Product key

Hi, Dream Doors - Solihull

Microsoft 365 Family normally activates through the Microsoft account it was bought with or redeemed to, not by repeatedly entering the product key. If the app says it cannot recognize the sign-in details, it usually means Office is signed in with a different account, the key was already redeemed, or the subscription is not linked to that account.

Here are some suggestions you can try:

First, go to Microsoft Services & subscriptions and sign in with the email address used to buy the Family plan. If Microsoft 365 Family appears there, install Office from that page, then open Word or Excel and sign in with that same account.

If you bought a product key from a retailer and have not redeemed it yet, redeem it at Microsoft 365 setup. The key only needs to be redeemed once. After that, the subscription is tied to the Microsoft account.

If this is a shared Family subscription, do not use the product key. The subscription owner needs to send you the sharing invitation link, then you install Office from your own Services & subscriptions page.

Also, sign out of all accounts inside Office, close the apps, restart the computer, then sign back in with the licensed account only. It is recommended that you also run the Microsoft 365 activation/sign-in troubleshooter from the Get Help app if you are on Windows.

If the subscription does not show under any of your Microsoft accounts, contact Microsoft Support with the purchase receipt or order number, because only they can check which account the license is attached to.

Please be advised that this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators and contributors, including external Microsoft employees, are not allowed to directly interfere with Microsoft product features or access back-end systems. Our role is limited solely to providing technical guidance on reported incidents, requests, or ideas.   

Thank you for your patience in reading, I hope this information has been helpful to you. 

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