Microsoft software that is delivered to you by download

A lot of Microsoft software nowadays is delivered to you by download. This page is about how to recognise when it is likely to be legal and when it is likely to be illegal.

Buying illegal software, as well as being a waste of your money, can turn out to be a nightmare:

You could end up being watched.
Your data could be deleted.
Your money could be stolen.
Your PC could be vulnerable.
Your warranty could be voided.
You could be spreading viruses.
See: https://www.microsoft.com/singapore/piracyuncovered/risks.aspx#watched

Your software is part of a package

When you buy software online that is delivered to you by download, you should be getting a package. This package should include the following:

1. A Microsoft account.
2. A Microsoft license.
3. A product key.
4. The software.

If you don't get all four, the likelihood is that the Microsoft software you have bought is illegal.

Key information

I will give you some key information so you don't get ripped off by buying illegal software.

1. A Microsoft account. This will give you information about the software you have purchased. It will give you your license information. It will allow you to download the software. It will normally have a product keys page.

We provide you with a Microsoft account when you buy Microsoft software from us.

2. A Microsoft License. This is the most important part of the software package as it grants you the right to use the software. Without a Microsoft license you cannot use the software. Neither the software nor the product key grant you the right to use the software. I am stressing this because some people think they do.

Not only do we provide you with a Microsoft license, the license is a very precise one. It states:
(i) That we are the company that sold you the software;
(ii) Your name and address so there is no doubt that the license is for you;
(iii) The software that the license grants you the right to use;
(iv) The license number;

This means that license we provide you with is very useful for software audits. And as it is included in your Microsoft account, it can never get lost.

Even better, the license you get when you buy software from us is what Microsoft calls a perpetual license. This means that it does not end. Ever. It is not a subscription license. In other words, you only pay once for the license.

3. A product key. A product key is an anti-piracy device.

We provide you with a product key. And you will know that it is a genuine product key. How? Because you don't get the product key from us. You get the product key from Microsoft. Microsoft will email you about the product key. It will be held for you in your Microsoft account so that you can never lose it. Plus you can access the product key whenever you want.

Even better, the product key you get when you buy software from us is a special type of product key, called a Multiple Activation product key. Why is it special? Well, if your computer dies or you replace it, you can install your software on a new one and activate it again using this Multiple Activation product key.

4. The software. With most Microsoft Office software you can only install the software on only one computer. No more than one. Just the one. This is also true with most Microsoft Access, Microsoft Outlook, and Microsoft Publisher software.

With the Microsoft Office software we sell, you can install the software on two computers so long as you are the main user of both computers and as long as at least one of the computers is a laptop. This is also true of the Microsoft Access, Microsoft Outlook, and Microsoft Publisher software that we sell.