Super User is a question and answer site for computer enthusiasts and power users. It only takes a minute to sign up.
Sign up to join this community
What happens to Office software, such as Office 2016, installed locally to my computer if I cancel my subscription? Will it be automatically uninstalled, or otherwise cease to function when my subscription is no longer valid?
This page states what happens to my OneDrive files if I cancel my subscription, but not my Office installation.
Office itself will stay installed - but when you logon it will tell you that you no longer have a valid subscription. In some cases you can still open files, in others - office will close if you don't sign in with a proper user (I know Visio does this).
If you want to continue to use office you need to get another subscription or purchase a key to re-activate office. If you have installed office from say an E-3 subscription and then go to Home subscription - you will need to uninstall and re-install office (as they are different SKU's).
After further reading in the FAQ you linked to, I finally dug up this section:
What happens when my subscription ends? How can I continue to work with my documents?
As the expiration date approaches, you will receive notifications in the Office applications and via email, alerting you to the upcoming expiration. If you choose to let your subscription expire, the Office software applications enter read-only mode, which means that you can view or print documents, but you can’t create new documents or edit existing documents.
To return to full Office functionality, you can purchase a new version of Office by visiting www.office365.com or any participating retailer. You could also return to full functionality using an older version of Office, or you can use Office Online for free for basic editing.
So, the locally installed software should stay installed, but its usefulness will be minimal. If you do purchase a 2016 product key, then it should all return to normal, local, functionality. Obviously the online storage will not be available anymore, but you already knew that part.
