I’m guessing that your computer came with a trial version of Microsoft Office pre-installed or that you downloaded a trial version of the software. All was probably fine up until the trial period expired. And now here you are unable to use the software. A couple of other possibilities exist, too which I’ll discuss as well.
Microsoft Office Trial Versions
Microsoft, like many software developers, offers trial versions of its software so that potential customers can try it out before they buy. If this is what happened to you, then it’s time to make a decision. Do you like the product enough to buy it? If so, the answer is simple, purchase the product and “unlock” the software. If not, it’s time to find an alternative.
What Happens when the Trial Expires?
Trial versions from Microsoft typically last 60 days. When the end comes near, reminders are supposed to pop up on your screen, notifying you that the software will expire soon and asking you if you want to convert to the full featured product. If you allow the software to expire, then the software goes into reduced functionality mode. In other words, it stops working as it should and you are blocked from creating new documents and editing existing ones.
Unlocking the Trial Version
If you decide to buy the full featured product, you can do so without having to uninstall/reinstall the software. Simply go to Microsoft Office Online and purchase a “perpetual” Office product key. Go into Word, click the Office button, click Word Options, click Resources, and then click Activate. Follow the prompts and enter the product key.
It’s easier to convert to the full featured product during the actual trial period. In this case, when reminded that the software is about to expire, simply click on Convert and follow the prompts. You’ll be taken online where you can purchase the product key.
More details are listed in Microsoft’s FAQs about trial versions.
Unactivated Microsoft Products
Another possibility is that you have purchased the product but failed to activate it. When the software isn’t activated within a specific time period, it reverts to reduced functionality mode as described above. This mode makes the software act like a viewer. When this happens, you can’t create new documents or edit existing ones. All you can do is view them. If this is the case, you must activate the software. Activation is a process where your computer connects to the Microsoft servers so that your product key can be verified as legitimate. To activate the software, go into Microsoft Word, click the Office button, click Word Options, click Resources, and click Activate.
Word Viewer
Another possibility that comes to mind is that your computer may have the Word Viewer rather than the full version of Microsoft Word. If you have the Viewer, then you cannot enter text by design as it is a viewer program only.
Alternatives to Microsoft Word
If you find yourself in the position where you must purchase Word in order to begin using it, you may be wondering if any free or less costly alternatives exist. Yes, they do! Check out this article discussing alternatives to Microsoft Office.
Celeste Stewart | January 12th, 2009
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