In Windows, what should I do if I can't remove or reinstall Microsoft Office?

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The Microsoft Office suites can leave files on your computer that, even after an uninstall, interfere with subsequent installations. Follow the appropriate set of instructions below to completely remove your present edition of Office, after which you can reinstall.

Office 2007

Office 2007 has no offcln utility, the tool described below for use on versions from Office 97 through 2003. If you are unable to remove Office through Programs and Features (Windows 7 and Vista) or Add/Remove Programs (earlier versions), try launching the Office Installer:

Put the Office 2007 installation disc into the CD drive and double-click Setup.exe.
Alternatively, if you have downloaded Office from IUware, locate the \IUware Online\Office Enterprise Edition 2007 folder on your hard drive and double-click Setup.exe.

Once Office Installer launches, follow the instructions to remove Office from your computer.

If other methods fail to remove Office 2007, you can manually uninstall it by following the directions in the Microsoft knowledge base article on this topic.

Warning: The procedure in the Microsoft document linked above is an in-depth process involving edits of multiple registry keys. Also, the Microsoft document contains a subsection with different instructions for 64-bit Windows, so a careless reading may lead to improper registry edits. The steps at the link should be considered advanced ones for very experienced users only. If you are not experienced at editing the registry, consider consulting your department's local support provider (LSP) or a computer support professional rather than attempting the steps yourself.

Office XP or Office 2003

Insert the first disk of your Office CD set in the CD-ROM drive.
From the Start menu or desktop, click or double-click Computer or My Computer.
Right-click the icon for your CD-ROM drive, and then click Open.
Double-click Files, and then double-click Pfiles.
Double-click Msoffice. Then double-click Office11 (Office 2003) or Office10 (Office XP).
Double-click Offcln.exe.

Office 2000

Before proceeding, try the instructions in In Windows, how do I uninstall Office 2000, XP, 2003, or 2007? If they don't work:

Insert the first disk of your Office CD set in the CD-ROM drive.
From the Start menu or desktop, click or double-click Computer or My Computer.
Right-click the icon for your CD-ROM drive, and then click Open.
Double-click Pfiles, and then double-click MSOffice.
Double-click Office, and then double-click Offcln9.exe.

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Last modified on November 10, 2009.