Genuine Office Support

What is OGA Notifications?

Office Genuine Advantage Notifications is a program that helps Microsoft fight software piracy and helps you validate that the copy of Microsoft Office installed on your computer is genuine and properly licensed.

By confirming that your copy of Office is genuine, you can take advantage of all the capabilities, support, and continuous improvements—as well as the peace of mind—that come with using genuine Office. If your copy is not genuine, OGA Notifications will provide periodic reminders to help you take the appropriate action. It's part of Microsoft's commitment to fight piracy and to protect customers and partners from counterfeit software.

Why use OGA Notifications?

Software piracy is a worldwide problem that affects Microsoft, customers, partners, and local economies. Unlike a pirated or counterfeit copy, a genuine copy of Microsoft Office is backed by Microsoft or a trusted partner, and comes with the features and performance you expect. Recent research shows that acquiring and using counterfeit software can be risky. Installing the latest OGA Notifications can alert you to the presence of counterfeit.

What are the benefits of using genuine software?

The Capabilities You Expect

• You will be able to deliver better results faster with the powerful tools provided by Microsoft Office for creating, managing, analyzing, and sharing information.

Ongoing Improvements

• You will have access to additional capabilities, ongoing updates, and downloads that improve the reliability of your software and can help you get more value from Microsoft Office.

Confidence and Peace of Mind

• You will have confidence and peace of mind knowing that your software is authentic and that Microsoft will stand behind your purchase. Genuine software helps reduce the risk of viruses, spyware, and other malware.

Why does it matter?

Each year, millions of consumers and small businesses are hurt by counterfeit software they have purchased unwittingly, and many companies that sell legitimate software have difficulty competing with low "too good to be true" prices offered by software counterfeiters. In the last year, Microsoft has worked with law enforcement agencies to bring actions against hundreds of counterfeit dealers. However, many consumers still end up with counterfeit copies of Microsoft software and are unwitting victims of a crime. These consumers believe they purchased a properly licensed copy—and often have the documents to back this up—but their copy is not properly licensed.

In addition, counterfeit software is increasingly becoming a vehicle for the distribution of viruses and malware that can target unsuspecting users, potentially exposing them to identity theft and corruption or loss of personal or business data.

Since the inception of the Genuine Advantage program, over 500 million people have validated and can now enjoy the peace of mind that comes from running genuine software.

How does OGA Notifications Work?

Office Genuine Advantage Notifications automatically checks the validity of your Office license. It's fast, easy, and private. As described in our privacy statement, Microsoft does not use any information collected by OGA to identify you or contact you.

If there is a problem with your Office license, you will be given simple steps to fix it. Microsoft can help you by offering:

• A detailed description of the cause of the problem. For example, you may have accidentally received a product key that was reported as lost or stolen by its original owner. Sometimes, during a repair or reinstall, an invalid product key is used if the original product key is not handy.
• A replacement copy of Office. If you are a victim of software counterfeiting, you may qualify for a free replacement copy.

You can also go online or contact Microsoft for further assistance.

In most cases, Office passes validation immediately. In the event of a validation failure, Office will give you reminders to take further action.