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Office 2024 Home & Business key redeemed on shared mailbox — can't activate, can't access account

B&C 0 Reputation points
2026-06-03T14:39:32.2466667+00:00

Hi all, hoping someone has dealt with this before. (Such a huge oversight on my part ugh)

I purchased Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business (standalone, one-time license) today. The purchase and redemption were completed under a shared mailbox (itservices@[domain].com) , not a real user account. I realized the problem after the fact. I have licensed plenty of other products within our org with this account before, but MS doesn't allow me to do this for licensing and activating MSO H&B 2024 on a shared mailbox account.

The issue is I cannot log into that account at all. It's a shared mailbox with no password and no way to receive a verification code. Completely locked out.

When I try to enter the product key on setup.office.com under a new Microsoft account, I get:

Error: TokenAlreadyRedeemedByOtherMSA

So the key is locked to the shared mailbox account and won't transfer.

What I've tried:

  • Entering the key under a new outlook.com account — blocked by the error above
  • Microsoft 365 Admin Center, license doesn't appear there (personal account purchase, not tenant-level)
  • Microsoft phone support, not getting through to a human

What I have:

  • The full product key
  • Order confirmation details
  • A clean new Microsoft account ready to receive the license

Has anyone found a way to either revoke a redeemed key from an inaccessible account, or get a refund/reissue without being able to log into the original purchase account?

Any help appreciated. Thanks.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Other
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  1. Kai-H 18,455 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-06-04T13:27:48.4566667+00:00

    Hi, B&C

    Once an Office Home & Business 2024 key is redeemed, Microsoft links it to the Microsoft account used during redemption, not to the PC or tenant admin center. A redeemed key is no longer reused at setup.office.com and Office must be installed from the Microsoft account it was attached to.

    Here are some suggestions you can try:

    First, don’t keep trying the key on another account. The TokenAlreadyRedeemedByOtherMSA message basically means the key has already been claimed by a different Microsoft account, so a new Outlook account will not accept it.

    If you are the admin for that shared mailbox, it is recommended that you temporarily turn it into a normal sign-in-capable mailbox/user if possible, reset the password, enable sign-in, and try signing in at Microsoft account Services & subscriptions. If the license appears there, install Office from that page and activate using that same account.

    If that cannot be done, this is no longer an activation troubleshooting issue. It needs Microsoft support or the seller. Contact them with the product key, order number, receipt, the shared mailbox address, and a screenshot of the exact error. Ask specifically for a “redeemed Office 2024 key attached to an inaccessible Microsoft account” case, and request either reassignment, cancellation, refund, or replacement key.

    Please be advised that this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators and contributors, including external Microsoft employees, are not allowed to directly interfere with Microsoft product features or access back-end systems. Our role is limited solely to providing technical guidance on reported incidents, requests, or ideas.   

    If it was bought from a third-party retailer, also open a refund/replacement case with the retailer right away, since Microsoft may not be able to move the license if the sale was not through Microsoft directly.

    Thank you for your patience in reading, I hope this information has been helpful to you. 

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment."    

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