This page describes how to use Microsoft Office licenses available from Google Cloud, including available license versions, installation, billing considerations, and how licenses are counted.
Supported versions of Microsoft Office
License Manager supports Microsoft Office LTSC 2021 Professional Plus at $21.40 per user per month.
For information on bringing your own license (BYOL) of Microsoft Office to Google Cloud, see the Microsoft Licensing FAQ.
Before you begin
Before you begin, make sure that you have the following:
Ensure that Office LTSC products are installed on a virtual machine (VM) with a Windows operating system, either Windows Desktop OS or Windows Server.
Microsoft requires that Office LTSC products from Service Provider License Agreement (SPLA) providers are activated over the internet directly against Microsoft servers. Make sure that your VM allows open internet access during the activation step. You can disable the internet after activation. For more information on installing and activating your licenses, see Install the License Manager agent.
Install Microsoft Office LTSC
The installation media for Microsoft Office LTSC products is available directly from Microsoft through the Office Deployment Tool (ODT). Follow the instructions to install the Office LTSC installation media.
When prompted for the product_id, make sure to select the SPLA version of the volume licensing. For Office LTSC 2021 Professional Plus, this is ProPlusSPLA2021Volume.
Use your Microsoft Office licenses
Microsoft Office licenses from Google Cloud are activated and managed by License Manager. To enable your Microsoft Office licenses, follow the instructions to get started with License Manager.
Billing considerations
There are specific billing considerations that you must be aware of when using Microsoft Office licenses available from License Manager on Google Cloud.
Billed by calendar month
Microsoft Office licenses are billed by the calendar month in which they are authorized for access. Billing begins when you create a License Configuration. Billing for License Manager is not prorated based on when in the month you create a License Configuration.
When you deactivate your Microsoft Office License Configuration or reduce the number of licenses, you will still be responsible for the license usage of the current calendar month in which they are authorized. The reduction in your authorized number of users will take effect in the next calendar month.
When you increase the number of licenses for an active Microsoft Office License Configuration, these changes will take effect immediately and be reflected in the current month's bill.
Authorized access versus actual access
Microsoft Office licenses are billed based on the number of users who are authorized to access the product regardless of the actual usage. You will need to purchase licenses for the total number of users who are authorized to access the VM regardless of whether they log into the VM or not.
Authorization of access for Microsoft Office begins the moment you create a License Configuration. For this reason, make sure that the number of licenses is correct before creating your License Configuration, as you will be billed for this amount in the current calendar month.
Enforced Limits and Overages
License Manager does not support enforced limits on the actual usage of licenses. It is your responsibility to ensure that the number of users who actually access Microsoft Office does not exceed the number of users authorized for access.
If License Manager determines that the total count of users who access virtual machines with Microsoft Office exceeds the number of authorized users in your License Configuration, the additional number of users will be considered authorized for access and you will be billed for the additional licenses for that calendar month.