If you have any version of Microsoft Office installed on your PC, you need to uninstall it. Whether you have an Office 365 license and want to move it to another PC, or you’re trying to install an older version of Office, Microsoft provides easy ways to install and uninstall it.
Something to keep in mind is that when you uninstall an Office program, all of your created and saved files will remain, but you will only be able to use them if you have another version of Office installed on your device, otherwise, they will be saved as Read-only files are displayed.
Situations where you may need to uninstall Microsoft Office include:
Limited licenses make you need to prioritize which devices get Office 365. When other devices need to access more Office programs, you need to uninstall Office from the installed devices.
If you wish to use an older version of Office that is still supported by Microsoft, you will need to uninstall the current version. Newer versions are automatically updated when you subscribe, but if you prefer an older version, you will need to uninstall the current version and install the version you wish to use.
A glitch or other software issue during the installation may be related to the installation. Incorrect or incomplete installations or upgrades of Office can cause problems opening and running the programs. After troubleshooting, you may need to uninstall and reinstall the program to resolve these issues.
How to uninstall Microsoft Office:
Here’s how to uninstall Microsoft Office, specifically from within Windows 10:
Uninstall using settings:
First, open Settings to access your Apps list. Click “Apps & Features” and find Microsoft Office. Select the Office program you want to uninstall (such as the Home or Student version), and click Uninstall.
You’ll be asked to confirm your choice, so you’ll need to click Uninstall again to confirm your decision.
You’ll then be presented with a series of steps where you’ll need to select Done to remove Office from your device.
Uninstall using the Easy Fix tool:
If you don’t want to use “Settings” to uninstall Office, you can also use “Easy Fix Tool”. This is a tool from Microsoft that can be used to quickly troubleshoot and uninstall Office 2013, Office 2016, and Office 365.
You need to visit the Microsoft website in your browser to download the Office Easy Fix tool. After the download is complete, double-click to run the Easy Fix tool, and then select “Next”.
Then, the screen will give you the option to completely uninstall Office. You need to choose “Yes”, then the tool will go through the whole process for you, and then you are free to install the Office suite you want.
Uninstall Office from PC via Control Panel:
Click the Start menu, then type “control panel” in the search bar, and press Enter. Select the Control Panel in the search results and open it. In the Control Panel, select Programs and Features.
Under Programs and Features, find your Microsoft Office program, and right-click it. An uninstall option will appear and you need to select it. Then, a series of prompts will appear on the screen, which you need to follow to complete the Microsoft Office uninstallation process.
To uninstall on operating systems other than Windows 10:
If you’re using a version other than Windows 10 (such as Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and Windows 7), you can uninstall Microsoft Office in other ways.
Uninstall using Control Panel: Select the Start button, then select Control Panel. In the Control Panel, select Programs and Features, find your Microsoft Office program, right-click the version you want to uninstall, and select Uninstall.
Uninstall using the Uninstall Support Tool: Visit the Microsoft website through a browser and download the Office Uninstall Support Tool. After the installation is complete, run the tool and you will be guided through the uninstallation process.
No matter which method you use, you need to follow the prompts step by step to ensure the successful uninstallation of Microsoft Office. After the uninstall is complete, you can reinstall the desired version of Office if necessary.
