How to Remove Old Office, Visio, and Project Licenses from Windows

Learn how to remove expired, trial, or invalid Microsoft Office, Visio, and Project license records from Windows before installing a new version or entering a newly purchased, legitimate license. This cleanup can also remove leftover entries created by unauthorized activators or malware.

Before you begin: Do not uninstall Office before following this guide. If you already uninstalled it, you can run this guide after installing the new Office, Visio, or Project version, but complete the cleanup before entering your new legitimate product key or license. This tool removes stored license entries; it does not activate Office or replace a valid license.

Microsoft Office, Visio, and Project can retain license entries after a trial expires, a previous installation is removed, or an unauthorized activator or malware leaves behind invalid records. Removing those entries before a new installation or before entering a newly purchased license helps prevent conflicts and makes the next activation attempt easier to troubleshoot.

Microsoft Office showing a valid activated license and an invalid license that requires activation
Example of an Office installation with one valid license and one invalid license entry.

1. Download and extract the removal tool

Download the Office license removal tool, save the archive to your computer, and extract it to a folder that is easy to find.

Download the removal tool ↗
Extracted folder containing the old Office license removal script
After extracting the download, locate the run_remove-old-office-licenses file.

2. Run the removal script

Open the extracted folder and double-click run_remove-old-office-licenses. If Windows asks for permission, allow the script to run. The tool opens an administrator terminal and scans the Office, Visio, and Project license entries stored on your system.

Administrator terminal running the old Office license removal tool
The removal tool scans the stored Office, Visio, and Project license entries.

3. Select the licenses to remove

The script displays the license entries it found. Enter the numbers of the entries you want to remove, separated by commas, for example 1,3. If you are certain that none of the listed entries should remain, type ALL. Review the list carefully and keep any license that is still valid and needed.

Terminal prompt for selecting license numbers to remove
Enter individual license numbers such as 1,3, or type ALL to remove every listed entry.

4. Wait for the cleanup to finish

Leave the terminal window open while the script removes the selected entries and checks the remaining licenses. Wait until it reports that the process finished successfully before closing it.

Terminal confirming that the old Office license cleanup finished successfully
The script confirms that the selected license entries were removed successfully.

5. Install and activate your new Office, Visio, or Project version

After confirming that the invalid or unwanted entries were removed, you can safely uninstall the old Office installation if necessary and install your new Office, Visio, or Project version. Enter the product key or license you purchased from a legitimate source only after the new installation is ready.

If you already uninstalled the old Office before starting this guide, install the new version first, run this cleanup before entering its new license, and then complete the activation process. This guide removes stored license entries; it does not delete your personal documents or activate the product by itself.

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