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.

Contact support

For example, you can't install Office on computers running Windows XP or Windows Vista. If a Microsoft 365 application such as Word or Excel isn't working correctly, sometimes restarting it will fix the problem. When you're done, you might need to restart your computer.

Office is taking very long to install

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

Issues after installing Office

• I was initially concerned that that had happened with my production schedule spreadsheet.
• For download and installation issues on a Mac, see What to try if you can't install Office for Mac.
• The links below are specific to admins looking for troubleshooting help with these Office 365 services.
• If you're not sure which operating system you have, see Which Windows operating system am I running?
• See the Browsers section on the system requirements page.
• If you have a Microsoft 365 plan, to keep it active, you have to sign in at least once every 30 days.
• If there's no link, let us know what error you got and where you were in the install process when you received it.

To check what the latest update is, see Update history for Office for Mac. If you're not sure FixTechGuide troubleshooting blog which operating system you have, see Which Windows operating system am I running? 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. Find solutions to common problems or get help from a support agent.

Common issues

If activation failures began after you upgraded to Windows 10, see Office error code 0x8004FC12 when activating Office. You can run the Microsoft 365 activation troubleshooter to help you fix activation issues. 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.



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. For download and installation issues on a Mac, see What to try if you can't install Office for Mac. When you install Office 2016, all the applications that came with your particular Office product are installed at the same time.

Mac activation issues

Comments that don't add value will be removed, including off-topic or content-free comments, or comments that look even a little bit like spam. All comments containing links and certain keywords will be moderated before publication. The easiest way to determine this is to take the document to a different computer running another copy of Microsoft Office and attempt to open the document there. If it works, then it’s likely that your installation of Office is the problem, not the document. If it fails, it’s likely the document itself is at fault.