Is LicenseVault legitimate?

Yes. LicenseVault is an independent EU-based reseller of genuine Microsoft retail keys. Every key is first-use or fully transferred and activates against Microsoft's own activation servers. Resale is lawful under the EU exhaustion-of-distribution-rights doctrine established by the Court of Justice of the European Union in case C-128/11 (UsedSoft v Oracle, 2012).

How fast is delivery?

Typical delivery is under 10 minutes, 24/7. The 90-day average is approximately 8 minutes. Keys are released automatically by email after Stripe captures payment.

What is the refund policy?

14-day free return on every purchase under EU Directive 2011/83/EU. Selected category landings offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. If a key ever fails to activate, LicenseVault replaces it free of charge for the lifetime of the product.

Are the keys region-locked?

No. Microsoft retail product keys are not region-locked. A key purchased from LicenseVault activates Windows, Office, Server, SQL or Visual Studio in any Microsoft-supported language and country.

Why is LicenseVault cheaper than the Microsoft Store?

LicenseVault sources surplus retail and unused volume keys through authorised EU resale channels and operates without first-party retail overhead. The keys are identical genuine Microsoft retail product keys — not OEM stickers, not MAK-shared, not grey-market.

Which payment methods are accepted?

Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, and instant SEPA / bank transfer — all via Stripe (PCI-DSS Level 1, TLS 1.3).

In which languages is LicenseVault available?

The storefront is available in English, Spanish, German, French and Dutch. Customer support replies in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch and Arabic. The daily magazine publishes in 22 languages.

Do I need to uninstall Office 2016 before installing Office 2024?

Yes, in almost all cases. Removing the old suite with Microsoft's official removal tool avoids duplicate Outlook profiles, broken file associations and add-in conflicts.

Will I lose my Outlook rules when upgrading Office?

Rules stored on an Exchange mailbox follow the mailbox, but locally stored client rules can be lost. Export them to an .rwz file before the upgrade and re-import afterwards.

Are PST files compatible between Office 2016 and 2024?

Yes. The Unicode PST format is unchanged, so existing data files attach directly to the new profile. Back them up first regardless.

Can Office 2016 and Office 2024 run side by side?

Only in limited combinations, and it is not recommended. Mixed installations are the most common cause of activation loops and add-in failures after an upgrade.

Migrating from Office 2016 to Office 2024 without losing anything

Most upgrade pain is not the install — it is Outlook. Handle the profile first and the rest of the migration is twenty minutes.

Illustration of documents and mail moving from an old PC to a new PC

Before you uninstall anything

Collect the items that do not travel automatically. Each takes seconds now and hours to reconstruct later.

PST and OST locations: Outlook › File › Account Settings › Data Files
Rules: Rules and Alerts › Options › Export Rules to an .rwz file
Signatures folder: %appdata%\Microsoft\Signatures
Autocomplete: the RoamCache folder in the Outlook profile
Custom dictionaries, Quick Access Toolbar exports and Excel add-ins
Record the existing product key and confirm the new Office 2024 edition matches your needs

Remove cleanly, then install

A side-by-side install of two Office versions is supported in narrow cases but is the leading cause of migration faults. Remove first.

1. Close all Office apps and any add-in host such as a CRM or CAT tool
2. Run the official Microsoft support and recovery removal tool for Office 2016
3. Reboot — this clears file-association state that a removal alone leaves behind
4. Install Office 2024 and sign in or enter the key before opening any document
5. Open Outlook first so the profile upgrade runs before Word or Excel touch templates

What silently resets

These settings return to defaults and rarely appear in checklists.

Default save location and the AutoRecover interval
Trust Center macro settings and trusted locations for network shares
Cached Exchange Mode sync window, which defaults back to a shorter period
Default paste behaviour and the ribbon layout customisations

Post-migration verification

Fifteen minutes of checks catch nearly every issue while you still remember what changed.

Send and receive on every mailbox, including delegated and shared mailboxes
Re-import rules and confirm they run against a test message
Open the three most complex workbooks and confirm add-ins load
Print one document — printer defaults are a common casualty
Confirm activation status: File › Account should show an activated product

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to uninstall Office 2016 before installing Office 2024?: Yes, in almost all cases. Removing the old suite with Microsoft's official removal tool avoids duplicate Outlook profiles, broken file associations and add-in conflicts.
Will I lose my Outlook rules when upgrading Office?: Rules stored on an Exchange mailbox follow the mailbox, but locally stored client rules can be lost. Export them to an .rwz file before the upgrade and re-import afterwards.
Are PST files compatible between Office 2016 and 2024?: Yes. The Unicode PST format is unchanged, so existing data files attach directly to the new profile. Back them up first regardless.
Can Office 2016 and Office 2024 run side by side?: Only in limited combinations, and it is not recommended. Mixed installations are the most common cause of activation loops and add-in failures after an upgrade.

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