How to

How to Remove an Office Product Key

Step-by-step guide for safely uninstalling or clearing Microsoft Office license keys.

When should you remove an Office product key?

  • When transferring Office to another computer
  • To fix activation or licensing errors
  • Before reinstalling or upgrading Office

Step 1 — Open Command Prompt as Administrator

Press Start → type "cmd" → right-click → Run as administrator.

Step 2 — Check which Office keys are installed

Navigate to your Office installation folder and run the following command:

cd C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16
cscript ospp.vbs /dstatus

If you're using the 32-bit version of Office on a 64-bit Windows, try this instead:

cd C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office16
cscript ospp.vbs /dstatus

This will list all installed licenses and show the last 5 characters of each product key.

Step 3 — Remove a specific product key

Use the following command, replacing XXXXX with the last five characters of your key:

cscript ospp.vbs /unpkey:XXXXX

Example:

cscript ospp.vbs /unpkey:2WC00

If successful, you'll see: "Product key uninstall successful".

Step 4 — Verify removal

Run again:

cscript ospp.vbs /dstatus

Make sure the old key no longer appears.

Step 5 — Optional cleanup

  • Remove any Office credentials from Control Panel → Credential Manager
  • Sign out of your Microsoft account in Office and re-sign in with a new key or account
  • Restart your computer

Notes & Tips

  • Always run commands as Administrator.
  • Removing a key will deactivate Office until you re-enter a valid license.
  • If you're not sure about your license type, run cscript ospp.vbs /dstatus to check the details.