Checking your Office license: how to spot a legitimate used license
Four documents determine whether your used Office license will stand up in an audit. Also included: the command you can use to check the license type on your own computer.
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Short answer: You can recognize a clean used Office license by four characteristics: an invoice with VAT shown separately, a documented chain of custody, written confirmation from the previous owner that their copy has been deleted, and a vendor who openly states the license type. After installation, the license status can also be checked via the command prompt.
The four documents you need
Before you buy, you should know what needs to be in your folder afterwards. These four documents will determine, in case of an emergency, whether your license is valid:
- Invoice with VAT shown separately – deductible for input tax and formal proof of acquisition.
- Documentation of the chain of custody – who originally purchased the license and through which stations it reached you.
- Deletion confirmation from the previous owner – a written declaration that the software is no longer in use there.
- Specification of the license type – volume license, retail, or OEM, clearly named.
If one of these four pieces is missing, the price is irrelevant – the license is vulnerable in an audit.
How to check the license status on your computer
After installation, you can check for yourself which license type is actually active. Open the command prompt as an administrator and change to the Office installation folder. The command cscript ospp.vbs /dstatus outputs the license status.
Two lines in the output are of interest to you:
- LICENSE NAME – for volume licenses, it typically contains the addition VL or Volume.
- LICENSE STATUS – should be LICENSED. If it says NOTIFICATIONS or UNLICENSED, the activation did not complete properly.
If the displayed license type differs from what the vendor promised you, you should inquire and, if in doubt, withdraw from the purchase.
"The seller promised me a volume license - but the command
cscript ospp.vbs /dstatusshowed a completely different license type." A buyer reports how, thanks to the status check, he complained in time and got his money back before using the license productively.
Warning signs from the provider
- The price is drastically below the usual market level for this version.
- The license type is not specified or is answered evasively upon request.
- There is no German invoice with VAT shown separately.
- The provider is located outside the European Economic Area – then the ECJ case law does not apply.
- A single key from a larger volume package is sold without explaining the breakdown.
What you actually present in an audit
In a license audit, it's not the key that counts, but the chain of evidence. It is checked whether a valid and appropriately licensed installation exists for each workstation in use. The four documents mentioned above cover exactly that.
A common misconception: The proof of purchase alone is not sufficient. Without the deletion confirmation from the previous owner, it cannot be proven that the license is only used once.
To be on the safe side
At Firstsoft, every license is individually checked before sale and delivered with complete documentation. Check out Office 2024 Home & Business or Office 2024 Professional Plus, or browse the entire Office selection.
The legal basis is explained in the Office Guide, and you can find the right edition using the comparison tool.
