If Word, Excel or Outlook on one of your office computers has recently started asking for a product key, or warning that it will soon stop working properly, you are not imagining it. Microsoft has paused an update that was causing exactly that.
What happened
The update is called KB5002907. It was an optional repair update for Microsoft 365 Apps. Earlier this week, people started reporting that Office 2016 and Office 2019 installations had lost their activation. Users were told to re-enter their product keys, and the apps warned they would soon go into “reduced functionality” mode, where you can open documents but not properly edit them. The reports also said the problem could affect more than one device.
Microsoft has since confirmed the problem. It says the update could deactivate valid Office installations, and in some cases remove the apps altogether. It has paused the update and published a manual recovery procedure for affected users.
Why it matters for a small business
Plenty of small offices still run Office 2016 or 2019 bought as a one-off licence. If that is you, losing activation on a busy morning means staff who cannot work on documents, and a scramble to find product keys that may have been filed away years ago.
What to do now
- Check each computer. Open Word and go to File, then Account. It should say the product is activated.
- Find your product keys and store them somewhere safe and shared, such as a password manager, not on a sticky note.
- Do not reinstall Office blindly if it has been removed. Follow Microsoft’s recovery steps, or ask your IT provider to.
- Think about optional updates. They are not always needed straight away. A managed update approach lets someone test them before they reach every machine.
Office 2016 and 2019 are also out of Microsoft support, which means no more security fixes. If you are still running them, this is a good moment to plan your move to a supported version.
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