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.

Not sure what plan you have?

Tip: If you purchased Office through a company benefit, see Microsoft 365 through the Microsoft Workplace Discount Program. Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 for home

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.

Microsoft 365 for business

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

  Office 365 A5

  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

Select the tab for your plan:

Guided support can provide digital solutions for Office problems

Try guided support

Common questions

How do I download and install Office? How do I reinstall Office? You can't open classic Outlook on a new Windows PC Can I install Office on a Chromebook? Can I install only certain apps? Can I install Office on a different drive? How do I install Office through HUP I'm a student. How do I get Office?

Common issues

Problems during install Unsupported operating system error Can't install on Windows Vista or Windows XP Known issues with Office and Windows 10 I can't tell if Office is installed I installed 32-bit instead of 64-bit

Error messages

Unsupported operating system error Office is taking very long to install You get a KERNEL32.dll error Install button doesn't install Office "Stop, you should wait to install Office 2016" error Error messages when installing Office

Upgrade or update issues

Upgrade Office Upgrade or switch Office 365 plans How do I install Office updates?

Account or sign in issues

Where to sign in to Office 365 or My Office Account I forgot the account I used to install Office Share your Office 365 Home subscription Cancel a subscription

Activation or unlicensed product

Troubleshoot activation failures Help with Office product keys Deactivate an install

Mac install and activation issues

Where to install Office on a Mac Download and installation issues on a Mac I can't find the apps on my Mac Uninstall Office for Mac Activate Office on a Mac Mac activation issues Install updates on a Mac

Office on a mobile device

Set up email and install Office on an Android Set up email and install Office on an iPhone or iPad Set up email and install Office on a Windows Phone Troubleshoot email setup on mobile device Can't edit documents using Office apps on mobile

Issues after installing Office

I installed Office, but can't find the apps Office "stopped working" message when opening an app What version of Office am I using?

How do I download and install Office?

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.

How do I reinstall Office?

If you're reinstalling Office on a different computer than the one where you originally installed Office, note the following:

  • For Office 365 subscriptions: You can install Office on all your devices and sign in to Office on five devices at the same time.

  • For a one-time purchase of Office such as Office Home & Business, Office Home & Student, or Office Professional: You can install Office on only 1 PC or Mac. However, you may transfer Office 2021, 2019, or 2016 to another computer that belongs to you if you experience a hardware failure or you buy a new computer. For more information, see the Microsoft License Terms for your product, or see this blog post, Office now transferable.

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.

Problems while trying to install Office

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 the uninstall troubleshooter to uninstall Office completely. After your uninstall is complete, try reinstalling Office.

Use the uninstall troubleshooter to uninstall Microsoft 365, Office 2021, Office 2019, or Office 2016 from your Windows PC.

  1. Select the button below to start the uninstall troubleshooter.

    Uninstall

  2. Click Open if you get a pop-up window indicating This site is trying to open Get Help.

  3. Follow the prompts on the remaining screens and when prompted, restart your computer.

  4. Select the steps for the version of Office you want to install or reinstall.

    Microsoft 365 | Office 2024 | Office 2021 | Office 2019 | Office 2016

Important: 

  • The uninstall troubleshooter currently can't uninstall Office 2024.

  • Run the troubleshooter on the same Windows PC with the Microsoft 365 or Office product you want to uninstall.

  • You need to be on Windows 10 or higher to run the troubleshooter.

Tip: If the Microsoft 365 uninstall troubleshooter doesn't completely uninstall Microsoft 365 or Office from your PC, you can try to manually uninstall Office.

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.

Computers running Windows Vista or Windows XP don't meet system requirements to install 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.

Can I install Office on a Chromebook?

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.

You don't want to install all the Office applications

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 want to install Office on a drive other than the C: drive

You can only install Office on the system drive where your operating system is installed. That's usually your C: drive.

Install the 64-bit version of Office instead of the 32-bit version

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 the uninstall troubleshooter to uninstall Microsoft 365, Office 2021, Office 2019, or Office 2016 from your Windows PC.

  1. Select the button below to start the uninstall troubleshooter.

    Uninstall

  2. Click Open if you get a pop-up window indicating This site is trying to open Get Help.

  3. Follow the prompts on the remaining screens and when prompted, restart your computer.

Important: 

  • The uninstall troubleshooter currently can't uninstall Office 2024.

  • Run the troubleshooter on the same Windows PC with the Microsoft 365 or Office product you want to uninstall.

  • You need to be on Windows 10 or higher to run the troubleshooter.

Tip: If the Microsoft 365 uninstall troubleshooter doesn't completely uninstall Microsoft 365 or Office from your PC, you can try to manually uninstall Office.

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.

Install Office through Microsoft HUP

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.

I'm a student. How do I install Office?

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.

Known issues with Office and Windows 10

See Known issues with Office and Windows 10.

Unsupported operating system error

You see the following error message after selecting the Install button from office.com/myaccount:

Unsupported Operating System error indicates you can't install Office on your current device

This error can occur if:

  • You're on a PC and you're trying to install the Mac version of a one-time purchase of Office, such as Office Home & Student; or you're trying to install the PC version of Office on a Mac.

    For solutions to this, see Unsupported operating system error when installing Office.

  • You're trying to install Office on a mobile device, such as an iPad or iPhone, or a Chromebook.

    The Install button available after signing in at office.com downloads the version of Office designed to run on a PC or Mac. To install Office on a mobile device see Set up Office apps and email on a mobile device.

    To install Office on a Chromebook, see Install Office on a Chromebook

  • You're trying to install the desktop version of Office on an unsupported operating system such as Windows XP or Vista.

    Check the system requirements for Office to see what operating systems are supported.

Office is taking very long to install

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.

You get a KERNEL32.dll error when trying to install Office and other system requirement issues

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 you're not sure which operating system you have, see Which Windows operating system am I running? or Find the OS X version and build number on your Mac.

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.

Install button doesn't install Office

If the Install button is grayed out, your Office 365 subscription might have expired. See Renew Office 365 for home.

For other solutions, see Install button doesn't install Office.

I get a "Stop, you should wait to install Office 2016" error

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.

Error messages when installing Office

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.

Upgrade or update Office issues

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:

Upgrade or switch Office 365 plans

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:

How do I install Office updates?

Keeping Office up-to-date ensures that you have the latest security updates and fixes. For information about installing updates, see Install Office updates.

Where to sign in to Office 365 or My Office Account

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.

You forgot the account you associated with Office

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.

Share your Office 365 Home subscription

See How to share your Office 365 Home subscription with up to four people.

Cancel a subscription

If you want to cancel your subscription, see Cancel or turn off recurring billing for a Microsoft subscription.

For trial subscriptions, see Cancel your free trial of Office 365 Home

Troubleshoot activation failures

If you have a Microsoft 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.

Also see:

Help with Office product keys

See Help with your Office product key

Deactivate an install

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.

Where to install Office on a Mac

If you're looking for where to install Office on a Mac, see Install Office on your PC or Mac.

Download and installation issues on a Mac

For download and installation issues on a Mac, see What to try if you can't install Office for Mac.

I can't find the apps on my 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.

Uninstall Office for Mac

See:

Activate Office on a Mac

To activate Office on a Mac, see Activate Office for Mac

Mac activation issues

To troubleshoot Mac activation issues, see the "Activation" tab on What to try if you can't install or activate Office for Mac.

Install updates on a 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.

Install Office apps and set up email on a mobile device (iOS, Android, or Windows phone or tablet)

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:

You can't set up email on your mobile device

For help with troubleshooting email setup on your phone or tablet, see Troubleshoot email setup on mobile.

You can't edit documents using Office apps on your mobile device

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.

You can't find the Office applications after installing Office

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?

Office "stopped working" message appears when you start an application

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 the application still isn't working, try the options in, Why do I get a "stopped working" message when I start my Office application?

What version of Office am I using?

See What version of Office am I using?

Contact support

If you're still having trouble installing Office, see Contact Office Support.

Leave us a comment

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.

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