Microsoft Office 2021 is one of the most powerful productivity suites, offering essential applications like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. However, activating Office 2021 requires a valid product key. Many users search for cost-effective activation methods, and one such method is using a KMS (Key Management Service) client key to Activate Office 2021 for FREE. KMS activation allows users to activate Office 2021 for free by connecting to Microsoft’s activation servers through CMD commands.
In this guide, we will walk you through the step-by-step process to manually activate Office 2021 using CMD (Command Prompt) without the need for additional software or third-party tools. This method is particularly useful for those who have a valid KMS setup but need an alternative way to activate their Office suite.
What You Will Learn:
✔️ How KMS activation works
✔️ Step-by-step CMD commands for activation
✔️ Common issues and troubleshooting
Let’s get started with the activation process!
Read also: Activate Office 2021 for FREE using KMS client key by Using batch script
Activate Office 2021 for FREE using KMS client key by Running CMD commands manually
Table of Contents
Step 1: Open cmd program with administrator rights.
First, you need to open cmd in the admin mode, then run all commands below one by one.
Step 2: Get into the Office directory in cmd.
cd /d %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Microsoft Office\Office16
cd /d %ProgramFiles%\Microsoft Office\Office16If you install your Office in the ProgramFiles folder, the Office directory depends on the architecture of your OS. If you are not sure of this issue, just run both of the commands above. One of them will be not executed and an error message will be printed on the screen.
Step 3: Install Office 2021 volume license.
for /f %x in ('dir /b ..\root\Licenses16\ProPlus2021VL_KMS*.xrm-ms') do cscript ospp.vbs /inslic:"..\root\Licenses16\%x"This step is required. You can not install the KMS client product key of Office without a volume license.
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Step 4: Activate your Office using the KMS key.
Make sure your device is connected to the internet, then run the following commands.
cscript ospp.vbs /setprt:1688
cscript ospp.vbs /unpkey:6F7TH >nul
cscript ospp.vbs /inpkey:FXYTK-NJJ8C-GB6DW-3DYQT-6F7TH
cscript ospp.vbs /sethst:107.175.77.7
cscript ospp.vbs /actIf you see the error 0xC004F074, it means that your internet connection is unstable or the server is busy. Please make sure your device is online and try the command “act” again until you succeed.
Here is all the text you will get in the command prompt window.
C:\Windows\system32>cd /d %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Microsoft Office\Office16
The system cannot find the path specified.
C:\Windows\system32>cd /d %ProgramFiles%\Microsoft Office\Office16
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16>for /f %x in ('dir /b ..\root\Licenses16\ProPlus2021VL_KMS*.xrm-ms') do cscript ospp.vbs /inslic:"..\root\Licenses16\%x"
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16>cscript ospp.vbs /inslic:"..\root\Licenses16\ProPlus2021VL_KMS_Client_AE-ppd.xrm-ms"
Microsoft (R) Windows Script Host Version 5.812
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
---Processing--------------------------
---------------------------------------
Installing Office license: ..\root\licenses16\proplus2021vl_kms_client_ae-ppd.xrm-ms
Office license installed successfully.
---------------------------------------
---Exiting-----------------------------
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16>cscript ospp.vbs /inslic:"..\root\Licenses16\ProPlus2021VL_KMS_Client_AE-ul-oob.xrm-ms"
Microsoft (R) Windows Script Host Version 5.812
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
---Processing--------------------------
---------------------------------------
Installing Office license: ..\root\licenses16\proplus2021vl_kms_client_ae-ul-oob.xrm-ms
Office license installed successfully.
---------------------------------------
---Exiting-----------------------------
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16>cscript ospp.vbs /inslic:"..\root\Licenses16\ProPlus2021VL_KMS_Client_AE-ul.xrm-ms"
Microsoft (R) Windows Script Host Version 5.812
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
---Processing--------------------------
---------------------------------------
Installing Office license: ..\root\licenses16\proplus2021vl_kms_client_ae-ul.xrm-ms
Office license installed successfully.
---------------------------------------
---Exiting-----------------------------
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16>cscript ospp.vbs /setprt:1688
Microsoft (R) Windows Script Host Version 5.812
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
---Processing--------------------------
---------------------------------------
Successfully applied setting.
---------------------------------------
---Exiting-----------------------------
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16>cscript ospp.vbs /unpkey:6F7TH >nul
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16>cscript ospp.vbs /inpkey:FXYTK-NJJ8C-GB6DW-3DYQT-6F7TH
Microsoft (R) Windows Script Host Version 5.812
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
---Processing--------------------------
---------------------------------------
<Product key installation successful>
---------------------------------------
---Exiting-----------------------------
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16>cscript ospp.vbs /sethst:107.175.77.7
Microsoft (R) Windows Script Host Version 5.812
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
---Processing--------------------------
---------------------------------------
Successfully applied setting.
---------------------------------------
---Exiting-----------------------------
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16>cscript ospp.vbs /act
Microsoft (R) Windows Script Host Version 5.812
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
---Processing--------------------------
---------------------------------------
Installed product key detected - attempting to activate the following product:
SKU ID: cd18ecc0-466a-45d4-8d2e-8c4fa48ae591
LICENSE NAME: Office 21, Office21ProPlus2021R_Grace edition
LICENSE DESCRIPTION: Office 21, RETAIL(Grace) channel
Last 5 characters of installed product key: PG343
ERROR CODE: 0xC004F017
ERROR DESCRIPTION: The Software Licensing Service reported that the license is not installed.
---------------------------------------
Installed product key detected - attempting to activate the following product:
SKU ID: fbdb3e18-a8ef-4fb3-9183-dffd60bd0984
LICENSE NAME: Office 21, Office21ProPlus2021VL_KMS_Client_AE edition
LICENSE DESCRIPTION: Office 21, VOLUME_KMSCLIENT channel
Last 5 characters of installed product key: 6F7TH
<Product activation successful>
---------------------------------------
---------------------------------------
---Exiting-----------------------------
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16>Congratulations! The activation was completed successfully.
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Conclusion
Activating Microsoft Office 2021 using a KMS client key through CMD commands is a straightforward and efficient method for users who prefer a manual activation process. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can ensure that your Office suite is activated without relying on third-party software. This method is particularly beneficial for those using corporate or volume-licensed versions of Office that support KMS activation.
However, it is essential to remember that KMS activation is meant for genuine and licensed users under Microsoft’s terms. If you encounter any activation issues, double-check the CMD commands, ensure your internet connection is active, and verify that you are using the correct KMS key for your Office edition.
We hope this guide has helped you successfully activate Office 2021. If you have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to leave a comment below!
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