2 Easy Ways to Activate a Microsoft Office 2010 Product Key

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Plus, answers to frequently asked questions about activating Office

Co-authored by Hannah Dillon

Last Updated: February 8, 2025 Fact Checked

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Activating via Internet

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Activating via Telephone

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Frequently Asked Questions

Before you can start using Microsoft Office 2010, you will be required to activate your product via the Internet or telephone. If you do not activate Office 2010, you may have limited access to features when attempting to use the product. In this article, we go over both ways to activate Microsoft Office 2010, including Microsoft Word, and answer some frequently asked questions about the activation process.

Ways to Activate Microsoft Office 2010

Microsoft Office 2010 can be activated online or by telephone. Online is the recommended method, as it's much faster. To activate in Word, go to File > Help > Activate Product. Then, choose whether you want to activate online or by phone.

Section 1 of 3:

Activating via Internet

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If Word is not already open, you can open it by double-clicking on the Microsoft Word icon on your desktop, or you can search for it in the taskbar search bar.
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Click on Activate Product. The Activation Wizard will display on-screen.
- If Activate Product is not displayed under Help, your software has already been activated, and no further action is needed.
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This is the recommended way to activate Microsoft Word 2010.
You will be required to enter the product key, as well as your name and contact information. The product key consists of 25 characters, and can be found printed on the receipt or packaging associated with Microsoft Office 2010.^{[1]
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Section 2 of 3:

Activating via Telephone

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If Word is not already open, you can open it by double-clicking on the Microsoft Word icon on your desktop, or you can search for it in the taskbar search bar.
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Click on Activate Product. The Activation Wizard will display on-screen.
- If Activate Product is not displayed under Help, your software has already been activated, and no further action is needed.
If you have a slow internet connection, this is a better option than activating Word online.
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Select your country or region. Microsoft will provide you with the telephone number for the Activation Center in your region.
- If you get an error that says "Telephone activation is no longer supported for your product", go to Microsoft's website to get the phone number for activation.
If you are deaf or hard of hearing, call 800-718-1599 in the US or 716-871-6859 outside of the US for TT/TTY service. TT/TTY service is only available in English.
The installation ID will be on your screen. You'll need to read the ID aloud into the phone.
You will need to speak the information aloud on the phone.
The confirmation ID will be 48 characters long.
Once you have finished entering the ID, press ↵ Enter on your keyboard or click Next on the screen. Word will now be activated.^{[2]
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Section 3 of 3:

Frequently Asked Questions

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Microsoft Office 2010 has been discontinued. While it will continue to function, it is recommended that you upgrade to a newer version of Microsoft Office.^{[3]
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If you try to activate Word and it doesn't work, go back to File > Help > Activate Product. Choose the option to activate by telephone, and then call the activation number provided. When the activation service picks up, don't say anything. Your call will be transferred to a support technician who can help you.
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What do I do if Word says I've installed it too many times? If you have a license that allows you to install Word on multiple computers, you will need to contact Microsoft to get help. Go to File > Help > Activate Product. Choose the option to activate by telephone, and then call the activation number provided. When the activation service picks up, don't say anything. Your call will be transferred to a support technician who can help you.
- If your Word license doesn't allow you to install it on multiple computers, you can only have it installed once.
If you never activate Microsoft Word 2010, it will eventually revert itself to "Reduced Functionality" mode. You will be able to open files, but cannot edit them. If this happens, you can still activate your copy of Word by going to File > Help > Activate Product.
If you do not have the product key for Microsoft Office 2010, you must contact the seller to obtain the product key. For example, if you purchased Office 2010 from a retail store, you must contact Microsoft Support for a copy of the product key at https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/product/office/office-2010; if you purchased the product from an online store, you must contact the online store directly to obtain the product key.^{[4]
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