How to activate Office by phone
Quick answer
If Office Professional Plus will not activate online, open any Office app, start the Activation Wizard and choose “I want to activate the software by telephone”. Call the number shown for your country, enter your installation ID, and type the confirmation ID you receive. You can also do it from Command Prompt with ospp.vbs.
Method 1: The Activation Wizard
- Open Word or Excel. If Office is not activated, the Activation Wizard opens; otherwise go to File › Account.
- Choose I want to activate the software by telephone.
- Select your country to see Microsoft’s activation phone number.
- Call the number and enter the installation ID shown on screen, group by group.
- Type the confirmation ID you receive into the boxes and select Next.
Method 2: Command Prompt (ospp.vbs)
- Open Command Prompt as administrator.
- Go to the Office folder:
cd "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16"(Office 2016, 2019, 2021 and 2024 all use Office16). - Install your key:
cscript ospp.vbs /inpkey:XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX - Show the installation ID:
cscript ospp.vbs /dinstid - Call Microsoft’s activation line, then enter the confirmation ID:
cscript ospp.vbs /actcid:CONFIRMATIONID - Check the status:
cscript ospp.vbs /dstatus
Still not working?
Make sure no other Office version is installed, and that the installed edition matches your key (Professional Plus volume). If activation still fails, contact our support team with a screenshot of the message.
Frequently asked questions
Is phone activation free?
Microsoft’s activation phone line is free in most countries; standard call charges may apply in some regions.
