The following sample configuration.

xml file can be used to either download or install the

64-bit version of Office LTSC Professional Plus 2024 in English using a shared folder on
your local network and activate by using MAK. If you’re using this [Link] to
install Office LTSC 2024, previous Windows Installer (MSI) versions of Office are removed
as part of the installation process. Even though it’s not specified in the [Link]
file, updates are automatically enabled and are configured to come directly from the
Office CDN, because those settings are the default.

 Tip

For the PIDKEY, replace #####-#####-#####-#####-##### with your MAK client

activation key.

XML

<Configuration>
<Add OfficeClientEdition="64" Channel="PerpetualVL2024"
SourcePath="\\Server\Share">
<Product ID="ProPlus2024Volume" PIDKEY="#####-#####-#####-#####-#####">
<Language ID="en-us" />
</Product>
<Product ID="ProofingTools">
<Language ID="de-de" />
<Language ID="es-es" />
</Product>
</Add>
<RemoveMSI />
<Display Level="None" AcceptEULA="TRUE" />
</Configuration>

Remove existing versions of Office before

installing Office LTSC 2024
Uninstall any previous versions of Office before installing Office LTSC 2024. To remove
versions of Office that use Windows Installer (MSI) as the installation technology, use
the Office Deployment Tool (ODT) and specify the RemoveMSI element in your
[Link] file.

You can use the RemoveMSI element in several ways when installing Office LTSC 2024:

Uninstall all Office products on the device.

Identify and reinstall any existing language resources, such as language packs.
Retain specific Office products while uninstalling all others on the device.
Use the RemoveMSI element to uninstall versions of Office, Visio, or Project from Office
2016 and earlier that were installed using Windows Installer (MSI)

For more information about using RemoveMSI , see Remove existing MSI versions of
Office when upgrading to Microsoft 365 Apps. Although that article focuses on
Microsoft 365 Apps, most of the information also applies to Office LTSC 2024.

To uninstall 2019 versions of Office, Visio, or Project from the device, use the Remove
element. The Remove element is used because 2019 versions of Office, Visio, and Project
are installed using Click-to-Run, not Windows Installer (MSI).

Download the Office LTSC 2024 installation

files
Once you have a copy of the ODT and created your [Link] file, you can
download the Office LTSC 2024 installation files to your local network. To do this, open
an elevated command prompt, navigate to the folder where you saved the ODT and the
[Link] file, and enter the following command:

Console

setup /download [Link]

If you saved the [Link] file with a different name, use that name in the
command.

It might look as though nothing is happening, but the download is occurring in the
background. Once the download is complete, the command prompt will return.

To verify the files are downloading, check the location you specified for the SourcePath
in your [Link] file. You should see a folder named "Office" with a subfolder
named "Data." Inside the Data folder, there will be another subfolder named with the
version number of the download. For example, 16.0.14332.20481. The files and their
names will vary depending on whether you're downloading the 32-bit or 64-bit version
of Office and which languages you're downloading.

Here are some additional details about downloading Office LTSC 2024 installation files:

You must download the 32-bit and 64-bit versions separately.

All volume-licensed Office products are included in the same download, regardless
of which products you specify in the [Link] file. For example, if you
download Office LTSC Professional Plus 2024, the download will also include Visio
 LTSC Professional 2024 and Project Professional 2024. This approach helps you
save disk space on your local network. The core files for these products are located
in the [Link] or [Link] file, depending on whether
you’re downloading the 32-bit or 64-bit version of Office.

Install Office LTSC 2024 by using the Office

Deployment Tool
Once you have a copy of the ODT and have created your [Link] file (and
downloaded the Office LTSC 2024 installation files to your local network, if necessary),
you can install Office LTSC 2024. To do this, open an elevated command prompt,
navigate to the folder where you saved the ODT and the [Link] file, and
enter the following command:

Console

setup /configure [Link]

If you’ve saved the [Link] file with a different name, use that name in the
command.

Once the installation is complete, the command prompt will return, and you can open
the Office LTSC 2024 programs you’ve installed.

７ Note

Office LTSC 2024 is installed on the system drive, typically the C:\ drive. The
installation location can't be changed.

Install Office LTSC 2024 by using Configuration

Manager
You can also use Microsoft Configuration Manager (current branch) to deploy Office
LTSC 2024. The Office 365 Client Installation wizard guides you through the process and
builds the [Link] file for you. There’s an entry for Office LTSC Professional
Plus 2024 in the wizard. On that same page, you can also choose to deploy Project and
Visio. To access the wizard, navigate to Software Library > Overview > Office 365 Client
Management in the Configuration Manager console.
Deploy languages for Office LTSC 2024
You can use the ODT and the [Link] file to deploy Office LTSC 2024,
including Project and Visio, in multiple languages. For more information, see Language
element.

You can also install proofing tools by specifying the Product ID as "ProofingTools" in
your [Link] file along with the appropriate Language IDs. Proofing tools
packages are smaller than full language packs, making them a good choice for users
who work with documents in multiple languages but don’t need the Office product UI in
all those languages. The proofing tools can be installed at the same time you’re
installing Office LTSC 2024, or you can install them later. They can also be installed
whether or not the language pack for a given language is installed.

If you're upgrading from a Windows Installer (MSI) version of Office, you can get Click-
to-Run versions of the same language resources—such as language packs, language
interface packs, or proofing tools—installed when you deploy Office LTSC 2024. For
more information, see Remove existing MSI versions of Office when upgrading to
Microsoft 365 Apps. Although that article focuses on Microsoft 365 Apps, most of the
information also applies to Office LTSC 2024.

Microsoft Teams in Office LTSC 2024

The Microsoft Teams app isn't preinstalled with Office LTSC 2024, but is available as a
separate download. Organizations that require Teams for communication and
collaboration can download Teams separately.

Skype for Business in Office LTSC 2024

By default, Skype for Business is not installed when deploying Office LTSC 2024 unless
you make the following changes:

When you create the [Link] file with the Office Customization Tool ,
under the Apps section, use the toggle to turn on Skype for Business.
 In the Office 365 Client Installation wizard, under the Products tab, scroll to the
Applications section, and check the box for Skype for Business to include it in your
deployment package.

These changes ensure that Skype for Business is included in the installation.

Related articles
Overview of Office LTSC 2024
Update Office LTSC 2024
Overview of volume activation of Office

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Update Office LTSC 2024
Article • 09/16/2024

Once you deploy Office LTSC 2024, including Project 2024 and Visio 2024, it's important
to keep it up to date. Microsoft regularly releases security updates and quality
improvements, including updates that enhance stability and performance. Office LTSC
2024 typically receives updates once a month on the second Tuesday.

７ Note

Office LTSC 2024 doesn't receive new features after it's released. To access new
Office features on an ongoing basis, consider transitioning to a Microsoft 365 plan
that includes Office.

How Office LTSC 2024 gets updated

Here’s how Office updates work:

When Microsoft releases updates for Office, a new build is made available on the
Office Content Delivery Network (CDN). This build includes the latest security and
quality updates.
By default, Office is configured to automatically receive updates from the Office
CDN. You can change this setting. For more information, see Configure where
Office LTSC gets updates from.
The "Office Automatic Updates 2.0" scheduled task on the device checks for
updates regularly.
If updates are available, Office automatically downloads them without user
intervention. During this process, Office downloads only the necessary updates to
match the latest version on the CDN.
Users can continue working in Office apps like Word while updates are
downloading. After the updates download, they're installed. If any Office apps are
open, users are prompted to save their work and close the apps to install the
updates.
After installation, users can resume working in their Office apps.

How updates are different in Office LTSC 2024

Updates in Office LTSC 2024 are managed the same as in Office LTSC 2021 but differ
significantly from MSI-based updates used in Office 2016. In Office LTSC 2024, updates
are cumulative, meaning the latest version available on the Office CDN includes all
previous security and quality updates. This approach ensures that Office is up to date
when you download and install it from the Office CDN, so you don’t need to apply
individual updates or service packs.

Unlike in earlier MSI-based versions, there are no separate downloads for security or
quality updates; they're included in each new build posted on the Office CDN. As a
result, Microsoft Update or Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) isn't used by itself
to update Office LTSC 2024. However, Microsoft Configuration Manager can be used to
manage how and when updates are applied, and where they're sourced from.

Configure where Office LTSC 2024 gets updates

from
If network connectivity and your organizational requirements allow, update Office
automatically from the Office Content Delivery Network (CDN). Updating from the
Office CDN is the default, so there’s nothing extra to do, making it an easy way to keep
Office up to date.

If you prefer that devices with Office installed don't connect to the Office CDN for
updates, configure Office to get updates from a shared folder within your internal
network. You can specify this location either in the [Link] file used to deploy
Office with the Office Deployment Tool or by using Group Policy. At least one device
must have access to the Office CDN to download the latest version of Office to the
shared folder on your internal network.

Installing and updating Office from a shared folder on your local network requires more
administrative effort and disk space. For example, you need to track when new builds of
Office are available and then download the updated version to your network.
Downloading to a shared folder on your local network downloads a full copy of the
updated version of Office.

You can also use enterprise software deployment tools, such as Microsoft Configuration
Manager, to help update Office.

For more information, see Deploy Office LTSC 2024

Check for updates for Office LTSC 2024

Instead of waiting for the scheduled task to run to check for updates, you can manually
check for updates. To do that, open any Office app, such as Word, and go to File >
Account > Update Options > Update Now.

This causes the Click-to-Run service to go look for updates at the location that you’ve
configured Office to look for updates. For example, directly from the Office CDN on the
internet. If updates are available, Office begins the process to download.

Size of updates for Office LTSC 2024

The size of the updates downloaded to the user's device from the update location varies
depending on several factors, including how long it’s been since Office was last updated
and the number of security and quality updates available.

To minimize the size of the updates that need to be downloaded, we recommend

keeping Office up to date. Office uses a technology called binary delta compression to
help reduce the size of updates applied to the user's device. However, binary delta
compression is only available if you're updating from a recent version of Office. For
example, if you're updating from the September or October version to the November
version. But if you're updating a much older version of Office, such as from the June to
November version, binary delta compression isn’t available.

Use Group Policy to specify update settings

If you have Windows Server and Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) deployed in
your organization, you can configure update settings for Office by using Group Policy.
To do this, download the most current Administrative Template files (ADMX/ADML for
Office) , which include the policy settings for Office.

After you copy the Administrative Template files to AD DS, you'll find the update policy
settings under Computer Configuration\Policies\Administrative Templates\Microsoft
Office 2016 (Machine)\Updates in the Group Policy Management tool. You'll also find a
description of how to configure each policy setting. For example, you can use the
"Update path" Group Policy setting to specify where Office should look for updates.

Update channel for Office LTSC 2024

Office uses the concept of update channels to determine which updates an installed
version of Office receives. The update channel is a device-wide setting, meaning all
Office products, including Project and Visio, installed on a device must use the same
update channel.
"PerpetualVL2024" is the only update channel available for Office LTSC Professional Plus
2024 and Office LTSC Standard 2024. The PerpetualVL2024 update channel is also
available for volume licensed versions of Project 2024 and Visio LTSC 2024.

Volume licensed versions of Project 2024 and Visio LTSC 2024 can also use other update
channels, such as Current Channel, Monthly Enterprise Channel, or Semi-Annual
Enterprise Channel. The reason Project and Visio can use these other update channels is
to ensure compatibility when installed on a device alongside Microsoft 365 Apps, which
support all these channels. Even if Project and Visio use different update channels, they
only receive security and quality updates each month, without any new features.

For more information, see Overview of update channels for Microsoft 365 Apps.

Related articles
Overview of Office LTSC 2024
Deploy Office LTSC 2024

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Overview of volume activation of Office
Article • 04/25/2025

Applies to: Volume licensed versions of Office Long Term Service Channel (LTSC) 2024, Office
LTSC 2021, Office 2019, and Office 2016 (including Project and Visio)

） Important

Microsoft Office 2016 and Office 2019 will reach end of support on October 14, 2025. After
this date, Microsoft will no longer provide security patches, bug fixes, or technical support
for this version. Users are recommended to migrate to the subscription-based Microsoft
365 service to avoid security risks.

For steps to migrate to a subscription-based Microsoft 365 service, see Plan an upgrade
from older versions of Office to Microsoft 365 Apps

Activation is the process of validating software with the manufacturer after it's installed on a
specific computer. Activation confirms that the product is genuine—not a fraudulent copy—
and that the product key or serial number is valid and hasn't been compromised or revoked.
Activation also establishes a link or relationship between the product key and the particular
installation.

７ Note

If you're a user trying to activate a personal copy of Office at home, see Activate Office
instead of reading this article.

Volume activation is the process that Microsoft volume licensing customers use to automate
and manage the activation of Windows operating systems, Microsoft Office, and other
Microsoft products across large organizations.

There are three different methods that you can activate volume licensed versions of Office,
including Project and Visio:

Key Management Service (KMS): Office is activated by contacting a KMS host computer
on your network.

Multiple Activation Key (MAK): Office is activated online by Microsoft-hosted activation

servers or by telephone.

Active Directory-based: Office on a domain-joined computer is activated through Active

Directory.
Which activation method you choose depends on the size, network infrastructure, connectivity,
and security requirements of your environment. You can choose to use different activation
methods for different versions of Office and for different computers, for example desktops and
laptops. Because these three activation methods are also used to activate volume licensed
versions of Windows, you might be able to use the same method to activate both Windows
and Office. For more information, see Volume Activation for Windows and Volume Activation
Overview.

All volume licensed versions of Office, including Project and Visio, have a preinstalled product
key, called a Generic Volume License Key (GVLK), that can be used for KMS and Active
Directory-based activation. You don't have to enter a product key for each Office installation if
you're activating Office by using KMS or Active Directory. If you're activating Office by using
MAK, you must enter a product key for each Office installation, but there are ways to automate
that.

Key Management Service (KMS) activation of

Office
KMS activation is a client-server model in which each client requests activation from a KMS
host computer. The keys needed to activate Office are installed on the KMS host computer. The
client uses DNS to locate a KMS host computer to request activation.

For more information, see the following articles:

Configure a KMS host computer to activate volume licensed versions of Office

Configure DNS for activating volume licensed versions of Office by using KMS
Activate volume licensed versions of Office by using KMS

Multiple Activation Key (MAK) activation of Office

MAK activation is used for one-time activation through Microsoft-hosted activation services,
either via the internet or by telephone. MAK activation requires that a MAK is installed on a
client computer and instructs that computer to activate itself against those services.

Each MAK has a predetermined number of allowed activations and is based on your volume
licensing agreement. Each Office activation that uses MAK counts toward the activation limit.
After Office is activated, no reactivation is required unless the hardware changes significantly.

For more information, see Activate volume licensed versions of Office by using MAK.

Active Directory-based activation of Office

Active Directory-based activation can activate Office installed on domain-joined computers.
The product key information, which is the same that is used by KMS, is stored in Active
Directory and replicated throughout the forest. If Office can't contact Active Directory for
activation, Office tries to activate by using KMS.

For more information, see Activate volume licensed versions of Office by using Active
Directory.
Configure a KMS host computer to activate
volume licensed versions of Office
Article • 04/25/2025

Applies to: Volume licensed versions of Office Long Term Service Channel (LTSC) 2024, Office
LTSC 2021, Office 2019, and Office 2016 (including Project and Visio)

） Important

Microsoft Office 2016 and Office 2019 will reach end of support on October 14, 2025. After
this date, Microsoft will no longer provide security patches, bug fixes, or technical support
for this version. Users are recommended to migrate to the subscription-based Microsoft
365 service to avoid security risks.

For steps to migrate to a subscription-based Microsoft 365 service, see Plan an upgrade
from older versions of Office to Microsoft 365 Apps

To activate volume licensed versions of Office, including Project, and Visio, you must have a Key
Management Service (KMS) host computer. You can configure a Windows Server computer to
be a KMS host computer by installing the Volume Activation Services role and then running the
Volume Activation Tools wizard.

To enable the KMS host computer to activate Office, you must install the Office Volume License
Pack and enter your KMS key on the KMS host computer. Then, you need to activate the KMS
key over the internet or by telephone.

If you have a KMS host computer configured to activate Windows, you can configure that same
KMS host computer to activate Office. You can also configure a KMS host computer to activate
multiple versions of Office, such as Office LTSC 2024, Office LTSC 2021 Office 2019, and Office
2016. In these cases, the KMS host computer must be running an operating system that
supports KMS for each of the versions of Office that you want to activate. Also, you need to
install the Office Volume License Pack for each version of Office on the KMS host computer and
activate a KMS host key for each version of Office.

Office supports KMS host computers running on the following operating systems, depending
on which version of Office is activated with KMS:

Office LTSC 2024: At least Windows Server 2019 or at least Windows 10 (volume editions)
Office LTSC 2021: At least Windows Server 2016 or at least Windows 10 (volume editions)
Office 2019: At least Windows Server 2012 or at least Windows 8.1 (volume editions)
 Office 2016: At least Windows Server 2008 R2 or at least Windows 7 Service Pack 1
(volume editions)

Configure the KMS host computer

To configure the KMS host computer to activate Office, follow these steps. You must be a
member of the Administrators group on the KMS host computer.

If your KMS host computer has internet access:

1. Sign in to the Microsoft 365 admin center and go to Billing > Your products.
2. Select the Volume licensing tab (only volume licensing administrators can access this
section).
3. Go to the Download and keys tab, then download the KMS key for each product and
version of Office that you want to activate using KMS.
4. Download and run the appropriate Office Volume License Pack executable from the
Microsoft Download Center.

Office LTSC 2024 Volume License Pack

Office LTSC 2021 Volume License Pack
Office 2019 Volume License Pack
Office 2016 Volume License Pack

5. Running the executable installs the pack on the KMS host computer and opens the
Volume Activation Tools wizard.
6. Follow the steps in the wizard and enter your KMS key when prompted.
7. If a firewall is enabled, ensure port 1688 is open to allow the KMS host service through:

Go to Control Panel > System and Security > Windows Firewall (or Windows
Defender Firewall).
Select Allow an app or feature through Windows Firewall.
Select Change Settings, check Key Management Service, and select OK.

If the KMS host computer doesn't have internet access, activate it by telephone.

1. From an elevated command prompt, go to the Windows\system32 folder, and then run
the following command:

Console

cscript [Link] /dti ACTIVATIONID

Replace ACTIVATIONID with the Activation ID for your version of Office.

 Activation ID for Office LTSC 2024: F3D89BBF-C0EC-47CE-A8FA-E5A5F97E447F
Activation ID for Office LTSC 2021: 47F3B983-7C53-4D45-ABC6-BCD91E2DD90A
Activation ID for Office 2019: 70512334-47B4-44DB-A233-BE5EA33B914C
Activation ID for Office 2016: 98EBFE73-2084-4C97-932C-C0CD1643BEA7

The result of running this command is a 36-digit installation ID. Paste the installation
ID number into Notepad, and then break it up into six groups of six numbers.

2. At the command line, run the following command:

Console

[Link] 4

This command launches the Windows phone activation wizard and it displays a telephone
number.
After obtaining the telephone number, cancel the wizard. You can ignore the activation ID
displayed by the wizard. It's for Windows.
a. Call the telephone number. At each prompt, enter a group of six numbers. This 36-
digit number is the installation ID that you obtained in step 1.
b. When you hear the response, write down the numbers. These numbers are your
confirmation ID.
c. At the command line, run the following command:

Console

cscript [Link] /atp CONFIRMATIONID ACTIVATIONID

Replace CONFIRMATIONID with the 48-digit confirmation ID that you received over the
telephone.

Replace ACTIVATIONID with the Activation ID for your version of Office.

Activation ID for Office LTSC 2024: F3D89BBF-C0EC-47CE-A8FA-E5A5F97E447F

Activation ID for Office LTSC 2021: 47F3B983-7C53-4D45-ABC6-BCD91E2DD90A
Activation ID for Office 2019: 70512334-47B4-44DB-A233-BE5EA33B914C
Activation ID for Office 2016: 98EBFE73-2084-4C97-932C-C0CD1643BEA7

You should see a message that the confirmation ID was successfully deposited.

Verify activations by the KMS host computer

After you set up the KMS host computer, KMS clients send requests for activation and
increment the current count of activations. The current count must be 5 or more before KMS
clients are activated. The maximum current count is double the activation threshold, or 10. You
can also check the KMS log from the Applications and Services Logs folder for event ID 12290,
the ID for KMS-related activity. The KMS log records activation requests from KMS clients. Each
event displays the name of the computer and the time stamp of each activation request.

Verify the KMS key is successfully installed and

activated
From an elevated command prompt on the KMS host computer, run the following command:

Console

cscript [Link] /dlv all

To view information only for a specific version of Office, specify that version's Activation ID
after the /dlv parameter. For example, for Office 2019:

Console

cscript [Link] /dlv 70512334-47B4-44DB-A233-BE5EA33B914C

The following text is an example of the output for Office 2016. The line that says: "License
Status: Licensed" indicates that your KMS host computer is successfully activated.

Console

Name: Office 16, OfficeKMSHostVL_KMS_Host edition

Description: Office 16, VOLUME_KMS channel
Activation ID: 98EBFE73-2084-4C97-932C-C0CD1643BEA7
Application ID: 0ff1ce16-a989-479d-af46-f275c6370663
Extended PID: 05426-00206-234-001162-03-1033-9200.0000-0992013
Installation ID: 020650770493837252929082195773527024195725809211989214
Use License URL: [Link]
[Link]?configextension=o16
Validation URL: [Link]
Partial Product Key: KDQ2G
License Status: Licensed
Remaining Windows rearm count: 1000
Trusted time: 10/26/2016 9:58:33 AM
Key Management Service is enabled on this machine
Current count: 0
Listening on Port: 1688
DNS publishing enabled
KMS priority: Normal
 Key Management Service cumulative requests received from clients
Total requests received: 0
Failed requests received: 0
Requests with License Status Unlicensed: 0
Requests with License Status Licensed: 0
Requests with License Status Initial grace period: 0
Requests with License Status License expired or Hardware out of tolerance: 0
Requests with License Status Non-genuine grace period: 0
Requests with License Status Notification: 0

Related articles
Overview of volume activation of Office
Activate volume licensed versions of Office by using KMS
Activate volume licensed versions of Office by using Active Directory
Configure DNS for activating volume
licensed versions of Office by using KMS
Article • 04/25/2025

Applies to: Volume licensed versions of Office Long Term Service Channel (LTSC) 2024, Office
LTSC 2021, Office 2019, and Office 2016 (including Project and Visio)

） Important

Microsoft Office 2016 and Office 2019 will reach end of support on October 14, 2025. After
this date, Microsoft will no longer provide security patches, bug fixes, or technical support
for this version. Users are recommended to migrate to the subscription-based Microsoft
365 service to avoid security risks.

For steps to migrate to a subscription-based Microsoft 365 service, see Plan an upgrade
from older versions of Office to Microsoft 365 Apps

To activate volume licensed versions of Office, including Project and Visio, by using Key
Management Service (KMS), the KMS host computer for Office must be discoverable. The KMS
host computer automatically publishes its existence by creating service (SRV) resource records
(RRs) on the DNS server. But, only the first KMS host computer can create an SRV RR. When
multiple computers run KMS, other KMS host computers can't modify or update SRV RRs
unless the DNS server permissions are configured to allow these changes.

Changing the permissions on the DNS server requires administrative rights in the domain. You
need to set up DNS as follows:

Ensure that all computers running KMS are members of the same Active Directory
Domain Services (AD DS) domain.
Create a global security group in AD DS for the computers running KMS.
Add each computer running KMS to the new security group.
Set the permissions on the DNS server to enable updates by members of the newly
created security group.

For more information, see Configuring DNS.

How DNS is used to find a KMS host computer

The first time that a KMS client queries DNS for KMS information, it randomly selects a KMS
host computer from the list of SRV RRs that DNS returns. The address of a DNS server that
contains the SRV RRs can be listed as a suffixed entry on KMS clients. This enables
advertisement of SRV RRs for KMS in one DNS server and KMS clients that have other primary
DNS servers to find it.

You can add priority and weight parameters to the DnsDomainPublishList registry value for
KMS host computers. Doing so enables you to establish priority groupings and weighting
within each group, which specifies the order in which to use KMS host computers and balances
traffic among multiple KMS host computers. If you're using priority and weight parameters, we
recommend that you disable KMS caching on the client. For more information, see Configure
KMS host caching.

If the KMS host computer that a client selects doesn't respond, the KMS client removes that
KMS host computer from its list of SRV RRs, and randomly selects another KMS host computer
from the list. If the priority and weight parameters are set, the KMS client uses them while
finding another KMS host computer. Otherwise, KMS host computers are selected randomly.
After a KMS host computer responds, the KMS client caches the name of the KMS host
computer and, if caching is enabled, uses it for successive activation and renewal attempts. If
the cached KMS host computer doesn't respond on a later renewal, the KMS client discovers a
new KMS host computer by querying DNS for KMS SRV RRs.

Related articles
Configure a KMS host computer to activate volume licensed versions of Office
Activate volume licensed versions of Office by using KMS
Activate volume licensed versions of Office
by using KMS
Article • 04/25/2025

Applies to: Volume licensed versions of Office Long Term Service Channel (LTSC) 2024, Office
LTSC 2021, Office 2019, and Office 2016 (including Project and Visio)

） Important

Microsoft Office 2016 and Office 2019 will reach end of support on October 14, 2025. After
this date, Microsoft will no longer provide security patches, bug fixes, or technical support
for this version. Users are recommended to migrate to the subscription-based Microsoft
365 service to avoid security risks.

For steps to migrate to a subscription-based Microsoft 365 service, see Plan an upgrade
from older versions of Office to Microsoft 365 Apps

All volume licensed versions of Office, including Project and Visio, have a Generic Volume
License Key (GVLK) preinstalled. GVLKs support both Key Management Service (KMS) and
Active Directory-based activation. On the KMS host computer configured to support volume
activation of Office, you install and enable only one KMS host key to activate all volume
licensed versions of Office.

When the KMS host computer is available and configured correctly, Office activates
automatically without user interaction. Office activates the first time it runs, as long as the KMS
host computer has received at least four prior activation requests. The KMS host computer
requires a minimum of five requests before it starts activating clients.

You don't have to do anything else to enable activation of Office by KMS. KMS clients can
locate a KMS host computer automatically by querying DNS for service (SRV) resource records
(RRs) that publish the KMS service. For more information, see How DNS is used to find a KMS
host computer.

If the network environment doesn't use SRV RRs, you can manually assign a KMS client to use a
specific KMS host computer by configuring the
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\OfficeSoftwareProtectionPlatform registry key on
the KMS client. The KMS host computer name is specified by KeyManagementServiceName
(REG_SZ), and the port is specified by KeyManagementServicePort (REG_SZ). The default port is
1688. These registry keys can also be set by using [Link] script. For more information about
the [Link] script, see Tools to manage volume activation of Office.
Configure KMS host caching
You can configure whether or not the last used KMS host computer is saved to the cache on
the KMS client. If the KMS host computer isn't cached, the KMS client queries DNS every time
that activation is attempted. This means that the priority and weight parameters set for KMS
host computers is honored. If the KMS host computer is cached, the KMS client won't query
DNS. Instead, it tries to contact the cached KMS host computer that last activated it
successfully.

To configure KMS host caching, you can use the [Link] script. For more information about
the [Link] script, see Tools to manage volume activation of Office.

To configure KMS host caching, open an elevated command prompt on the KMS client
computer and go to the Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16 folder. If you installed the 32-
bit version of Office on a 64-bit operating system, go to the Program Files (x86)\Microsoft
Office\Office16 folder.

To disable KMS host caching, type the following command, and then press ENTER:

Console

cscript [Link] /cachst:FALSE

To enable KMS host caching, type the following command, and then press ENTER:

Console

cscript [Link] /cachst:TRUE

Check the license status of Office

The following table describes the license state of the Office with respect to activation.

ﾉ Expand table

License state Description

Licensed By default, the KMS client requests activation with the KMS host computer one time
every seven days. (The number of days is configurable.) This design allows the maximum
possible time for the client to be in the licensed state.

After the client is successfully activated, it remains in the licensed state for 180 days.
When in the licensed state, users don't see any notification dialog boxes prompting them