reinstall 2016 home and student after my computer crashed

To reinstall Office Home & Student 2016 after a crash, use the Microsoft account that was associated with the license rather than the product key.

1. Go to https://account.microsoft.com/services.
2. Sign in with the Microsoft account that was used when Office 2016 was first activated/redeemed. If there are multiple accounts, sign in to each until the Office Home & Student 2016 license appears.
3. Under Services & subscriptions, locate Office Home & Student 2016.
4. Select Install to download the Office installer.
5. Run the installer and complete setup. Activation will occur by signing in with the same Microsoft account; no key code is required once the product is linked to the account.

If Office 2016 does not appear under any Microsoft account, the product key may never have been redeemed or may be associated with a different account. In that case, follow the guidance in the product-key article to confirm how and where the key should be entered or recovered, and ensure the correct Microsoft account is used.

If moving Office Home & Student 2016 from an old device to this new one, and activation fails due to maximum activations, use phone activation as described in the activation article and ensure Office is uninstalled from the old computer.

References:

• Download and install or reinstall Office 2021, Office 2019, or Office 2016
• Activate Office after reinstalling or installing on a different device
• Where to enter your Office product key
• How to reinstall Office & Student 2019 - Microsoft Q&A
• Move my Home and Student 2016 to a new computer - Microsoft Q&A