Microsoft Office Tutorials: Application title bar shows demo next to the application name

Monday, August 9, 2021

Application title bar shows demo next to the application name

Last Updated: October 30, 2019

ISSUE

Office applications include the term "Demo" in the title bar and are launching in reduced functionality mode. This occurs if this was a demo system for the retailer and the retailer did not take the system out of demo mode prior to selling it.

STATUS: WORKAROUND

Important: This task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs.

Close all Office apps.
Right-click the Start button on the lower-left corner of your screen and select Run.
Type regedit, and then press Enter. Select Yes when prompted to open the Registry Editor.
On the left side of the Registry Editor, under Computer, navigate to the following key in the registry:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\Licensing
Right click the RetailDemo value and select Modify.
Change the Value data to 0 and choose OK.
Close the Registry Editor, reboot your system, and start Office again.