Does an Office 2013 Professional Plus product key still activate in 2026?
Yes, a genuine Office 2013 Professional Plus key still activates, either online through the activation wizard or by Microsoft's automated telephone service. The end of support in April 2023 stopped security updates and feature fixes; it did not switch off the activation servers, and our customers activate Office 2013 every week on Windows 7, 10 and 11 machines. On most PCs the process is invisible: install the suite, open Word, type the key when the wizard asks, and a few seconds later File, Account shows Product Activated. If the online attempt returns an error, the same wizard offers a telephone route. Choose your country, call the toll-free number displayed, read out the installation ID that appears on screen, and type in the confirmation ID the automated line gives you. It takes around five minutes and no operator is involved. One condition applies: the installer must match the key. A volume installer with a KMS client key built in will keep asking for a KMS server, shows error 0xC004F074 and cannot be fixed with a normal key. Our download link provides the correct installer. If a key we sold you is refused by both methods, send our support team your order number and a screenshot of the error and we will fix it, replace the key or refund you.
Can I enter this key into a copy of Office 2013 that is already installed on my PC?
Yes, provided the installed copy is Office 2013 Professional Plus, and the change takes about a minute. Open any Office program, click File, then Account, and look at the Product Information panel on the right. It names the edition installed. If it says Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2013, click Change Product Key, type the 25 characters from our email and follow the prompts to activate over the internet. The red banner asking for activation disappears and the panel reads Product Activated. If the panel names a different edition, such as Home and Business 2013 or Office 365, the key will not be accepted, because Office keys are edition-specific. In that case uninstall the existing suite from Programs and Features, restart, and install Professional Plus from our download link. If the installed copy is Pro Plus but Change Product Key is missing, the copy is probably a volume-licensed build; you can still enter our key from an administrator command prompt by running cscript ospp.vbs /inpkey followed by the key from the Office16 or Office15 folder, then cscript ospp.vbs /act. Our support team can walk you through those commands if the folder names look unfamiliar. Once the panel shows Product Activated, restart the PC once so every Office program picks up the new license state.
Is this a retail, OEM or volume license key for Office 2013?
It is a single-PC Office 2013 Professional Plus license key that activates through Microsoft's standard activation servers, not a volume or KMS key and not a preinstalled OEM copy. The distinction matters in practice. Volume keys were sold to organisations for many computers, need a KMS host on the network or a MAK activation count, and produce error 0xC004F074 or a 180-day grace countdown when used at home. Preinstalled OEM copies of Office came bundled with new PCs and cannot legally be moved to another machine. Our key sits between those: it activates one computer, does not depend on a manufacturer or a network server, and works on any PC that meets the system requirements, including virtual machines. After activation, Microsoft records the key against that computer's hardware, and you can reinstall Office 2013 on the same machine as often as you need. If the machine is retired, contact our support team before installing on a replacement; telephone activation normally accepts the key on new hardware once the old installation is gone. We describe the product as a lifetime license because it has no expiry date and nothing to renew, not because it may be installed on several PCs at the same time.
How many computers can I install Office 2013 Professional Plus on with one key?
One key covers one Windows PC. If you have a desktop and a laptop, you need two keys, which you can buy in one order and receive together in the same delivery email, each listed on its own line. Customers sometimes ask whether the same key will activate a second machine if they simply type it again. It might appear to work the first time, but Microsoft's servers compare hardware fingerprints, and a key that shows up on multiple computers is flagged, after which one or more of them drop back to an unlicensed state with a red banner and reduced functionality. Given the price of a legitimate office 2013 license key, it is not worth the trouble. The single-PC rule still allows everything a normal owner needs: reinstalling Office after a Windows reinstall, replacing a hard drive, adding memory or changing the graphics card. Only a motherboard replacement looks like a different computer, and the automated telephone activation handles that in a few minutes when you explain the key is only in use on one machine. If you are buying for a small office or a classroom, tell us the number of computers and we will make sure the keys are clearly numbered in your order.
How fast is delivery and what will the email contain?
Delivery is by email and typically arrives within minutes of your payment clearing. The message from OfficeGSM includes the product name, your 25-character Office 2013 Professional Plus product key in five groups of five, a download link for the installer in your choice of language and 32-bit or 64-bit, short installation and activation notes, and a way to contact our support team. Nothing is posted; there is no disc or box. The same key is also stored in your account on our website against the order once it is marked complete, so you have a second copy if the email is lost. If nothing has arrived after fifteen to twenty minutes, check your spam or promotions folder and confirm the address on your order confirmation. Payment providers occasionally hold a first-time order for a manual fraud check, and the key is released as soon as the payment is confirmed, which in the worst case can take a few hours. Our support team is available around the clock to resend the email, correct a mistyped address or check on a payment. Please contact us before raising a dispute with your bank, since a dispute locks the order and slows everything down for both sides.
Should I install the 32-bit or 64-bit version of Office 2013?
Install 32-bit unless you have a specific reason for 64-bit, and the same product key works for both, so nothing about your purchase depends on the choice. Microsoft made 32-bit the default for Office 2013 and recommended it even on 64-bit Windows, because the large ecosystem of add-ins, ActiveX controls, Access database drivers and third-party tools written for Office was overwhelmingly 32-bit, and a 64-bit Office cannot load a 32-bit add-in. That is still true of most legacy software you would pair with Office 2013 today. The 64-bit build exists for one main scenario: Excel workbooks and Access databases so large that they exceed the 2 GB memory limit of a 32-bit process, which usually means data models with millions of rows. If that describes your work, choose 64-bit and check that any add-ins you rely on have 64-bit versions. You cannot mix bitness; all Office 2013 programs on one PC must be the same, and Office 2013 32-bit will refuse to install alongside a 64-bit copy of another Office version. If you install the wrong one, uninstall it from Programs and Features, restart, and install the other build using the same key from our email. As a rule of thumb, stay with 32-bit for everyday documents, and go 64-bit only when Excel tells you it has run out of memory.
Can I upgrade from Office 2013 to Office 2016, 2019 or 2021 with this key?
No, an Office 2013 key activates Office 2013 only, and there is no free or discounted upgrade path from one perpetual Office version to the next. Each release is a separate product with its own key. If you later want Office 2016, 2019, 2021 or 2024, you buy that key and install that version, and we sell all of them. The good news is that moving up is painless for your files. Documents, workbooks, presentations and Access databases created in Office 2013 open unchanged in every newer version, because the file formats have stayed the same since Office 2007. Your Outlook data file, the PST, can be imported into a newer Outlook in a few clicks. Custom templates, dictionaries and Quick Access Toolbar settings can be copied across too. The two things to check before upgrading are add-ins, which may need a newer version from their publisher, and Windows itself, since Office 2019 and later require Windows 10 or 11. Many customers run Office 2013 on an older Windows 7 machine and a newer Office on their main PC, and share files between them without any trouble. If you want to compare versions before deciding, our support team is happy to help.
What happens if I replace my computer or change the motherboard?
A new motherboard, or a completely new PC, counts as a new computer for activation purposes, so Office 2013 will ask to be activated again, and you should expect to use the telephone route. When Office activates it records a fingerprint of the hardware. Swapping a hard disk for an SSD, adding memory or changing the graphics card does not disturb it. A different motherboard does, and the next time you open Word you will see the activation wizard or a red banner. Choose the telephone option, select your country, call the automated number, and when the system asks how many computers the product is installed on, answer one. Read out the installation ID, type in the confirmation ID, and Office reports that it is activated. Moving to an entirely new PC works the same way, on the condition that Office 2013 has been uninstalled from the old one. If the automated line declines, which is unusual for a key in use on a single machine, note the exact wording and any error code and contact our support team. We will check the key and get the new machine activated, or replace the key if there is a problem on our side. Keep the confirmation ID and the date in your records in case you need to refer to it later.
Do I need a Microsoft account to install or activate Office 2013 Professional Plus?
No. Office 2013 Professional Plus activates with the product key alone, and no Microsoft account is needed to install, activate or use any of the programs. This is different from the Home and Student and Home and Business editions of Office 2013, which were the first to be tied to a Microsoft account at activation. Pro Plus follows the traditional model: you type the key, the software contacts Microsoft's activation servers, and the license is recorded against your hardware. You can still sign in with a Microsoft account inside Office if you want to, and doing so lets you save directly to OneDrive and roam your recent documents list, but it is optional and you can sign out at any time. Because the license is not stored in an online account, our delivery email and your order history on our website are your only records of the key. Save the email as a PDF, print it, or keep it in your password manager, since you will need it again if you ever reinstall Windows. For lab machines, offline PCs and privacy-conscious users, this account-free setup is one of the practical advantages of choosing Office 2013 Professional Plus over a subscription. Nothing about the license changes if you later add or remove an account.
Will Office 2013 still receive updates after activation?
Windows Update will still deliver every Office 2013 update Microsoft released up to April 11, 2023, including Service Pack 1 and the final security patches, but nothing newer, because Office 2013 is out of support. A fresh install will find a good number of updates the first time you run Windows Update, and once they are installed the suite is at its final patch level. Make sure Windows Update is set to include updates for other Microsoft products, an option in its settings, or Office updates will not appear. After that there is nothing more to come. Our product page describes the license as coming with permanent updates, and for Office 2013 that means the license never expires and you retain access to everything Microsoft published for the suite, not that new fixes will be written. In practice, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access and Publisher keep working exactly as they do today for years. The program most affected by the lack of updates is Outlook 2013, which no longer connects to Microsoft 365 mailboxes and may struggle with modern authentication at some email providers. If a supported suite matters to you, Office 2021 Professional Plus is supported until October 2026 and Office 2024 until October 2029.
What is the difference between Office 2013 Professional Plus and Office 2010 Professional Plus?
Office 2013 is the newer suite, with the flat modern interface, PDF editing in Word, Flash Fill in Excel and built-in OneDrive saving, while Office 2010 is the older suite with the colorful Ribbon that also runs on Windows XP and Vista. Both are Professional Plus editions and both include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Access and Publisher. Office 2010 Pro Plus adds InfoPath, SharePoint Workspace and Communicator, which mattered in corporate environments of the time but are rarely used at home. Office 2013 replaces Communicator with Lync and drops SharePoint Workspace. Compatibility is the biggest deciding factor. Office 2010 runs on Windows XP SP3 through Windows 10 but is not supported on Windows 11, whereas Office 2013 runs from Windows 7 to Windows 11. Support dates differ too: Office 2010 ended in October 2020, Office 2013 in April 2023. If the target PC runs Windows 10 or 11, choose 2013. If it is a very old machine with 1 GB of RAM and Windows XP or Vista, 2010 is the only option of the two. If you like the older look and your machine runs Windows 7, either will do, and the prices are similar. If you are still unsure, tell our support team what the machine runs and what you need to open, and we will suggest the better fit.
Does the key work in my country and in my language?
Yes, the key works worldwide and with any language of the Office 2013 Professional Plus installer, which is what we mean when we describe the license as multilingual. Microsoft did not region-lock Office 2013 keys, so a key bought from us activates a US-English installation, a German one or an Arabic one identically, and the telephone activation service lists the right number for whichever country you select. Our download link offers the suite in a long list of languages, and the same 25 characters activate each of them. If you need more than one language on the same PC, Office 2013 supports language packs that add proofing tools, display languages and Help in additional languages; these install on top of the base suite and switch from File, Options, Language. Spelling and grammar dictionaries for many languages are already included with the proofing tools of the base installer, so a US-English Office can check Spanish or French text without any extra download. Keyboard layouts, date and currency formats come from Windows rather than Office, so a machine can run an English Office with a French keyboard and European date formats. Travelling with the laptop changes nothing, because activation is tied to the hardware and not to your location.
Can I reinstall Office 2013 later with the same key?
Yes, you can reinstall Office 2013 Professional Plus on the same computer as often as you need and the same key activates each time, since Office does not count installs, it checks that the key is genuine and in use on one PC. A little preparation makes reinstalls quick. Keep our delivery email, and download the installer once and store it on a USB stick or an external drive so you are not dependent on any website later. Before reinstalling Windows, export your Outlook data: the PST file holds your mail, contacts and calendar and lives in your Documents folder by default. Copy your custom templates from the Templates folder in AppData, your custom dictionary, and any Excel add-ins or Access databases you built. After the reinstall, run setup, enter the key, activate online or by telephone, and restore those files. Most of the time online activation succeeds on the same hardware because Microsoft's servers recognise the fingerprint they saw before; if it does not, the telephone route takes five minutes. Then run Windows Update with the option for other Microsoft products switched on so Service Pack 1 and the remaining updates arrive. Finally, re-enter your email account details in Outlook and point it at the restored PST.
What is your refund policy if the Office 2013 key does not activate?
If the key does not activate and our support team cannot fix the problem, we replace it or refund you. That is the whole policy. We ask you to contact support first because most activation problems have a quick solution. A mistyped character, an installer for a different edition, a leftover trial copy that needs uninstalling, or an online activation failure that the telephone route resolves in five minutes account for the great majority of cases. Certain messages tell us the answer straight away. Error 0xC004F074 means a volume installer is looking for a KMS server, and the fix is to use the installer from our download link. A message that the key is not valid for this product means the edition does not match, usually because Home and Business or Office 365 is installed instead of Professional Plus. A message that the key has been blocked means Microsoft rejected it, and in that case we replace it without argument. Send our support team your order number, a screenshot of the message and the error code, and you will hear back around the clock. Refunds go to the original payment method. Because this is a digital product delivered by email, we cannot refund a key that has already activated successfully on a computer, so please check the edition and bitness before installing.
Jade Richardson (verified owner) –
Worked perfectly on my old PC! Installation was smooth and activation took just a few minutes. A great deal for anyone who still prefers the classic Office layout. Only wish the download link was a bit faster, but everything worked fine.
Olivia Martinez (verified owner) –
Instant delivery like promised. Installation was smooth, and all features are working. Excellent value for a professional suite.
Thomas Seldron (verified owner) –
nstant delivery! Activation took seconds and Office 2013 runs perfectly on my Windows 10 system.
Aubrey Allen (verified owner) –
Instant delivery, genuine key, no issues. Great price for Office 2013.