

There are two ways to activate computers by using MAK: After Office is activated, no re-activation is required unless the hardware changes significantly. Each Office activation that uses MAK counts toward the activation limit. MAK activation requires that a MAK is installed on a client computer and instructs that computer to activate itself against those services.Įach MAK has a predetermined number of allowed activations and is based on your volume licensing agreement. Multiple Activation Key (MAK) activation is used for one-time activation through Microsoft-hosted activation services, either via the internet or by telephone. He plans to keep on selling his discounted licenses for Microsoft software as he works on finding new ways to reach customers.Applies to: Volume licensed versions of Office LTSC 2021, Office 2019, and Office 2016 (including Project and Visio) S5ean, not deterred, created a Discord community, which he’s dubbed The New Microsoft Software Swap, where he hopes to gather together what’s left of his customer base as he figures out how to move forward from here. His livelihood was suddenly shut down on Reddit’s whim, leaving him scrambling to reconnect with past customers as his own Reddit accounts were being shut down as well. One former /r/MicrosoftSoftwareSwap moderator, going by the Reddit username s5ean, had been selling product keys on the subreddit for almost a decade, accumulating a large base of both repeat and new customers. Sellers, and even operators of these subreddits, were unaware of the bans and unable to prepare for their sudden impact. The discounted prices offered by sellers on /r/MicrosoftSoftwareSwap likely also cut into Microsoft’s retail software business. However, the timing of the concurrent bans, after the subreddit operated undisturbed for nearly a decade, and conveniently leading up to Reddit’s anticipated stock IPO, leads some displaced community members to conclude that the move is really about distancing the platform from the activity on the subreddit, in order to avoid attracting unwanted attention from Microsoft, whose software’s EULA does not typically authorize this type of resale. What you will see today if you try to visit /r/MicrosoftSoftwareSwapĪt first glance, this explanation might hold up under a strict interpretation of Reddit policies, since these subreddits frequently contained duplicates of the same post in order to keep the fresh and active sellers on the top of the listings.
