Four concrete verification steps
- Vendor check before purchase. A genuine company with a public commercial-register entry and a valid VAT ID, a real phone number, a VAT invoice as a PDF, independent reviews on Trusted Shops. Anyone who meets these criteria is usually reputable. Check the retailer below yourself.
- Format check of the licence key. A genuine Microsoft key has 25 characters in 5 groups of 5 each, separated by hyphens: XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX. Other formats are suspicious.
- Activation test against Microsoft. The real proof is activation on a supported system. If Microsoft's servers accept the licence, Windows reports under Settings → System → Activation "Windows is activated with a digital licence", and Office under File → Account "Product Activated". Microsoft writes "activated" or "licensed", not "genuine". Check activation with Microsoft.
- Check the licence status (Windows). Via the command line (as administrator): "slmgr /xpr" shows the activation status, "slmgr /dlv" the details including "License Status: Licensed". For Office: "File" → "Account" → licence status.



