What is “Lifetime” Microsoft Office? (2024)

FAQs

What does Microsoft Office lifetime mean? ›

Microsoft Office 2021 is an Office version purchased once in a lifetime with no recurrent subscription. It is supported in both Windows and macOS due to its compatibility with both operating systems. Microsoft Office 2021 is an improved update released to replace the previous version, Microsoft 2019.

Own the timeless app suite for life

Unlike Microsoft 365, which charges a yearly subscription fee, this license allows you to download the app suite and use it for life. After purchase, you'll instantly receive a link to download and a key to activate the software.

Can we get Microsoft 365 for a free lifetime? No. There is no lifetime license to Microsoft 365, as it requires a monthly or yearly subscription.

A 'lifetime license' means that after you buy the software, you can use the purchased version for as long as you want, providing that the machine you use it on meets the initial program system requirements.

If you bought a new Microsoft 365 product key card, or you received a product key when you bought Microsoft 365through an online store, go to Office.com/setup or Microsoft365.com/setup and follow the on-screen prompts. This is a one-time process that adds your new product to your Microsoft account.

You can choose to pay for your subscription on a monthly or yearly basis, and the Microsoft 365 Family plan lets you share your subscription with your family for up to 6 people, and use your apps on multiple PCs, Macs, tablets, and phones.

Gain access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and more with this one-time purchase.

You have to ante up the entire purchase price before you get the software. That purchase of a license to legally run the software gives you the right to use that version of Office 2021 in perpetuity. In other words, the license has no expiration date, and users may run the suite for as long as they want.

All you need is to sign up for a Microsoft account with a new or existing email address. Use Word, Excel, PowerPoint and more for free on the web.

Get started with Office 365 for free

Students and educators at eligible institutions can sign up for Office 365 Education for free, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and now Microsoft Teams, plus additional classroom tools.

Is there a lifetime version of Office 365? ›

There is no lifetime license for Microsoft 365.

Limited access with Monthly subscriptions:

With a monthly subscription, you only have access to the product or service for as long as you keep paying the monthly fee. With a lifetime product, you have access to it forever, regardless of whether you continue to pay for it or not.

A license differs from a subscription in that it is purchased once and has a lifetime duration. A subscription is a continuous use of the program with automatic purchase of licenses and their activation for a specified period of time. Subscription can be deactivated at any time in the "Subscriptions" section.

Gain access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and more with this one-time purchase.

That purchase of a license to legally run the software gives you the right to use that version of Office 2021 in perpetuity. In other words, the license has no expiration date, and users may run the suite for as long as they want.

For yearly or three-year subscriptions, if you turn off recurring billing, it goes through all the lifecycle statuses. The Expired status starts on the subscription end date, not the date that you turned off recurring billing.

Yes. Unless you have specifically bought a computer where you have options to add that in it will not have a working Microsoft Office installed on it. The files for Office are pre-installed on most all computers but then you have to purchase and activate it.