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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallMicrosoft’s offline Office download depends on the license you own and the account that holds it. Home users download an .img disk image containing the Office setup files; Microsoft 365 business and Office LTSC administrators use the Office Deployment Tool (ODT), configuration XML, and command-line commands.
This guide covers Microsoft 365, Office 2024, Office 2021, Office 2019, Office 2016, Microsoft 365 Apps for business and enterprise, and Office LTSC 2024 on Windows.
Choose the correct offline installation method
| Product or account | Recommended method | Where to start |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, or another home product | Consumer offline installer | m365.cloud.microsoft/apps |
| Office 2024, 2021, 2019, or 2016 bought for home use | Consumer offline installer | m365.cloud.microsoft/apps |
| Microsoft 365 Apps for business or Business Standard | Office Deployment Tool | Microsoft Download Center and config.office.com |
| Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise | Office Deployment Tool | Microsoft Download Center and config.office.com |
| Office LTSC 2024 volume license | Office Deployment Tool | Microsoft Download Center and a configuration XML file |
An offline installer prevents the main Office files from being streamed during installation, but it does not make Microsoft 365 activation completely offline. You still need an internet connection afterward to sign in and activate Microsoft 365.
Before downloading Office
- Confirm the license. A home product key must be redeemed and linked to a Microsoft account at microsoft365.com/setup. The key is normally entered only once; later reinstalls use the account connected to that redemption.
- Use the account that owns the license. For a work or school installation, an administrator must assign you a Microsoft 365 license that includes desktop applications.
- Check the device type. The Windows installer is not the Mac installer, and desktop Office is not supported on Chromebooks or mobile devices in the same way.
- Check existing Office installations. You cannot switch from 32-bit Office to 64-bit Office, or the reverse, without uninstalling the existing installation first. Standalone apps such as Project and Visio can also affect the architecture choice.
Download the Office offline installer for a home account
Use this process for Microsoft 365 home products and perpetual Office products associated with a personal Microsoft account.
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1. Open the Microsoft Office download page
- Go to m365.cloud.microsoft/apps.
- Sign in with the Microsoft account associated with your Office license.
- Select Install apps.
If you bought Office with a product key but have not redeemed it, go to microsoft365.com/setup first. Enter the key, complete the account-linking process, and then return to the apps page.
2. Select Offline installer
- In the installation window, select the download button.
- Open the Choose a version drop-down menu.
- Select Offline installer.
- Choose the installation language.
- Select Install.
The download is an image file named O365HomePremRetail.img. It is not normally a standalone file named setup.exe; that name is associated with the Office Deployment Tool used for business and volume deployments.
3. Mount the image and run Office Setup
- Open your Downloads folder.
- Double-click O365HomePremRetail.img.
- Windows mounts the image as a virtual DVD drive.
- Open the new virtual drive in File Explorer.
- Open its Office folder.
- Run one setup file:
| File | Result |
|---|---|
| Setup32.exe | Installs 32-bit Office |
| Setup64.exe | Installs 64-bit Office |
If Windows does not mount the image after the first double-click, double-click the .img file again. You can also open File Explorer and look for the newly assigned virtual DVD drive. It might be D:, but if that letter is already in use, Windows can assign another letter such as E:.
You can copy the mounted image to a USB flash drive or disc for use on another compatible computer. The destination computer still needs a valid license, and Microsoft 365 will need internet access for activation.
Which Office bitness should you install?
Microsoft’s standard installation normally selects 64-bit Office. It may select 32-bit instead when it detects an existing 32-bit Office installation or a 32-bit standalone application such as Project or Visio.
Choose 64-bit when you regularly work with very large Excel workbooks, large data sets, or applications that require the 64-bit architecture. Choose 32-bit when compatibility with older add-ins, macros, or third-party Office integrations is more important.
Do not install one architecture over the other. To switch:
- Uninstall Microsoft 365 or Office, including relevant standalone apps such as Project or Visio.
- Return to m365.cloud.microsoft/apps.
- Select Install apps.
- Choose the language and either 64-bit or 32-bit.
- Select Install.
In the consumer offline flow, the architecture choice is exposed through Setup32.exe and Setup64.exe inside the mounted image. There is not necessarily a separate download button labeled “32-bit installer” or “64-bit installer.”
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Install Office offline with the Office Deployment Tool
Microsoft recommends the Office Deployment Tool for Microsoft 365 business and enterprise deployments. It is a command-line tool, but it can also prepare an offline installation for one computer.
1. Download and extract ODT
- Create a working folder, for example C:\ODT.
- Download the latest Office Deployment Tool from the Microsoft Download Center.
- Run the downloaded ODT executable.
- Accept the Microsoft Software License Terms.
- In Browse for Folder, select C:\ODT.
The extracted folder primarily contains setup.exe and a sample configuration.xml. For new deployments, Microsoft recommends creating the XML with the web-based Office Customization Tool at config.office.com. You can also create or edit the XML in a text editor.
2. Create a configuration XML file
The product ID depends on the plan. Use O365BusinessRetail for Microsoft 365 Apps for business and Microsoft 365 Business Standard. Microsoft’s documented enterprise example uses O365ProPlusRetail for Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise.
Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise, 32-bit
Save this as C:\ODT\installOfficeProPlus32.xml:
<Configuration>
<Add OfficeClientEdition=”32″>
<Product ID=”O365ProPlusRetail”>
<Language ID=”en-us” />
</Product>
</Add>
</Configuration>
Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise, 64-bit
Save this as C:\ODT\installOfficeProPlus64.xml:
<Configuration>
<Add OfficeClientEdition=”64″>
<Product ID=”O365ProPlusRetail”>
<Language ID=”en-us” />
</Product>
</Add>
</Configuration>
3. Download the installation files
Open Command Prompt and run the appropriate command. These commands download the Office files to the configured ODT location:
C:\ODT\setup.exe /download installOfficeProPlus32.xml
Or for 64-bit enterprise Office:
C:\ODT\setup.exe /download installOfficeProPlus64.xml
For Microsoft 365 Apps for business, use an XML file containing Product ID=”O365BusinessRetail”. Microsoft’s documented 32-bit filename and commands are:
C:\ODT\setup.exe /download installOfficeBusRet32.xml
C:\ODT\setup.exe /configure installOfficeBusRet32.xml
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Download mode creates an Office folder. If that folder already contains the same Office version, ODT downloads only missing files instead of downloading everything again.
4. Install from the downloaded files
After the download completes, run:
C:\ODT\setup.exe /configure installOfficeProPlus32.xml
Replace the XML filename with your 64-bit or business configuration as necessary. Installation requires local administrator permissions. A successful installation normally reports:
Products configured successfully.
The visible progress window can be limited, and an ODT download may appear to stop responding. Check whether the Office folder is growing and review ODT logs in %temp% before terminating the command.
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ODT can install from a local folder or network share. If SourcePath is omitted from the installation XML, ODT first looks for the Office files in the folder containing ODT. If they are not there, it contacts the Office Content Delivery Network.
If ODT and the XML file are on a network share, specify the full path to both files. For example:
\\server\deploy\ODT\setup.exe /configure \\server\deploy\ODT\installOffice.xml
When using DownloadPath in an XML file, also specify a Version. A download path without a version is not a complete configuration.
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ODT also supports this command for applying application preferences without changing the rest of the deployment configuration:
setup.exe /customize preferencesconfig.xml
Deploy Office LTSC 2024 offline
Office LTSC 2024 is a volume-licensed product and uses ODT with configuration XML files. Run the commands from an elevated Command Prompt in the folder containing ODT and the XML file:
setup /download configuration.xml
setup /configure configuration.xml
The downloaded files are stored beneath the configured source location in a structure similar to Office\Data\<version number>.
LTSC 2024 32-bit and 64-bit packages must be downloaded separately. Although the XML can specify one product, all volume-licensed Office products for that architecture are included in the architecture download. The core files are stored in stream.x86.x-none.dat or stream.x64.x-none.dat.
Office LTSC 2024 installs on the system drive, normally C:, and its installation location cannot be changed.
Remove older Office before installing LTSC 2024
Previous Office versions can conflict with LTSC 2024. Use the method that matches the existing installation:
- Use RemoveMSI for Office, Visio, or Project installations made with Windows Installer MSI, including Office 2016 and earlier.
- Use the XML Remove element for Office, Visio, or Project 2019 installations, which use Click-to-Run rather than MSI.
Microsoft Teams is not preinstalled with Office LTSC 2024 and must be downloaded separately. Skype for Business is not installed by default unless it is explicitly enabled in the Office Customization Tool or Configuration Manager wizard.
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Activate Office after the offline installation
Open Word or Excel while connected to the internet. Accept the license terms and sign in when prompted.
For Microsoft 365, the offline files only handle installation. The subscription must still contact Microsoft’s activation service. For a non-subscription product such as Office 2024, Microsoft states that the product license updates shortly after installation, which differs from Microsoft 365 subscription activation.
To manually check for Office updates:
- Open Word or Excel and open a document.
- Select File > Account.
- Select Update Options.
- Select Update Now.
Fix common offline installer problems
| Problem | What to check |
|---|---|
| No Install apps button | Confirm that you are using the licensed account. A work or school administrator may not have assigned a desktop-app license or installation permission. |
| No Offline installer option | The account or plan may not support that consumer flow. Work and school accounts should use the business ODT process. |
| The .img file does not mount | Double-click O365HomePremRetail.img again, then look in File Explorer for the newly assigned virtual DVD drive. |
| Setup appears frozen | Slow connectivity, firewall software, antivirus software, or an unreliable connection can delay installation. With ODT, check the Office folder and %temp% logs. |
| Architecture conflict | Uninstall the existing Office installation, including compatible standalone Project or Visio apps, before reinstalling. |
| Unsupported operating system | Verify that the Windows build is supported and that you are not trying to use the Mac build on Windows, the Windows build on Mac, or desktop Office on a Chromebook or mobile device. |
| LTSC installation conflicts | Remove older MSI installations with RemoveMSI and older Click-to-Run installations with the XML Remove element. |
FAQ
Can I activate Microsoft 365 completely offline?
No. Microsoft documents offline installation, but Microsoft 365 still needs an internet connection afterward for sign-in and activation.
Where is the official Office offline setup file for a home account?
Use m365.cloud.microsoft/apps, select Install apps, choose Offline installer from Choose a version, and download O365HomePremRetail.img. Mount the image and run Setup32.exe or Setup64.exe from its Office folder.
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Is the Office offline installer called setup.exe?
For home products, the documented offline download is O365HomePremRetail.img. setup.exe is the Office Deployment Tool executable used for Microsoft 365 business, enterprise, and volume-license deployments.
Can I install 64-bit Office over 32-bit Office?
No. Uninstall the existing Office installation first, including relevant standalone Project or Visio applications, then download and install the other architecture.
What product ID should Microsoft 365 Business Standard use in ODT?
Use O365BusinessRetail. Microsoft’s documented enterprise example uses O365ProPlusRetail for Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise.
How do I know whether an ODT download finished?
Look for the Office folder in the download location. ODT may show little visible progress while downloading. You can also inspect ODT logs in %temp%.
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The Bottom Line
For a personal Office license, download O365HomePremRetail.img from m365.cloud.microsoft/apps, mount it, and run Setup32.exe or Setup64.exe. For business, enterprise, and LTSC deployments, download the Office Deployment Tool, create an XML configuration, run /download, and then run /configure. Offline installation saves the setup files locally, but Microsoft 365 activation still requires an internet connection.
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