New purcase of Microsoft office, no key, cab file

Question

Hi All,

A customer ordered a new computer from Lenovo. The invoice shows she paid for M$ Office 2024 Home and Student Edition. Lenovo no longer gives you a key:

https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/ht505479-windows-support-center-office

The computer was wiped and W11 reinstalled. Lenovo tech support sent me a link to a cab file which does not install office. It just activates Office. What Office? Lenovo's chat support says to follow the steps in the link above, but the link above does nothing to reinstall Office if it was ever there before.

<editorial comment> AAAAAHHHHH!!!!! </editorial comment>

How do I get Office so the cab file can activate it?

Many thanks,

-T

Answer 1

Hi @Todd Chester

Thanks for your back and bringing the good news.

I am glad that the issue was resolved.

Because the Microsoft Q&A community has a policy that "The question author cannot accept their own answer. They can only accept answers by others.", and according to the scenario introduced here: Answering your own questions on Microsoft Q&A, I would make a brief summary of this thread:

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Issue Symptom:

After re-install Windows system, the Office 2024 Home & Student purchased with computer is removed which was not activated.

Current Status:

Solved via Todd Chester:

• Contact the computer manufacturer support to obtain the Office installation image and the cab file for activation.
• In the case of this issue, download and install Office 2024 Home & Student （64-bit）: https://c2rsetup.officeapps.live.com/c2r/download.aspx?ProductreleaseID=Home2024Retail&platform=x64&language=en-us&version=O16GA
• Downloaded and installed the cab file in following link Step 2 which is provided from Lenovo support. https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/ht505479
• Logged into the Microsoft Account to bound Office license, selected subscriptions and activated it, then pressed Install. The installation can be canceled, as the Office was already installed.
• Then open one Office app, log into the licensed Microsoft account to activate Office.

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Answer 2

Hi @Todd Chester

Have this user redeemed this Office, bound her Microsoft account to Office license?

If yes, she may sign Microsoft account into Subscriptions page, and the Office should be under "Products you've purchased". Then she may download and install the Office.

If not, does this machine has OEM version Windows system?

• If the user can install back the factory Windows system, the Office that came with it will also appear again. And then she may bind her account to Office license.
• I suggest she sign into this link www.office.com/setup or Microsoft365.com/setup, check whether she can bind account with Office license successfully.
• Otherwise, please try this installer: https://officecdn.microsoft.com/pr/492350f6-3a01-4f97-b9c0-c7c6ddf67d60/media/en-us/Home2024Retail.img.

Answer 3

I got a shot at the customer's machine with remote assist today.

installed the 64 bit version of office from:

https://c2rsetup.officeapps.live.com/c2r/download.aspx?ProductreleaseID=Home2024Retail&platform=x64&language=en-us&version=O16GA

Downloaded and installed the cab file (M$O has to be on the machine first for this to work) from step two of

https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/ht505479

Logged into the customer's M$ Account, selected subscriptions and activated the subscription, then pressed Install. I cancelled the download as the 64 bit version was already installed.

Opened word and it asked me to log into her M$ account, and M$O activated.