Office Home and Student 2019: its dangerous detail you can't ignore

If you're using Microsoft Office Home and Student 2019 for your business, you may be ignoring a detail that could affect you: you could be using it illegally without knowing it. We tell you about it below.

You see, Microsoft Office Home and Student 2019, 2016 and all its previous versions, cannot be used for work activities. And if you are, you shouldn't.

Microsoft stipulates that Office Home and Student "may not be used for commercial, non-profit or revenue-generating activities". To quote Eric Ligman of Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Group, "this edition is for HOME and STUDENT use, NOT for business use".

However, many people ignore this detail and use Microsoft Office Home and Student for business use, whether for commercial work or charitable activities.
And doing so is, in fact, illegal. All because it violates the terms and conditions of the Microsoft Office Home and Student 2019, 2016 and all previous versions.

If you are a company and you are doing this, Microsoft could fine you or even worse, ban you forever from its programmes.

How did this situation occurred when installing Office Home and Student 2019?

There are two possible reasons:
1. People don't often read the terms and conditions of software licences (we clearly never read all the small print on our products).
2. The terms and conditions of the licence are hidden.

But finding them has a solution. You can go to the Terms and Conditions as follows:

Office Home and Student 2010

Open any program app, such as Microsoft Word >> File >> Help >> Help >> Microsoft Software License Terms.

Office Home and Student 2019, 2016 and 2013

Open Microsoft Word >> File >> Account >> About Word >> View Microsoft Software License Terms.
And then, once you have opened the Licence Terms, you have to scroll down the page, until you find something like this:

In Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010

MICROSOFTS SOFTWARE LICENCE
TERMSMICROSOFT OFFICE 2010 DESKTOP APPLICATION
SOFTWAREHOME AND STUDENT
SOFTWARE.

The software may not be used for commercial, non-profit or revenue-generating activities.

In Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013

MICROSOFTS SOFTWARE LICENCE
AGREEMENTMICROSOFT OFFICE 2013H DESKTOP APPLICATION SOFTWARE
.
HOME AND STUDENT SOFTWAREHome
and Student edition software may not be used for commercial, non-profit or revenue-generating activities.

In Microsoft Office Home and Student 2019 and 2016

Microsoft Licensing Terms: OFFICE DESKTOP 2019 ( or 2016)

Versions with limited rights.

You may not use the following versions of the software for commercial, non-profit or revenue-generating activities".

We remind you that if you are a company, you can purchase an Office Home and Business 2019 or 2021 licence, for example. And if your budget is not so large, you can purchase Office Professional Plus.

The investment might be a little higher (or lower, depending on the case) but in the long run it will save you fewer problems. Now that you have read this, you have no excuse.

If you still have questions, leave us a comment bellow!
Greetings,
Your Licendi team.
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