

For more information, see How DNS is used to find a KMS host computer. KMS clients can locate a KMS host computer automatically by querying DNS for service (SRV) resource records (RRs) that publish the KMS service. You don't have to do anything else to enable activation of Office by KMS. This is because the KMS host computer requires at least five requests before it begins activating clients. Office is activated the first time it runs, provided that there have been at least four previous activation requests to the KMS host computer. If the KMS host computer is available and properly configured, activation of Office occurs transparently to the user. On the KMS host computer configured to support volume activation of Office, you install and enable only one KMS host key to activate all volume licensed versions of Office. GVLKs support both Key Management Service (KMS) and Active Directory-based activation.

Office for Mac 2011, however, switched to a single activation code and to an install-based licensing plan, effectively halving the number of Macs on which a customer can install the program.
