Help Me, Laptop: I Lost My Microsoft Office Disc and CD Key

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If you want to reinstall an old piece of software, you usually need two things: the installation files and the product key. But what if your installer is on a DVD that's missing and you lost the paper with the code on it? If you have an older version of Microsoft Office, you may be in luck.

Reader Anna, who goes by the ID truthseekerandteller, wants to know how she can copy Office 2010 from her old computer onto a USB so she can install it on another PC. While you can't just copy an installed program and move it from one computer to another, there's a way to get the product key and installer for Office, Windows and several other programs. You can then use those to install the program on another computer.

To get the product key, download Magical Jelly Bean KeyFinder, and run it. It's not guaranteed to find all your keys, but it usually works. Then, write down the product key for Office (or another app), and keep it somewhere.

To download Office 2010 or 2013, visit this page on Microsoft.com, and enter the product key. You should then be able to download an installer for Office and put it on any Windows system you like. Note that if your license is for only one computer, you should uninstall it on the original PC.

If you need to reinstall Windows 7 and have its product key, you can download a Windows 7  ISO file from Microsoft.com. There's also a different page for Windows 8.1 ISOs and Windows 10 ISOs.

Once you have an ISO file, you can use the Windows USB/DVD Download tool to "burn" it to a flash drive or disc. After you've created your install disk, you can use it, along with your product code, to install the app.

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Avram Piltch
Avram Piltch
Online Editorial Director
The official Geeks Geek, as his weekly column is titled, Avram Piltch has guided the editorial and production of Laptopmag.com since 2007. With his technical knowledge and passion for testing, Avram programmed several of LAPTOP's real-world benchmarks, including the LAPTOP Battery Test. He holds a master's degree in English from NYU.