The issues you encounter when trying to install Microsoft 365, or Office 2021, 2019, or 2016 and how you fix them depends on whether your product is part of an Office for home or Office for business plan.
In addition, with Office for business plans only admins responsible for managing Microsoft 365 in their organization can do certain tasks. Therefore, admins should view the issues and solutions listed under both the Office for business and Microsoft 365 Admin tabs.
Tip: Get tech expertise with Business Assist. Connect with our small business advisors for help making Microsoft 365 products work for you and everyone in your business. Learn more.
Tip: If you purchased Office through a company benefit, see Microsoft 365 through the Microsoft Workplace Discount Program. Microsoft 365
If your Microsoft 365 product is one of the following, you have a Microsoft 365 for home product. This can be a subscription, or a one-time purchase of Microsoft 365 Office, or individual Microsoft 365 application. These products are usually associated with a personal Microsoft account.
Microsoft 365 subscriptions: The following products include the fully installed Microsoft 365 applications.
Microsoft 365 Family
Microsoft 365 Personal
Office 2021, Office 2019, or Office 2016 versions available as one-time purchases: The following products include the fully installed Office applications.
Office Home & Student
Office Home & Business
Office Professional
Stand-alone Office 2021, Office 2019, or Office 2016 apps available as one-time purchases
Word
Excel
PowerPoint
OneNote*
Outlook
Access
Publisher
Project
Visio
Tip: *The desktop version of OneNote is only available in Microsoft 365, Office 2021, and Office 2016 versions. In Office 2019, OneNote for Windows 10 is the default OneNote experience. See the FAQ.
If your Microsoft 365 product is one of the following, you have a Microsoft 365 for business product. These products are usually associated with a work or school account, and your Microsoft 365 license (if your subscription has one) came from the organization where you work or go to school.
Microsoft 365 Subscriptions: The following products include the fully installed Microsoft 365 applications.
Microsoft 365 Apps for business
Microsoft 365 Business Standard
Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise
Office 365 Enterprise E3
Office 365 Enterprise E4
Office 365 Enterprise E5
Microsoft 365 Business Standard (Nonprofit)
Office 365 Nonprofit E3
Office 365 Nonprofit E5
Office 365 U.S. Government Community G3
Office 365 U.S. Government Community G5
Project Online Professional
Project Online Premium
Visio Online Plan 2
Microsoft 365 Subscriptions without fully installed Office applications:
Tip: With these Microsoft 365 subscriptions, there are no desktop applications to download and install, but in most cases, you can still access and use online versions of Office apps in your web browser. See Free Office on the web.
Microsoft 365 Business Basic
Office 365 Enterprise E1
Office 365 A1
Microsoft 365 Business Basic (Nonprofit)
Office 365 Nonprofit E1
Office 365 U.S. Government G1
Project Online Essentials
Visio Online Plan 1
Volume license versions of Office LTSC 2021, Office 2019, or Office 2016
Office Professional Plus
Guided support can provide digital solutions for Office problems
If you're looking for the steps to download and install the latest version of Office such as Microsoft 365, Office 2021, Office 2019, or Office 2016, see Install Office on your PC or Mac.
If you're reinstalling Office on a different computer than the one where you originally installed Office, note the following:
When you're ready to reinstall Office, sign in at https://www.office.com/signin with the same Microsoft account you originally associated with your Office product when you first installed it. You can also find installation steps here:
For the latest version of Office, see Install Office on your PC or Mac.
If you encountered a problem while installing Office on a PC, try restarting your computer and then attempting to install Office again. If that didn't help, use this easy fix tool to uninstall Office completely. After your uninstall is complete, try reinstalling Office.
Uninstall Office using easy fix
Tip: The tool may take a few minutes to download and install. After completing the installation, the Uninstall Office products window will open.
Edge or Chrome
Edge (older) or Internet Explorer
If Office still won't install, check that your computer meets the system requirements to install Office. For example, you can't install Office on computers running Windows XP or Windows Vista.
If you're still unable to install Office following the steps in Download and install or reinstall Office try using the offline installer.
The Microsoft 365 offline installer may help bypass potential proxy, firewall, antivirus, or Internet connection issues that might occur during an Microsoft 365 installation.
For steps to install an offline version of Microsoft 365, see Use the Office offline installer and select the correct tab for your version of Office.
You can't install Office 2016 on computers running Windows Vista or Windows XP as these operating systems don't meet the system requirements for Office. Attempting to install Office on a computer running an unsupported operating system will result in an error. (If you're interested in learning more about the latest version of Windows, see Windows 11 specifications for details.)
If your computer can't install the full desktop version of Office because your computer doesn't meet the system requirements, you can try using Office Online in your computer's browser. See the Browsers section on the system requirements page.
You can't install the desktop PC or Mac versions of Office on your Chromebook, but depending on your Chromebook you may be able to install the Office mobile apps. See Install Microsoft Office on a Chromebook.
When you install Office 2016, all the applications that came with your particular Office product are installed at the same time. You can’t custom select which Office applications you want to install or not install, nor you can't delete individual applications after your installation is complete. However, you can delete shortcuts to applications you don’t plan to use.
Tip: If you discover you need an application that didn't come with your Office product, you have the option to purchase a stand-alone application. For example, you may decide you need Access or Outlook, but those applications weren't included in your product. To purchase a stand-alone application, go to https://products.office.com/ and do a search for the app you want to buy.
You can only install Office on the system drive where your operating system is installed. That’s usually your C: drive.
You may get an error if you try to install the 64-bit version of Office and you currently have the 32-bit version installed (or vice versa).
Therefore, if you previously installed the 32-bit version of Office on your PC, but decide you now want the 64-bit version, or vice versa, you'll have to uninstall the bit version you don't want and then reinstall the bit version you do want instead. Use this easy fix to uninstall Office.
Tip: The tool may take a few minutes to download and install. After completing the installation, the Uninstall Office products window will open.
Edge or Chrome
If you're looking for the steps to install the 64-bit version of Office, see the section, Step 1: Sign in to download Office.
If you're not sure how to decide between 64-bit or 32-bit, see Choose the 64-bit or 32-bit version of Office 2016.
If your organization subscribes to the Home Use Program (HUP) find information about how to buy and install Office at, Install or reinstall Office through Microsoft HUP.
If you're a student or teacher, and you don't see an option to install Office through your institution, you may be eligible for Office 365 Education, which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. All you need to get started is a valid school email address. For more information, see Get Office 365 for free.
You see the following error message after selecting the Install button from office.com/myaccount:
This error can occur if:
If Office is taking a long time to install you may be on a slow connection. See Office is taking long to install or Office hangs at 90% for possible solutions.
If you're trying to install Office on a computer running Windows XP or Windows Vista, you may get an error that says the dynamic library KERNEL 32.dll can't be located. This occurs because newer versions of Office aren't supported on these versions of Windows. For more information, see Why can’t I install Office 365, or Office 2019, 2016, or on Windows XP or Windows Vista?
Check that your computer meets the minimum system requirements to install Office. See System requirements for Office for a list of additional requirements.
If your computer can't install the full desktop version of Office because it doesn't meet the system requirements, you can try using Office Online in your computer's browser.
If the Install button is grayed out, your Office 365 subscription might have expired. See Renew Office 365 for home.
This error can occur if you haven't updated to the latest version or you have a standalone 2013 app which is already included in the newer Office 2016 suite of apps. See Error: Stop, you should wait to install Office 2016. We’ll have to remove the following if you continue for steps on how to resolve.
You might get an error that has a number and maybe some descriptive text. Although the messages are hard to understand, there are often solutions. Try these links if you get these errors.
Not every error is listed here. If there's a Learn More link on the error message, select that. If there's no link, let us know what error you got and where you were in the install process when you received it. Leave us a comment at the bottom of this page to let us know more about your issue.
If you have an Office 365 subscription you already have the latest version of Office or the most up-to-date channel your Office 365 administrator has set. For non-subscription products such as Office Home & Business, you have the option to subscribe to Office 365 or purchase the latest version. For more information see:
It's possible to switch between Office 365 Home, Personal, or University, or to switch from an Office 365 home plan to a business plan. For more information on how to do this, see:
Keeping Office up-to-date ensures that you have the latest security updates and fixes. For information about installing updates, see Install Office updates.
Microsoft has more than one kind of Office 365 service and each service has its own sign-in page. Where you sign in from your web browser depends on which service you're using. See Sign in to Office or Office 365.
In most cases, if you have an Office product listed under Office for home you need a Microsoft account to sign in to install Office or manage your Office 365 subscription. If you don't remember what Microsoft account you associated Office with, see I can't remember the Microsoft account I use with Office.
If you have an Office 365 plan, to keep it active, you have to sign in at least once every 30 days. If your subscription hasn't expired, Office will reactivate the subscription the next time you log in.
You can activate Office on up to five computers. If you've used up your five installs and want to install Office on another computer, you have to deactivate an installation. Deactivation doesn't remove Office from the computer, but you can't use Office on that computer until you activate it. See Deactivate an Office 365 install.
If you're looking for where to install Office on a Mac, see Install Office on your PC or Mac.
For download and installation issues on a Mac, see What to try if you can't install Office for Mac.
When you install Office for Mac, the app icons aren't automatically added to the dock. To add to the dock, drag the app icon from the Launchpad or the Applications folder. See Add the Office for Mac app icon to the dock.
To activate Office on a Mac, see Activate Office for Mac
To troubleshoot Mac activation issues, see the "Activation" tab on What to try if you can't install or activate Office for Mac.
Microsoft AutoUpdate makes sure your copy of Office will always be up-to-date with the latest security fixes and improvements. To install or check for updates on your Mac, see Check for Office for Mac updates automatically
To check what the latest update is, see Update history for Office for Mac.
The Office apps for Android, iOS (iPhone or iPad), or Windows mobile devices are available to download from the app store for your device. For details on how to download Office apps and set them up, select your device from below:
For help with troubleshooting email setup on your phone or tablet, see Troubleshoot email setup on mobile.
In most cases you can do basic editing on most of these devices, however if you have a qualifying Office 365 subscription, you get access to the apps' extra features. If you discover you can't make edits to certain documents, see What you can do in the Office apps on an Android, iOS, or Windows mobile device with an Office 365 subscription.
If you can't find the Office applications after installing Office, or you're not sure your install worked, see Can't find Office applications in Windows 10, Windows 8, or Windows 7?
You might see an "application> stopped working" error when you try to start one of these Office applications: Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Publisher, or Visio. Older versions of add-ins might cause this type of problem.
To resolve, first make sure you installed the latest Office update.
If you're still having trouble installing Office, see Contact Office Support.
We value your feedback. Please let us know if you found any of these solutions helpful by leaving us a comment below. If it didn't, tell us more about your issue, including any error messages your received and where you were in the install process when you received it. We'll use that information to help investigate your issue further.
Tip: To help with issues you might encounter when installing Office, download and run the Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant tool.
If you're looking for the steps to download and install the latest version of Office, see Install Office on your PC or Mac.
Project and Visio aren't currently supported on a Mac.
To install Project Online Professional or Project Online Premium on your PC, see the section Download and install Project.
To install Visio Pro for Office 365 on your PC, see Download and install Visio Pro for Office 365.
When you install Office 365, all the applications that came with your particular Office product is installed at the same time. You can’t custom select which Office applications you want to install or not install, nor you can't delete individual applications after your installation is complete. However, you can delete shortcuts to applications you don’t plan to use.
Tip: If you discover you need an application that didn't come with your Office product, you have the option to purchase a stand-alone application. For example, you may decide you need Access or Outlook, but those applications weren't included in your product. To purchase a stand-alone application, go to https://products.office.com/ and do a search for the stand-alone app you want to buy.
You can only install Office on the system drive where your operating system is installed. That’s usually your C: drive.
If you previously installed the 32-bit version of Office on your PC, but decide you now want the 64-bit version, you'll have to uninstall 32-bit and then reinstall the 64-bit version of Office. To uninstall the 32-bit version use this easy fix to uninstall Office.
Tip: The tool may take a few minutes to download and install. After completing the installation, the Uninstall Office products window will open.
Edge or Chrome
If you're looking for the steps to install the 64-bit version of Office, see the section, Step 1: Sign in to download Office.
If you're not sure how to decide between 64-bit or 32-bit, see Choose the 64-bit or 32-bit version of Office 2016.
You can't install the desktop PC or Mac versions of Office on your Chromebook, but depending on your Chromebook you may be able to install the Office mobile apps. See Install Microsoft Office on a Chromebook.
If you encountered a problem while installing Office on a PC, try restarting your computer and then attempting to install Office again. If that didn't help, use this easy fix tool to uninstall Office completely. After your uninstall is complete, try reinstalling Office.
Uninstall Office using easy fix
Tip: The tool may take a few minutes to download and install. After completing the installation, the Uninstall Office products window will open.
Edge or Chrome
Edge (older) or Internet Explorer
If Office still won't install, check that your computer meets the system requirements to install Office. For example, you can't install Office on computers running Windows XP or Windows Vista.
If you're still unable to install Office following the steps in Download and install or reinstall Office try using the offline installer.
The Microsoft 365 offline installer may help bypass potential proxy, firewall, antivirus, or Internet connection issues that might occur during an Microsoft 365 installation.
For steps to install an offline version of Microsoft 365, see Use the Office offline installer and select the correct tab for your version of Office.
If you can't find Access on your computer even though its included with your Office 365 subscription, try the following in the order listed.
Note: Access can only be installed on computers running Windows 7 or later. You can't install Access on a Mac.
Update Office
Reinstall Office
Follow the steps in Install Office on your PC or Mac. If you need to install the 64-bit version, select the PC step-by-step tab and expand the section, "Install or reinstall an Office for business product."
If you have problems installing Office, you may need to uninstall it first and then reinstall it. See the section above, For problems while installing Office
Note: If you're unable to sign in with your work or school account, you may be signing in to the wrong Office 365 service, see Where to sign in to Office 365.
From the browser header, go to Settings
> My app settings > Office 365.
On the My account page, select Subscriptions.
Not all Office 365 subscription plans come with the fully installed Office applications. See the bottom of the Office for business column for a list of plans that don't include the Office desktop client. If your organization has one of these Microsoft 365 plans, the Office 365 admin can switch to a different Office 365 plan or subscription or buy another Office 365 for business subscription for users in an organization who require the full version of Office.
If you're an admin and you aren't sure what plan you have, follow the steps in What Office 365 for business subscription do I have? For a comparison of plans, see compare small business plans or compare enterprise plans.
If you're a student or teacher and don't see an option to install Office, you may be eligible for Office 365 Education, which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. All you need to get started is a valid school email address. For more information, see Get Office 365 for free.
Be sure to check the System requirements for Office. For example, you can't install Office on computers running Windows Vista or Windows XP, or on devices that aren't running a supported Windows or Mac operating system. However, you may still be able to use Office Online in your computer's browser.
You can't install Office 2016 on computers running Windows Vista or Windows XP as these operating systems don't meet the system requirements for Office. Attempting to install Office on a computer running an unsupported operating system will result in an error. (If you're interested in learning more about the latest version of Windows, see Windows 11 specifications for details.)
If your computer can't install the full desktop version of Office because your computer doesn't meet the system requirements, you can try using Office Online in your computer's browser. See the Browsers section on the system requirements page.
If Office is taking a long time to install you may be on a slow connection or you another install or update may be happening in the background. See Office is taking long to install or Office hangs at 90% for possible solutions.
If the Install button is grayed out, your Office 365 subscription might have expired. Select your subscription from the list in Renew Office 365 for business to see the steps for how to renew it.
Check that your computer meets the minimum system requirements to install Office. See System requirements for Office for a list of additional requirements.
If you're trying to install Office on a computer running Windows XP or Windows Vista, you may get an error that says the dynamic library KERNEL 32.dll can't be located. This occurs because newer versions of Office aren't supported on these versions of Windows. For more information, see Why can’t I install Office 2013 or Office 2016 on Windows XP or Windows Vista?
If your computer can't install the full desktop version of Office because it doesn't meet the system requirements, you can try using Office Online in your computer's browser.
If you connect to an Exchange 2007 mailbox (which reached End of Life on April 11, 2017), you might want to stay on Office 2013 until you upgrade from Exchange 2007. See the following:
You might get an error that has a number and maybe some descriptive text. Although the messages are hard to understand, there are often solutions. Try these links if you get these errors.
Not every error is listed here. If there's a Learn More link on the error message, select that. If there's no link, let us know what error you got and where you were in the install process when you received it. Leave us a comment at the bottom of this page to let us know more about your issue.
If you're on an Microsoft 365 subscription, you will see an upgrade notification in the menu bar of your Microsoft 365 applications or you can update your version manually by signing in to Microsoft 365. See Upgrade to Office 2016 using Office 365 for business.
Office up-to-date ensures that you have the latest security updates and fixes. If your admin has given you permission to install updates, see Install Office updates.
Tip: You can download and run the Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant to perform automated tests and recovery actions that help identify and fix sign in problems.
Microsoft has more than one kind of Office 365 service and each service has its own sign-in page. Where you sign in depends on which service you're using.
Sign in with your work or school account at https://www.office.com/signin. This is the account that you created or someone in your organization created on your behalf.
If you use Office 365 operated by 21Vianet in China, sign in with your work or school username and password at:
If you use Office 365 Germany, sign in with your work or school username and password at:
If you've forgotten the password for the work or school account you use with Office 365, you can reset it at, https://passwordreset.microsoftonline.com/ or contact your organization's administrator.
If you have an Office 365 plan, to keep it active, you have to sign in at least once every 30 days. If your subscription hasn't expired, Office will reactivate the subscription the next time you log in.
As an Office 365 for business user, you can download Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant to help you fix activation issues.
Tip: The tool may take a few minutes to download and install. After completing the installation, the Application Install window will open.
Edge or Chrome
Edge (older) or Internet Explorer
If that tool doesn’t resolve your issue or you recently switched plans and now get an unlicensed product error or can't use your Office applications, see Unlicensed Product and activation errors in Office.
If activation failures began after you upgraded to Windows 10, see Office error code 0x8004FC12 when activating Office.
You can activate Office on up to five computers. If you've used up your five installs and want to install Office on another computer, you have to deactivate an installation. Deactivation doesn't remove Office from the computer, but you can't use Office on that computer until you activate it.
If you're an Office 365 user, do the following to deactivate an installation.
If you're looking for steps describing how to install Office on a Mac, see Install Office on your PC or Mac. Office recognizes what operating system you're using so make sure you're on your Mac when you click Install to begin the install procedure.
For download and installation issues on a Mac, see What to try if you can't install Office for Mac.
When you install Office for Mac, the app icons aren't automatically added to the dock. To add to the dock, drag the app icon from the Launchpad or the Applications folder. See Add the Office for Mac app icon to the dock.
See Uninstall Office for Mac for instructions on uninstalling the Office apps.
To troubleshoot Mac activation issues, see the "Activation" section in What to try if you can't install or activate Office for Mac.
If your admin has given you permission to install updates, the Microsoft AutoUpdate makes sure your copy of Office will always be up-to-date with the latest security fixes and improvements. To install or check for updates on your Mac, see Check for Office for Mac updates automatically.
The Office apps for Android, iOS (iPhone or iPad), or Windows mobile devices are available to download from the app store for your device. For details on how to download Office apps and set them up, select your device from below:
For help with troubleshooting email setup on your phone or tablet, see Troubleshoot email setup on mobile.
In most cases you can do basic editing on most of these devices, however if you have a qualifying Office 365 subscription, you get access to the apps' extra features. If you discover you can't make edits to certain documents, see What you can do in the Office apps on an Android, iOS, or Windows mobile device with an Office 365 subscription.
When you install Office it's automatically linked to your Office 365 plan. This means if you or the users in your organization see Account Notice or Unlicensed product errors in Office, they need to install the version of Office that comes with the new Office 365 plan, and then uninstall the version that came with the previous plan. Use this easy fix tool to uninstall Office and then follow the steps to reinstall Office.
Tip: The tool may take a few minutes to download and install. After completing the installation, the Uninstall Office products window will open.
Edge or Chrome
Edge (older) or Internet Explorer
You might see an "application> stopped working" error when you try to start Office applications: Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Publisher, or Visio. Older versions of add-ins might cause this type of problem.
To resolve, first make sure you installed the latest Office update.
> My app settings > Office 365.
On the My account page, select Subscriptions.
The content of this article is specific to Office installation issues. Try these articles if you're looking for troubleshooting help for these Office 365 services:
If you're still having trouble installing Office, contact your Office 365 admin. If your admin can't find a solution for you after using the information on the Office 365 admin tab, he or she can contact support on your behalf. You can also try the Community forums.
We value your feedback. Please let us know if you found any of these solutions helpful by leaving us a comment below. If it didn't, tell us more about your issue, including any error messages your received and where you were in the install process when you received it. We'll use that information to help investigate your issue further.
To help with issues you may encounter when installing Office, download the Support and Recovery Assistant for Office 365 tool.
Admins should also see the Office for business tab for more general Office installation issues.
When you first sign up for Office 365 for business and you try to install Office (or Project or Visio if you also have a subscription for those apps) you might see a message that says you can't install Office because you don't have a license. This could happen because of a delay between your initial sign in and Office 365 for business setting up your environment. Try signing out of Office 365 and then signing back in.
It could also happen because you haven't assigned a license to yourself or your users. Do the following to check your licenses.
Check that you have a license
Note: If you're unable to sign in with your work or school account, you may be signing in to the wrong Office 365 service, see Where to sign in to Office 365.
From the browser header, go to Settings
> My app settings > Office 365.
On the My account page, select Subscriptions.
Not all Office 365 subscription plans come with the fully installed Office applications. See the bottom of the Office for business column for a list of those plans that don't include an installed version of Office. If your organization has one of these Microsoft 365 plans, as the admin, you can switch to a different Office 365 plan or subscription, or in addition to the subscription you already have, buy another Office 365 for business subscription for those users who require the full version of Office.
If you're not sure what plan you have, follow the steps in What Office 365 for business subscription do I have? For a comparison of plans, see Office for business.
If you or the users in your organization see Account Notice or Unlicensed product errors in Office, they need to install the version of Office that comes with the new Office 365 plan, and then uninstall the version that came with the previous plan. Learn how in “Account Notice” appears in Office after switching Office 365 plans.
If you or your users find Office is taking a very long time to install, try installing using an offline installation. See Use the Office 2016 offline installer and select the Office for business tab. These steps show you how to download the installer file which you can then use to install Office offline on a PC at your convenience.
You can activate Office on up to five computers per user. If a user needs to install Office on a sixth computer, you have to deactivate an installation. Deactivation doesn't remove Office from the computer, but you can't use Office on that computer until you activate it. See Deactivate Office 365 if you see a "limit reached" error.
To help you set up your organization, see Set up Office 365 for business – Admin Help.
If individuals in your organization are using an older version of Office, we recommend you upgrade to the latest version. See Upgrade users to the latest Office client.
If you’re an IT Pro and you want to deploy Office in your organization, use the Office Deployment Tool to download the Office software to your local network. You then deploy Office by using the software deployment method you typically use.
You can also choose to have users sign into the Office 365 portal with their work or school account and follow the steps in Install Office on your PC or Mac to install Office themselves.
Users need licenses to install Office and to use Outlook, SharePoint Online, Lync Online, and other services. As the Office 365 for business admin, you're responsible for Managing user software in Office 365. You assign licenses to new users when creating new accounts, or add licenses to existing users, see Assign licenses to users in Office 365 for business. To remove licenses from users, see Remove licenses from users in Office 365 for business.
There are two types of activation methods for volume editions of Microsoft Office: Multiple Activation Key (MAK) and Key Management Service (KMS). For help activating these editions, see Activate volume editions of Office.
As an Office 365 admin, you can check Office 365 service health.
This article is for Office installation issues. The links below are specific to admins looking for troubleshooting help with these Office 365 services. For more general (not admin specific) help in these areas, see the Additional help section on the Office for Business tab of this topic.
If you're still having issues, admins can Contact Office 365 for business support.
We value your feedback. Please let us know if you found any of these solutions helpful by clicking Yes or No next to Was this information helpful, below, and leaving us a comment. If you are still having problems, tell us more about your issue, including any error messages your received and where you were in the install process when you received them.
