The secondary market is flooded with scammers selling fake "Volume" or "MAK" keys disguised as legitimate retail licenses. If you've recently purchased a cheap Office key, here is how you can check if it's actually genuine.
The ultimate test of a genuine Retail key is whether it binds to your Microsoft Account. Go to setup.office.com and log in with your Microsoft email. Enter your product key.
If the key is genuine, Microsoft will add the license directly to your account's "Services & Subscriptions" page, allowing you to download the installer directly from Microsoft.
If the seller sent you a sketchy download link and a key that cannot be redeemed at setup.office.com, they sold you a Volume/MAK key that will likely be blocked in a few months.
You can also verify your installed license via CMD. Open Command Prompt as admin and navigate to your Office installation folder (usually cd "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16"). Then type:
cscript ospp.vbs /dstatus
Look at the "LICENSE DESCRIPTION". It should say "RETAIL channel". If it says "VOLUME", you got scammed.
At Digitecheps, we only sell 100% genuine Retail keys that bind to your account. Shop with confidence today!
Windows 11 Pro 2 minutes ago