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Activation (in 2023) of Microsoft Office 2011

S

smoothbit

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 2, 2014
120
37
TLDR: https://aka.ms/mac2011help

~

When I upgraded the SSD in my 2015 MacBook Pro last year, I needed to telephone Microsoft to activate Office 2011, as I have every other time I upgraded a component or got a new machine since 2011.

That MacBook's battery just puffed on up, so I moved the SSD into an external enclosure to use with my 2018 Mac mini and called the number again, expecting a ~10 minute conversation with someone, me reading 25 letters to them, then them reading 48 numbers to me, then me entering those numbers in groups of 6 into 8 separate text fields.

Instead, this time there was simply a pre-recorded message that told me to go to:
Which then forwarded me to:
Which then simply gave me a "com.microsoft.office.licensing.plist" file that I placed in "/Library/Preferences" and now Office is activated 😃

It's not quite as simple as when Adobe gave the CS2 serial away for free long ago, but it's a big improvement over the old phone call method, it's one advantage of using software for far too long 😉

I have used Catalina through Ventura on my work machine and I do intend to finally upgrade my personal machine to Sonoma later this year, but I will miss Mojave, I've found it very reliable the last five years.
 
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I applaud getting as much value as possible out of anything. However, MS Office 2021 (the latest updated version that doesn't require a subscription) is regularly on sale for about $30-$50. 2011 is doomed as soon as Apple kills Rosetta. If me, I'd probably grab one of those deep discount offers for a version that is 10 years more up to date.

There's also some rumors that perhaps 2024 will get the next non-subscription version. So if you are able to stretch 2011 a little longer, then that one may be the one to catch on sale.
 
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Wow! Every once in a while Microsoft throws its users a bone like this. I've used 2011 for years with varying degrees of enjoyments (Windows Office is so much better, even today) and it's neat to know that there is a legal avenue to always run it, even if I will likely never employ it again.
 
HobeSoundDarryl said:
I applaud getting as much value as possible out of anything. However, MS Office 2021 (the latest updated version that doesn't require a subscription) is regularly on sale for about $30-$50. 2011 is doomed as soon as Apple kills Rosetta. If me, I'd probably grab one of those deep discount offers for a version that is 10 years more up to date.

There's also some rumors that perhaps 2024 will get the next non-subscription version. So if you are able to stretch 2011 a little longer, then that one may be the one to catch on sale.
Click to expand...
Whoa, 30€-50€ is a price I'd be willing to pay for Office 2021, where have you seen it that low? It's currently 117€ on Amazon.de.
 
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bogdanw said:
$35 Microsoft Office Home & Business for Mac 2021: Lifetime License https://stacksocial.com/sales/microsoft-office-home-business-for-mac-2021-lifetime-license-6
Click to expand...
I figured there had to be some kind of catch, so I did some digging. From CNET:

"Now, a deal this good comes with some caveats. First, this key is good only for a single computer, so you won't be able to install it on various machines in your home, and if your current computer happens to die, you could run into a snag when trying to transfer it. Likewise, you're passing up on other benefits you'd get as a 365 subscriber. You won't get any OneDrive Cloud Storage, nor will you get the fancy new cloud-based AI features like Microsoft Copilot. And while the apps should continue to work as long as your computer does, Microsoft's support for this version of Office ends on Oct. 13, 2026.

To that last point: Though this is listed as a "lifetime license" -- that is, the lifetime of the computer you installed it on -- it's worth noting there's always a risk that Microsoft could terminate the license. But versions of StackSocial's deal have been running for more than a year -- the one we bought in early 2022, for instance, still works fine."
 
My Mac auto-updated from Office 2011 to Microsoft-365. I want to restore Office 2011. No .dmg link seems to be working. Need assistance
 
za9ra22 said:
It does, but worth noting that it will only install and run pre-MacOS Catalina (10.15), introduced in 2019, since Office 2011 is 32-bit only.

I know this is mentioned in that thread, but is also easily forgotten.
Click to expand...
OH OH... is there any way to install the older version of MacOS Mojave?
 
I wouldn't recommend anyone using Office 2011 today as its unsupported and has a number of high scored vulnerabilities that aren't and won't be fixed.
If you must use it (old apps, test environment, compability issues) do it in an isolated environment or know about these vulnerabilities so that apply workarounds or aren't using the mentioned products.

Microsoft Office version 2011 : Security vulnerabilities, CVEs

Security vulnerabilities of Microsoft Office version 2011
www.cvedetails.com

My recommendation is that if you must use MS office, get a supported version and if you really don't need MS office specific features, check the open source world such as Libre office or similar.
 
smoothbit said:
TLDR: https://aka.ms/mac2011help

~

When I upgraded the SSD in my 2015 MacBook Pro last year, I needed to telephone Microsoft to activate Office 2011, as I have every other time I upgraded a component or got a new machine since 2011.

That MacBook's battery just puffed on up, so I moved the SSD into an external enclosure to use with my 2018 Mac mini and called the number again, expecting a ~10 minute conversation with someone, me reading 25 letters to them, then them reading 48 numbers to me, then me entering those numbers in groups of 6 into 8 separate text fields.

Instead, this time there was simply a pre-recorded message that told me to go to:
Which then forwarded me to:
Which then simply gave me a "com.microsoft.office.licensing.plist" file that I placed in "/Library/Preferences" and now Office is activated 😃

It's not quite as simple as when Adobe gave the CS2 serial away for free long ago, but it's a big improvement over the old phone call method, it's one advantage of using software for far too long 😉

I have used Catalina through Ventura on my work machine and I do intend to finally upgrade my personal machine to Sonoma later this year, but I will miss Mojave, I've found it very reliable the last five years.
Click to expand...
DEAR SMOOTHBIT, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK - IT WORKED PERFECTLY. YOU SAVED ME MONTHS OF FRUSTRATION AND NOW I CAN OPERATE EXCEL 2011 ON MY OLD WORK HORSE MACBOOK. YOU HELPED MY CAREER AND MY SANITY.
 
THANK YOU!!!! Most importantly, link is still active and works like a bloody charm! I was spending way too much time getting office 2011 activated on my Mom's older Mac. She has a valid Office 365 subscription but after an SSD replacement>clone>remigration (similar) the setup assistant would just fart instead of connecting to the server to authenticate her login credentials. Wish I would've found this post sooner and saved a few useless months of Microsoft billing (but that's canceled now thanks to you :cool:)!
 
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