How to Install Microsoft Office in Windows 10

To install Microsoft Office in Windows 10, go to m365.cloud.microsoft/apps, sign in with the Microsoft account tied to your Microsoft 365 subscription or Office purchase, select Install apps, then Install, and run the file that downloads. When setup finishes, open Word and accept the license agreement to activate.

Applies to: Windows 10 with Microsoft 365 (Personal, Family, work or school) or Office 2024. Checked against Microsoft Support on October 7, 2026.

Before you start

You need three things: a license, the account that holds it, and an internet connection for the download.

• A license. That is either a Microsoft 365 subscription or a one-time purchase such as Office 2024. Office is paid software; the installer is free to download, but the apps only activate with a license attached to your account.
• The right account. Home licenses are attached to a personal Microsoft account (the email address you used when you bought or redeemed Office). Work and school licenses are attached to the account your organization gave you. Signing in with the wrong one is the most common reason the install option is missing.
• A product key, if you have one that has never been used. Redeem it first. See If you have a product key below.
• A PC that meets the system requirements. Microsoft asks you to check this before you begin, and setup stops with an error on an operating system it does not support.

Download Office only from Microsoft’s own pages. You do not need a separate download site, a “pre-activated” installer, or an activation tool, and those are a common source of malware.

Install Office from your Microsoft account

Use these steps for Microsoft 365 Personal or Family, and for one-time purchases such as Office 2024 that are already linked to your Microsoft account.

1. Open your browser and go to m365.cloud.microsoft/apps. If you are not signed in yet, select Sign in and enter the Microsoft account you used for Office. You land on the Microsoft 365 Apps page.
2. Select Install apps. An Install apps window opens.
3. Pick the language and version (64-bit or 32-bit) if you want something other than the default, then select Install. The setup file starts downloading.
4. Start the file from your browser. Microsoft lists the prompt by browser: select Run in Microsoft Edge, Setup in Chrome, or Save File in Firefox. If you miss the prompt, the file is in your Downloads folder.
5. Windows asks, Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device? Select Yes. Setup then downloads and installs the apps, which can take several minutes. Stay connected to the internet until it finishes.
6. Wait for the message You’re all set! Office is installed now, then select Close.
7. Select the Start button, type Word, and open it from the search results. When the app opens, accept the license agreement. Office is now activated and ready to use.

You do not choose individual apps during setup. Word, Excel, PowerPoint and the other apps in your plan are installed together, and you can simply ignore the ones you do not use. If Word is the only app you care about, our guide to installing Word in Windows 10 covers that case.

Install Office with a work or school account

If your employer or school provides Microsoft 365, the pages look slightly different. Microsoft’s instructions for work accounts describe this route:

1. Go to m365.cloud.microsoft/apps and sign in with your work or school account.
2. Select Install apps, and then select Microsoft 365 apps. If you do not see Install apps on the home page, select Apps in the left navigation first.
3. If the My account page opens, look under Office apps & devices and select Install Office.
4. A file named OfficeSetup.exe downloads to your Downloads folder. Open it when the download finishes.
5. Select Yes at the Windows prompt, wait for the You’re all set! window, and select Close. The apps then appear in the Start menu.

Many organizations install Office for you or use their own method, so on a company PC ask your IT department before installing anything yourself.

If you have a product key

A product key is a 25-character code in the format XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX. It comes on a card with some home versions of Office, or in your order history if you bought from Microsoft Store. A new, unused key has to be redeemed once before the install option appears in your account:

1. Go to microsoft365.com/setup.
2. Sign in with your Microsoft account. Choose an account you will remember, because the license stays with it.
3. Enter your product key and follow the on-screen prompts.
4. Install Office with the steps in Install Office from your Microsoft account above.

After you redeem the key, your Microsoft account takes its place. Microsoft says the account is what you use from then on to activate and reinstall Office, so the sign-in details matter more than the card. See Microsoft’s page on using product keys with Office for the less common cases, including these:

• Office came with a new PC. If Office was bought with the computer, a digital key is sent to the PC when Windows is activated, and there is no printed key. If an Office app shows a Let’s get started screen instead, the PC has a one-month trial, not a full license.
• Workplace Discount Program. If you bought Office for personal use through an employer benefit, you enter the key after installation starts: open any Office app and select the small link I don’t want to sign in or create an account.
• Damaged key. With valid proof of purchase, Microsoft support may be able to replace it.
• Keys sold on their own. Microsoft warns buyers to beware of product keys sold separately. Stolen or fraudulently obtained keys get blocked, and a blocked key leaves you with apps that will not activate.

Use the offline installer when the download keeps failing

The standard setup file is small and downloads the apps as it installs. The offline installer is one large file that contains everything, so it helps on a slow or unreliable connection, or when a proxy, firewall or antivirus program interrupts the normal setup. These are Microsoft’s steps for home plans:

1. Sign in and open the Install window as described above.
2. In the version drop-down, choose Offline installer, select your language, and then select Install.
3. Save the file when your browser asks: Save in Microsoft Edge, Open when done in Chrome, or Save File in Firefox.
4. Open your Downloads folder and double-click the image file, named O365HomePremRetail.img for Microsoft 365 home plans. Windows opens it as a virtual drive with the next free letter, such as D:.
5. Open the Office folder on that drive and double-click Setup64.exe for the 64-bit version or Setup32.exe for the 32-bit version.
6. When you see You’re all set, connect to the internet, open an Office app, and accept the license terms to activate.
7. In the app, go to File > Account and select Update Now from the update drop-down to pick up the latest updates.

You can copy the image file to a USB drive to reuse it later. The offline installer only replaces the download; activation still needs an internet connection and a license. Microsoft documents the business version of these steps on its Office offline installer page.

64-bit or 32-bit?

Leave the default alone unless you have a specific reason to change it. Microsoft installs the 64-bit version automatically, unless setup detects that a 32-bit version of Office is already on the PC, in which case it installs 32-bit to match.

The two cannot be mixed. If you need to switch from one to the other, uninstall Office first, restart the computer, and then install the version you want. Trying to install one on top of the other produces an error.

Confirm that Office is installed and activated

1. Select Start and check that Word, Excel and PowerPoint appear in the app list.
2. Open Word and select Account, or File > Account if a document is open.
3. Look under Product Information. It shows the product name, such as your Microsoft 365 plan or Office edition, along with the version and the installation type.
4. Select About Word to see the full version number and whether you have the 32-bit or 64-bit version.

Microsoft’s page What version of Office am I using? shows what each line means. If the Activation Wizard opens when you start an app, Office had trouble activating; follow its prompts and make sure you are signed in with the account that owns the license.

What Windows 10’s end of support means for Office

Windows 10 support ended on October 14, 2025. You can still install and use Office on it, but the conditions have changed, and Microsoft spells them out in its Windows 10 end of support and Microsoft 365 Apps notice:

Item	Status on Windows 10
Do the apps still run?	They may continue to function, but Microsoft does not recommend an unsupported operating system because of possible performance and reliability problems.
Security updates for Microsoft 365 Apps	Continue through October 10, 2028, delivered through the normal update channels.
New features	Arrive only until Version 2608 is released. After that, Windows 10 devices stay on Version 2608 and get security updates only.
Help from Microsoft support	Limited. If a problem happens only on Windows 10 and not on Windows 11, support will ask you to move to Windows 11, and it will not log bugs for Windows 10.

In practice, installing Office on a Windows 10 PC you already own is reasonable, and the apps keep getting security fixes for now. If the PC can run Windows 11, upgrading is the better long-term choice, and your Office license moves with your account rather than with the operating system.

Troubleshooting

There is no Install apps option after signing in

Microsoft’s first explanation is an issue with the account. Check that you signed in with the account that holds the license; many people have both a personal and a work account. If you have a new product key, redeem it first. On a work or school account, the option is missing when no desktop license is assigned to you, so ask your administrator to assign one. Students and teachers whose school has not provided Office may qualify for Office 365 Education with a valid school email address.

The Install button is greyed out

This usually means the Microsoft 365 subscription has expired. Renew it, sign in again, and the button becomes available.

Setup is very slow or seems stuck

Microsoft gives two usual causes: a slow internet connection, or another installation or update running in the background. Give it time, and pause other downloads. If it does not move, restart the computer and run setup again. If that fails too, use the offline installer.

You get an error code

Write the code down, because Microsoft lists fixes by code on its Troubleshoot installing Office page. A few patterns are worth knowing:

• 0-1018 or 6-30015: another installation is in progress. Let it finish or restart the PC, then try again.
• 12002-4, 12007-4 or 12152-4: a connection or network problem. Check your internet connection, or switch to the offline installer.
• Unsupported operating system: the download does not match the device, for example a Mac installer on a PC, or the device is a Chromebook or phone that needs the mobile apps instead.

Setup fails no matter what you try

Microsoft’s recommended order is to restart the computer and try again, then remove any partial installation with its uninstall troubleshooter, restart, and reinstall. Our guide on how to uninstall Microsoft Office in Windows 10 walks through removing it cleanly.

Office installed but will not activate

Confirm that the subscription is still active and that you are signed in to the app with the account that owns it. A Microsoft 365 subscription also has to check in over the internet from time to time, so connect the PC and open an app while online.

Frequently asked questions

Can I install Microsoft Office on Windows 10 for free?

The setup file is free, but the desktop apps need a paid license to activate. The legitimate no-cost options are the one-month trial on some new PCs and Office 365 Education for eligible students and teachers. Microsoft also points people who cannot install the desktop apps to the web versions, which run in a browser.

How many computers can I install Office on?

With Microsoft 365, you can install the apps on all your devices and be signed in to five at the same time. With Microsoft 365 Family, each person in the subscription gets that same allowance.

Do I need my product key to reinstall Office?

No. Once a key has been redeemed, your Microsoft account replaces it. Sign in at m365.cloud.microsoft/apps on the new or reset PC and install from there.

Can I install only Word or only Excel?

The standard installer from your account installs every app in your plan together. Classic Outlook arrives the same way; the free new Outlook is a separate app, covered in our guide to installing Outlook on Windows 10.

Where does the downloaded setup file go?

To your Downloads folder, unless you changed your browser’s download location. For work and school accounts, Microsoft names the file OfficeSetup.exe.

Is it still worth installing Office on Windows 10 in 2026?

Yes, if the PC cannot move to Windows 11 and you need the apps. Microsoft 365 Apps keep receiving security updates on Windows 10 through October 10, 2028. Plan for the fact that new features stop and Microsoft’s support is limited.

Once Office is activated, open File > Account in any app to check for updates, and keep a note of which Microsoft account holds your license. Microsoft’s full reference is Download, install, or reinstall Microsoft 365 or Office 2024 on a PC or Mac.

Related: How to install Office 2007 on Windows 10.

Related: how to reinstall Microsoft Store in Windows 10.

Related: how to get Microsoft Word for free.

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