Many of us have Microsoft products installed on our computer and we may not know the activation key. Learn how to view your Office 2019 and Office 2016 product key or serial number so you always have it handy.
Why view Microsoft product key or serial number?
Reasons for not having product keys range from: not having the original software installation documents, erased or lost labels on computers with Microsoft products, or upgrading from an older product.
It is important to know the serial number of Microsoft products because otherwise we will not be able to activate the software or use it to its full capacity if it is reinstalled on another computer. In addition, the product keys confirm that you own the product. You may find it helpful to sign in to the Office 365 admin portal to do this.
In order to know or find out the password, it is necessary to have the product installed and activated on the computer, otherwise, we will not be able to find out, since in reality it has never been had. Not only can you have these programs on Windows computers, but you can also install Office 365 on your Mac if you want.
Ways to see the key or serial number of Office 2019 and 2016
There are several ways to find out the key or serial number of Microsoft products such as Office 2019 and 2016, we describe 4 of them.
First way: Investigate the product documentation
It seems obvious, but it is the easiest and most accurate way to get the serial number. This form should not be underestimated. Obtain the cover art, installation disc cases, or user manuals for the Microsoft products you purchased and search them for the required information.
If you do not have this documentation, check if there is some kind of label on the back or bottom of the case with the serial number information, which usually consists of a mixture of 25 numbers and letters, grouped into five groups separated by hyphens.
Second way: Use specialized software
There are different types of programs or software on the web that, once downloaded, installed and executed on the computer, can find out the product key or serial number you need. Some of these are: Software Produkey or Belarc Advisor.
You can find out on the net how they are used or google to find other useful programs that fulfill your need to know the product key.
Third way: Use CMD commands
The other way we describe in this post involves using commands in the CMD dialog, which takes a bit of patience and some technical knowledge, but it can be done. These commands are also useful for other tasks, such as making web pages and even creating folders and directories from CMD.
- Run as administrator the command screen called command prompt or CMD.
- You execute the following command lines depending on the product whose key you want to find out:
- If using Office 2019 on a 32-bit version of Windows, type:
cscript “C:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeOffice19OSPP.VBS” /dstatus - If using Office 2016 on a 32-bit version of Windows, type:
cscript “C:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeOffice16OSPP.VBS” /dstatus
- If using Office 2019 on a 32-bit version of Windows, type:
- Observe the results that the written commands throw. The disadvantage of using this way is that it only shows the last 5 digits of the password.
Fourth way: Use the registry editor
Finally, you can find out the key or serial number of the Office 2019 or 2016 product using the registry editor tool that opens in the search box on the taskbar, by typing the phrase regedit.
You must go to the following path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/WindowNT/CurrentVersion/DefaultProductKey and observe the value of DigitalProductID on the right side of the screen. You can save this information for future reference, such as if you need to reset and reinstall Microsoft Edge.
With these procedures described and following the steps mentioned, you will be able to obtain the product key or serial number of Office 2019 or Office 2016. Thus, when you need to reinstall your programs, you will be able to activate them without any problem.
