Windows Licensing Reference

OSPP Command Reference

ospp.vbs — Office Software Protection Platform script

ospp.vbs is the Office Software Protection Platform script used to manage the activation state of volume editions of Microsoft Office. It is installed alongside volume Office and located in the version-appropriate Office installation directory — for example %ProgramFiles%\Microsoft Office\Office16\ospp.vbs for Office 2016 through Office LTSC 2024.

It performs the equivalent of slmgr.vbs for Office: install or remove product keys, set a KMS host name, trigger activation, and report licence status. The script is only present in Volume Licensed installations of Office; Click-to-Run consumer builds use a separate activation mechanism tied to the user's Microsoft 365 subscription.

See also: slmgr Command Reference, GVLK Keys, Software Protection Platform.

History

ospp.vbs was introduced with Office 2010 alongside Office volume activation, which moved Office from the per-installation product key model used by Office 2007 and earlier to a KMS / MAK / AD-BA model parallel to that used by Windows. The script has been carried forward in every subsequent Office LTSC release (2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024) with no breaking changes.

Technical details

The script must be invoked from the Office installation directory, or its full path supplied, because it locates the licensing components by relative path. State-modifying operations require an elevated command prompt. Underlying state is held by the same sppsvc service that manages Windows licensing; Office activations appear alongside Windows activations in slmgr.vbs /dlv all output as additional ActivationID entries.

Common options

SwitchDescription
/inpkey:<Key>Install the specified Office product key.
/unpkey:<Last5>Uninstall the product key identified by its last five characters.
/actActivate installed Office product keys.
/dstatusDisplay licensing information for installed product keys.
/dstatusallDisplay licensing information for all installed product keys.
/sethst:<Value>Set a KMS host name for Office KMS activation.
/setprt:<Port>Set the KMS host port (default 1688).
/remhstRemove the KMS host name, reverting to DNS auto-discovery.
/cachst:<TRUE|FALSE>Enable or disable KMS host caching.
/actype:<1|2|3>Set the activation type (1 = AD-BA, 2 = KMS, 3 = token).
/rearmReset the licensing status for all installed Office product keys.
/ddescr:<ErrorCode>Display the description for the specified error code.

Examples

cd "%ProgramFiles%\Microsoft Office\Office16"

REM Switch a MAK-activated install to KMS by installing the GVLK
cscript ospp.vbs /inpkey:FXYTK-NJJ8C-GB6DW-3DYQT-6F7TH

REM Point the client at a specific KMS host and activate
cscript ospp.vbs /sethst:kms.contoso.example
cscript ospp.vbs /act

REM Inspect the result
cscript ospp.vbs /dstatus

Common issues

  • Script not found. The Office installation is Click-to-Run consumer, which does not include ospp.vbs. Volume activation is only supported on Volume Licensed builds delivered via the Office Customization Tool or the Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise channel configured for volume activation.
  • 0xC004F074 on /act. No reachable KMS host; verify nslookup -type=srv _vlmcs._tcp.<domain> returns a record and that the host has been activated with an Office KMS Host key.
  • Activation type stuck at AD-BA. Use /actype:2 to force KMS, /actype:1 to force AD-BA, and /actype:0 (omitted on newer releases) to clear the override.
  • Mixed key installation. Office permits multiple product keys per installation; /dstatusall reveals stale MAK keys that may need to be removed with /unpkey before KMS activation succeeds.

References

  1. Tools to manage volume activation of Office — https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/deployoffice/vlactivation/tools-to-manage-volume-activation-of-office
  2. Use the Volume License Pack to activate Office — https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/deployoffice/vlactivation/configure-a-kms-host-computer-for-office
  3. GVLKs for Office — https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/troubleshoot/activation/gvlks-for-office
  4. Plan volume activation of Office — https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/deployoffice/vlactivation/plan-volume-activation-of-office