Guide to the Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center

The Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC) is the website through which organizations obtain the keys they need to activate Volume Licensing products, download or order installation software, and manage benefits such as Software Assurance.

The Microsoft products donated through TechSoup are Volume Licensing products. Microsoft's Volume Licensing program provides small and large organizations with a way to acquire software and software licenses in volume quantities.

With Volume Licensing, organizations and libraries must use somewhat different procedures to activate and track their software than they would for software obtained through a store or other retail channel. They also have access to benefits that would not be available with retail software.

These pages are intended as an overview of the Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center. To go directly to a specific topic, click one of the Volume Licensing Topics links at the right side of the page or one of the number links at the bottom of the page. To move through the pages in order, use the Page links below.

Note: Many organizations will only need the instructions in "Getting Started" and "Product Keys."

This Guide to the Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center covers the following topics:

Getting Started:

This section provides procedures for first-time registration at the VLSC.

License Information:

The Licenses section of the VLSC provides information about each of the volume license donations you received (from TechSoup or elsewhere) and the products included in those donations. This section explains the information in this section.

Product Keys:

Many Volume Licensing products can be activated only with a product key that is retrieved through the VLSC. This section describes how to find these keys.

Installation Software for Any Version or Language:

Volume licenses allow installation of earlier versions of the product and any language in which the product is published. Organizations can also upgrade to any version that was released within two years of the date they acquired a product. This section explains how to download or order the installation software.

Software Assurance Benefits:

Microsoft includes two years of Software Assurance with all the Volume Licensing products it donates through TechSoup. This section describes the benefits available through Software Assurance and how to access them.

Maintaining Your Account:

This section describes how to manage permissions for an account, how to add an Open License to your VLSC profile if you are not the administrator, and how to change your account profile.

Differences from Retail Products:

This section clarifies the differences between the products available through TechSoup and the versions available through stores and online retail channels.