office 2013 are now single-license. This means you can only install it on one computer – similar to the way operating systems come pre-loaded on devices but exclude backup media.
What does this mean for consumers? We spoke to Darren Shield, an attorney at the New York boutique intellectual property firm Zussman Law PLLC, to better understand the licensing terms in plain English. “The license agreement does limit license holders to a single installation on a single device,” Shield said.”Given the fallibility of hardware and the upgrade-ability of PCs, it is unfortunate that the new Office version limits users to such a degree.”
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In other words, for someone who’s buying a brand new Windows 8 or Mac OS computer and just needs to install Office 2013, you can absolutely buy a single-PC copy of the software (Office Home & Student, Office Home & Business, or Office Professional 2013) and install it onto that specific machine. Simple, right?
Where it gets dicey is when you need to re-install the software that you have already legally purchased. Perhaps you recently upgraded or repaired your computer; for example, because your hard drive was infected with a virus and you need to re-install everything, including your operating system and software like Office. It happens. The updated licensing terms does not make it clear whether it allows you to re-install your copy of Office 2013. After all, your copy of the software’s activation code is already linked to a computer, but one with new parts or a freshly re-installed operating system may not count. Some users on Reddit have reported that they were able to call Microsoft’s technical support staff to get their install code re-activated. Of course, it depends on who you speak to on the phone.
If you need the flexibility to run Office on multiple computers at home, then the $99-a-year subscription-basedOffice 365 seems like a great deal because you can install the software on up to to 5 PCs or 4 Macs. Considering that each single-license copy of Office 2013 starts at $140 for the Office Home & Student edition, you’ll be spending $700 for the office suite for all those PCs, compared to just $100 for an entire year’s subscription to Office 365.
The question is: How long do you need to keep giving your money to Microsoft so that you can continue to use office tools you’ve already paid for? According to ZDNet, if you’ve subscribed to Office 365 for at least one year, you will have an opportunity to download your files so you can at least open or print them from your computer. But you won’t be able to edit your documents unless you use an older edition of Office, use one of the free Office Web Apps on SkyDrive for basic editing, or just re-subscribe to Office 365. Microsoft basically wants to make it as unpalatable as possible for you to let your Office 365 subscription slide, so going for the subscription-based software could end up costing you more hassle.
It seems the harder Microsoft tries to encourage consumers toward the Office 365 route, the more reasons they’re giving users to stick with their out-dated version of Office or move on to free alternatives like Google Docs and LibreOffice 4. Are you planning to upgrade to Office 2013 or 365? Let us know in the comments!
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When you buy a new computer with Microsoft Office preinstalled or purchase a copy of Office at a retail store, be sure to put the software's product key in a safe place. Do the same with the username and password of your Microsoft account if you buy Office online. If your hard drive crashes and you need to reinstall Office, you can't do it without that code.
1.
Locate your 25-character Microsoft Office product key. Look for a sticker on a card if you purchased Office from a retailer, either with or without the DVD. Sign in to Office Online with your Microsoft account (link in Resources) if you purchased and downloaded Office online to retrieve your 25-character product key.
2.
Register for an evaluation copy of Microsoft Office from Microsoft TechNet (link in Resources) and download the setup program if Office was preinstalled on your drive and destroyed in the crash, or if you no longer have the original media. Download the Microsoft Office setup program if your purchase is linked to your Office Online account with Microsoft.
3.
Navigate to your saved download and double-click it to launch the setup program. If you have the original media, insert the DVD into the optical drive and wait for the Autorun box to appear, then select 'Continue.'
4.
Read the Microsoft Software License terms, check the box to accept them and select 'Continue.'
5.
Tap or click 'Install Now' to reinstall Office to your computer. Select 'Finish' when the installation is complete.
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Steve McDonnell's experience running businesses and launching companies complements his technical expertise in information, technology and human resources. He earned a degree in computer science from Dartmouth College, served on the WorldatWork editorial board, blogged for the Spotfire Business Intelligence blog and has published books and book chapters for International Human Resource Information Management and Westlaw.
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McDonnell, Steve. 'How to Reinstall Office After a Hard Drive Crash.' Small Business - Chron.com, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/reinstall-office-after-hard-drive-crash-63310.html. Accessed 30 May 2019.
McDonnell, Steve. (n.d.). How to Reinstall Office After a Hard Drive Crash. Small Business - Chron.com. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/reinstall-office-after-hard-drive-crash-63310.html
McDonnell, Steve. 'How to Reinstall Office After a Hard Drive Crash' accessed May 30, 2019. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/reinstall-office-after-hard-drive-crash-63310.html
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Office 2013 users can now legally transfer their license if they buy a new computer or their current one breaks down.
In the face of user concerns over its previous policy, Microsoft today amended its Office 2013 license agreement. Now Office 2013 customers can move the software and license to another PC once every 90 days.
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Effective immediately, the agreement covers Office Home and Student 2013, Office Home and Business 2013, Office Professional 2013, and all of the standalone Office 2013 applications.
Microsoft's previous policy for Office 2013 limited users to a perpetual license good for only one PC. Buy a new PC, and you were restricted from transferring your Office 2013 license. The only exception was for a PC that failed under warranty. In that case, users could contact Microsoft support to activate Office 2013 a replacement PC.
Based on the negative comments to its February 19 blog post explaining the policy, Microsoft likely received a fair number of complaints from Office 2013 users.
As a result, the new agreement is decidedly more flexible and user-friendly.
A blog posted today explains the revised agreement in a Q&A format:
Can I transfer the software to another computer or user?
You may transfer the software to another computer that belongs to you, but not more than one time every 90 days (except due to hardware failure, in which case you may transfer sooner). If you transfer the software to another computer, that other computer becomes the 'licensed computer.' You may also transfer the software (together with the license) to a computer owned by someone else if a) you are the first licensed user of the software and b) the new user agrees to the terms of this agreement before the transfer. Any time you transfer the software to a new computer, you must remove the software from the prior computer and you may not retain any copies.
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