Microsoft Office 2019, 2021, or 2024 Deployment
Below is a high-level overview of the deployment process for the current Microsoft Office family of products, including Visio and Project. Please visit Microsoft's site for comprehensive instructions on Office 2019 deployment, Office 2021 deployment, or Office 2024 deployment
These instructions require using the command prompt, which may be unfamiliar to many users. Basic navigation commands will be needed.
Previous editions were installed using a physical disc. However, physical media is no longer an option with the 2019, 2021, and 2024 editions.
Remove existing versions of Office before installing Office 2019/2021/2024 products
Microsoft recommends that you uninstall any previous versions of Office before installing volume-licensed versions of Office 2019, 2021, or 2024 products. To help you uninstall versions of Office that use Windows Installer (MSI) as the installation technology, you can use the Office Deployment Tool and specify the RemoveMSI element in your configuration.xml file.
Deployment Overview
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Remove existing versions of Office
Microsoft recommends that you uninstall any previous versions of Office before installing volume-licensed versions of the Office 2019, 2021, or 2024 family. More information on this can be found here. -
Download the Office Deployment Tool (ODT)
Use the Office Deployment Tool (ODT) to configure and perform deployments of volume-licensed versions of Office 2019, 2021, or 2024, including Project and Visio, for users in your organization. The Office Customization Tool (OCT) previously used for Windows Installer (MSI) is no longer used. -
Create a configuration file
After obtaining a copy of the ODT, create a configuration.xml file. You can create multiple configuration.xml files to be used with the ODT. -
Download the install files
Once you have a copy of the ODT and have created your configuration.xml file, you can download Office 2019, 2021, or 2024 installation files to your local network. - Create your configuration file (a sample is provided in the instructions on the Microsoft page).
- Finally, when you have a copy of the ODT and have created your configuration.xml file (and downloaded the Office 2019, 2021, or 2024 installation files to your local network, if necessary), you can install Office 2019, 2021, or 2024.
Use the ODT to configure the XML file
Instead of using a text editor to create your configuration.xml, we recommend using the Office Customization Tool (OCT). The OCT provides a web-based interface for making your selections and creating your configuration.xml file for the Office Deployment Tool.
For more information, see Overview of the Office Customization Tool.