shared computer activation - anyone using it?

[Alis_Klar]

How does shared computer activation work?

 

Once enabled by Reg key can an admin simply activate using their own A3 like the old days and forget about it?

 

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-apps/licensing-activation/overview-shared-computer-activation

 

We are migrating from OVS to CSP (A3 etc) and don't want a cliff edge where suddenly everyone has to sign in.  We don't use SSO with Entra yet or AD sync with Entra.

 

Staff have a M365 e-mail so can sign into office but our students don't have M365 identities yet as we don't have MIS provisioning yet.

 

How quickly do Office 2016 and 2019 installations activated previously stop working after OVS agreement is terminated usually?  Any real world experience?

Edited June 8 by Alis_Klar

[Alis_Klar]

Some of our devices are stuck on Windows 10.  What version of office should we put of them.  They're already activated with OVS MAK key on Office 2016 or 2019.  Will Office de-activate after OVS is ceased immediately?  Do you know the refresh period if there is one?

 

Would we have to install Office Apps 365 version to use out CSP A3 based entitlement?

[itskdog]

As far as I can tell (we have it enabled on all our Intune-managed PCs), it means that machine doesn't count towards the user's limit of 5 installs. It's automatically logging in for us with Entra SSO.

 

Frees up the 5 installs to be used on personal machines installed from https://portal.microsoft.com/account as a staff/student benefit.

[psydii]

You probably have between 30 and 180 days before devices notice the previous licence has expired. 

 

We use shared account activation (or at least we used to, I haven;t actually checked the config of the office deployment is years). As others have mentioned, this requires the user to be checked for a licence, but it doesn't count against their activation limit, so isn't a way to avoid cloud syncing your student accounts. It is necessary when a user is likely to use more than 5 devices in a month.

 

Get sso working. job done. ...and also a dozen other little things that are just better with sso working properly.

 

Salamander, Locker, or your MIS provider all offer user provisioning, we just have salamander provision in AD and let Entra Connect do the sync and provisioning in the cloud. (licences deployed on a group basis).  Entra Sync would almost certainly be the way to go in 2026.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 8 by psydii