Can you reinstall Office 2013 on your new PC? Don't expect a simple answer from Microsoft In the push to shift customers to the, Microsoft has rejigged the licensing conditions on retail copies of Office 2013 such as Office Home & Student 2013. People tend not to read this sort of fine print, but this bit is kind of important.
Generic pic of an office worker, white collar job. According to the fine print, retail copies of Office Home & Student 2013 are now single-license, so you can only install them on one computer. Some people interpret this as meaning that the retail license is now similar to the OEM license, which covers copies of Office that come pre-installed on a new computer. Under an OEM license you can only run Office on that specific computer. If you buy a new computer, you can't uninstall that OEM copy of Office from your old computer and reinstall it on the new one.
You could transfer a retail copy of Office from your old computer to your new computer, at least you could until now. If you read the fine print, the licensing conditions have clearly changed between Office 2010 and Office 2013.
The agreement states; a. One Copy per Device. You may install one copy of the software on one device. That device is the “licensed device.” b. Licensed Device. You may only use one copy of the software on the licensed device at a time. Portable Device.
You may install another copy of the software on a portable device for use by the single primary user of the licensed device. While the Office 2010 OEM license states; a. One Copy per Device.
The software license is permanently assigned to the device with which the software is distributed. That device is the “licensed device.” b. Licensed Device. You may only use one copy of the software on the licensed device at a time. Separation of Components.
The components of the software are licensed as a single unit. You may not separate the components and install them on different devices. Meanwhile new copies of Office 2013 state the; Can I transfer the software to another computer or user? You may not transfer the software to another computer or user. You may transfer the software directly to a third party only as installed on the licensed computer, with the Certificate of Authenticity label and this agreement. Before the transfer, that party must agree that this agreement applies to the transfer and use of the software. You may not retain any copies.
If retail and OEM copies now have exactly the same licensing agreement, have retail rights have been downgraded to OEM rights or OEM rights been upgraded to full retail rights? The new wording doesn't actually use the phrase 'the software license is permanently assigned to the device with which the software is distributed', like the old OEM license did. This is a pretty big deal for people who are trying to decide between Office 365 and a retail copy of Office 2013. Depending on your needs, you might find a single outright copy of Office Home & Student 2013 is more economical than an Office 365 subscription – but not if you can't keep using it after you next upgrade your computer. It seems a dead computer also means a dead copy of Office.
These new licensing restrictions aren't just for home users, they also apply to retail copies of Office Home & Business 2013 and Professional 2013. What if your old computer dies a few months after you buy Office 2013? Does your copy of Office die with it, even though you've still got the installer disc? It also raises questions about what happens if you need to reinstall Windows and Office on your original computer.
There's one simple way to find out, right? Ask Microsoft. Just don't expect a simple and consistent answer.