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What to do if you see “Preview Expired” in Office

Seeing a “Preview expired” message in Office? Here’s what it means and how to activate your purchased version.

Updated this week

If you open an Office app and see a message like:

Microsoft Office LTSC Professional Plus 2024 Preview has expired.

Most Excel features have been disabled. For an updated version of Office, contact your administrator or help desk.

This simply means Office is running in preview mode and hasn’t been activated yet. It is not an error.


How to activate your Office package

  1. Close the message window.

  2. Go to Account in the Office app.

  3. Click on Change product key or the Activate box (if shown).

  4. Enter the product key you received after purchase.

Once the key is accepted, Office will convert from the preview version to the full licensed version.


Still not working?

If activation doesn’t work, make sure you’ve installed the correct version of Office.

Click below and choose the exact product you purchased, then follow the full setup instructions:

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