Microsoft Product Keys
A Product Key enables use of a software product you have licensed under a specific Volume Licensing program. The Product Keys listed in the VLSC should be used with only Volume License products and are intended for use by your organization only.
Microsoft Product Keys
If your agreement authorizes you access to a product that requires a key, those keys will be displayed in the "Downloads and Keys" section. However, some products do not require a product key. This will be stated in special instructions listed in the product description in the "Downloads and Keys" catalog.
Volume activation is a configurable solution that helps automate and manage the product activation process on computers running Windows operating systems that have been licensed under a volume licensing program. Volume activation is also used with other software from Microsoft (most notably the Office suites) that are sold under volume licensing agreements and that support volume activation
The Key Management Service (KMS) is an activation service that allows organizations to activate systems within their own network, eliminating the need for individual computers to connect to Microsoft for product activation. It does not require a dedicated system and can be easily co-hosted on a system that provides other services.
KSM keys can be assigned, by exception, to Open customers who meet the minimum KMS activation threshold for Windows Server, OS, and Office. To request such an exception, please submit a Web Form request to VLSC Support.
The number of activations available for a product may not always match the number of licenses purchased. Usually you will receive a higher number of activations in case you need to reinstall and activate some of your products. Please check the Licensing Summary section of your agreement to see your number of licenses.
The Volume Activation Management Tool (VAMT) enables network administrators and other IT professionals to automate and centrally manage the volume and retail-activation process for Windows, Microsoft Office, and select other Microsoft products. VAMT can manage volume activation using Multiple Activation Keys (MAKs) or the Windows Key Management Service (KMS). VAMT is a standard Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in that requires the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) 3.0.
License compliance and Asset Management are independent of key activation. Customers do not have to use the keys provided under a specific Licensing ID (agreement, enrollment, affiliate, or license) for use only with the licenses specified under that Licensing ID. If a parent organization (which owns a chlld organization) has an individual agreement, it can use the same key to deploy a product across both parent and child organizations. This flexibility allows customers to centrally manage their deployment image by either using keys specific to agreements / licenses, or one set of keys for all.
Yes. Re-imaging rights are granted to all Microsoft Volume Licensing customers. Under these rights, customers may re-image Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) or Full Packaged Product (FPP) licensed copies using media provided under their agreement as long as copies made from the Volume Licensing media are identical to the originally licensed product. As a Volume Licensing customer, the Volume License Keys you need can be found on the Product Key page. You can also request your keys through a Microsoft Activation Center.
The VLSC offers an option to download your Product Keys to a local file for later use. When downloaded from the Downloads and Keys page, the file contains all Volume License Keys associated with agreements in your VLSC profile. However, if you download keys from the Licensing ID specific view on the Relationship Summary page, the file contains only the keys associated with the Licensing ID you are viewing.
A downloadable Product Key file is in a tab-delimited format and can be opened in Excel to sort and view keys. You may also view the file using any text editor. The columns included in the file are: Licensing ID, Parent Program, Organization, Product, Product Key, Type, and MAK Activations-Used/Available. To open a downloaded file in Excel, complete the following steps:
Microsoft Product Activation Assisted Support can be contacted by leveraging the telephone numbers within the product you are trying to activate. To activate by phone, select the relevant product links below:
Visual Studio subscriptions provide access to a wide range of Microsoft products for designing, developing, testing, and demonstrating applications. Some of these products require product keys during installation, and some of those require activation.
Most product keys also allow multiple activations of the product for each key. Many products also allow you to install and use the product for 30 days or more without activation. For most subscribers, more than enough activations to meet their needs are available. However, if you've exhausted the available activations for a product, you can submit a request for more keys through Visual Studio Subscriptions Customer Service.
If your subscription is provided to you by your work or school, your subscription admin controls whether you get access to software downloads. If access to downloads is disabled for your subscription, access to product keys is also disabled. If you need downloads and/or product keys, contact your admin.
Activation is required for certain products. Generally, in Visual Studio subscriptions this requirement applies to Windows, Windows Server, Microsoft Office client applications, and Expression Studio. When activation is required many products, including Windows and Office, allow you to install and use the product without activation for 30 days or more. If you reimage your computers frequently (at least once every 30 days), consider NOT activating the product. Product keys supplied as part of your Visual Studio subscription don't allow unlimited activations of a product.
Visual Studio subscriptions offer a selection of retail and Volume Licensing versions of Microsoft products. Certain products are available from Downloads only in their retail version or only in their Volume Licensing version; some are available in both versions. Generally, products requiring activation, such as Windows, Windows Server, and Office client products, are only offered in their retail version through Downloads.
The daily key claim limit is 10 keys for all Visual Studio subscriptions, including those offered through MPN, BizSpark, MCT Software & Services, and MCT. Visual Studio Professional (MPN) has a daily key claim limit of seven keys.
If you've claimed the maximum number of keys available for your subscription within a 24-hour period, you'll see an error telling you that your limit has been reached. The limit resets every 24 hours, starting at 12:01 AM Pacific Time.
Our research shows that most subscribers are covered by the number of product keys included in their subscription. If you need more keys, you can submit a request through Visual Studio Subscription Customer Service and it will be considered for approval on a case-by-case basis.
You must be signed in to your Visual Studio subscription to view your product keys. Individual product keys are found by selecting the blue Get Key link for a particular product on the Downloads page as shown below. When multiple keys exist for a single product, notes will be displayed on the Notes column for the download to assist you in identifying which key should be used.
All keys are also available in aggregate on the Product Keys page. On this page you can find static keys that work for all users of a product, get custom keys just for your use, see the status of your key claim limits, and export all of your product keys.
This article explains how to locate, claim, and export product keys from For more information about activating a product with a key, retail and volume license versions of keys, and daily product key claim limits, visit the product keys overview.
You must be signed in to your Visual Studio subscription to view your product keys. Individual product keys are found by selecting the blue Get Key link for a particular product on the Downloads page as shown below. All keys are also available in aggregate on the Product Keys page. When multiple keys exist for a single product, notes will be displayed on the Notes column for the download to assist you in identifying which key should be used.
To export your keys, select the Export all keys link at the far right of the Product Keys page. An .xml file entitled KeysExport.xml will be created. You can choose to open or save the file. You'll need to open the file with an application capable of handling .xml files. For example, you can open the file as a read-only workbook in Microsoft Excel.
A Microsoft office product key is a 25-character code used to activate Windows and helps verify that Windows hasn't been used on more PCs than the Microsoft Software License Terms allow.
However, suppose you have paid for an Office product to be already included on your new Windows 10 PC. In that case, a digital product key is automatically placed on your PC after you activate Windows 10.
In this case, you should rely on your Microsoft Office account and not a product key in order to install and utilize applications such as Office and other individually bought applications like Project, Visio, Outlook, Excel, and Word.
Keep in mind that if you purchased a new and unused Office 365 product key card to either renew an Office 365 subscription or buy your trial, you can enter that product key if Office asks you to provide it.
This account takes the place of your product key and can be used to reinstall Office from the Microsoft accounts > Services and Subscriptions page and start-up and activate Office.