Can I use old software on new laptop ?

[pubrunner]

Hi All,

I'm looking at getting a new laptop.

I'd like to know if it feasible to set one up without having to sign-up to Microsoft and be 'forced' to use OneDrive and Cloud ?.

I've got Office 2016 and I'd much rather use it on a new laptop and save all my documents on that laptop (with regular backups to portable HDs) - because that's the way I've always worked.

If I get a new laptop, could I just set it up with a 'made-up' name and email address and then install Office 2016 (which does all that I require) ?

[camel_landy]

Alternatively, you could give LibreOffice a try instead.

https://www.libreoffice.org

M

[pubrunner]

camel_landy said:

Alternatively, you could give LibreOffice a try instead.

https://www.libreoffice.org

M

I’ve used and like LibreOffice, but going by the experiences of others, it seems that if I get a new laptop, I’ll be forced to put in an email address as part of the registration process and then sign up for a Cloud version of Office ?

[AlexC1981]

It probably depends on your Office 2016 license, but if it covers you for another computer then it should install and authenticate no problem. I actually have Office 2007 installed on a Windows 11 PC, but because it is so old I had to bodge the authentication because Microsoft will not support it anymore.

If you buy a new PC you can just uninstall the version of Office that comes with it.

[pubrunner]

AlexC1981 said:

It probably depends on your Office 2016 license, but if it covers you for another computer then it should install and authenticate no problem. I actually have Office 2007 installed on a Windows 11 PC, but because it is so old I had to bodge the authentication because Microsoft will not support it anymore.

If you buy a new PC you can just uninstall the version of Office that comes with it.

Ha - I also have Office 2007 and I find it does all that I require. IIRC, it’s the first version of Office to save as docx rather than just doc (& xlsx rather than xls etc).

Thank you for your guidance.

[LunarOne]

Yes, you can use old software. In fact I have Office 2010 running just fine on Windows 10. It would work with Windows 11 too.

And you can always set Windows up to use a local account rather than a Microsoft online account. Here's some guidance:
https://www.xda-developers.com/windows-11-microsof...

[pubrunner]

LunarOne said:

Yes, you can use old software. In fact I have Office 2010 running just fine on Windows 10. It would work with Windows 11 too.

And you can always set Windows up to use a local account rather than a Microsoft online account. Here's some guidance:
https://www.xda-developers.com/windows-11-microsof...

That is very helpful - thank you so much !

[h0b0]

I think you might be going about this wrong. I have Windows 10 with office professional plus (I think) with perpetual licenses and no cloud.

I refuse to pay subscription charges but still use modern packages. If you must keep old software, Microsoft used to help transfer from old pc to new.

[Griffith4ever]

You can defo ignore ms subs and cloud. I run win 11 with office 2020 and another with win 10 and office 2016 (or there abouts, cant remember the versions), on hols.

I bought my offices from online CD key deals. £30 or so each.

[h0b0]

Just to confirm, I am running Windows 10 Pro with office professional Plus and no cloud. All licensed with no issues.