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Aug 1, 20239 min read

How to Use the Office Deployment Tool for Office 2021 Installation and Configuration

How to Download and Use the Office Deployment Tool in 2021

If you want to install or update Microsoft Office on multiple devices in your organization, you might be wondering how to do it efficiently and conveniently. The answer is the Office Deployment Tool (ODT), a command-line tool that allows you to download and deploy Click-to-Run versions of Office, such as Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise, to your client computers. In this article, we will show you how to download and use the ODT in 2021, as well as some tips and tricks to make your deployment process easier.

What is the Office Deployment Tool?

The ODT is a free tool that you can use to configure and perform deployments of Office on Windows devices. The ODT has several benefits, such as:

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It lets you customize your installation settings, such as which applications and languages to install, how to update them, and whether to display the installation user interface.

It lets you download the installation files from the internet or a local source, depending on your network bandwidth and connectivity.

It lets you install or update Office on multiple devices at once, either directly or by using a software distribution tool like Configuration Manager.

It lets you exclude or remove certain applications from your Office installation, such as Skype for Business or Microsoft Teams.

The ODT works with Click-to-Run versions of Office, which are based on Microsoft's streaming and virtualization technology. Click-to-Run versions of Office are faster and more secure than traditional Windows Installer (MSI) versions. They also receive regular updates and new features from Microsoft.

How to Download the Office Deployment Tool?

The first step to use the ODT is to download it from the Microsoft Download Center. Here are the steps:

Go to and click on Download.

Select your preferred language from the drop-down menu and click on Download again.

Save the officedeploymenttool.exe file to your computer and run it.

Extract the ODT files to a folder of your choice. You should see several files, including setup.exe and some sample configuration.xml files.

How to Create a Configuration.xml File?

The next step is to create a configuration.xml file, which is a text file that contains instructions for the ODT on how to download, install, or update Office. You can use any text editor, such as Notepad, to create or edit this file. You can also use the , which is a web-based tool that helps you create and modify configuration.xml files.

The configuration.xml file has several elements and attributes that you can customize according to your needs. For example, you can specify the product ID, the channel, the version, the source path, the language, the architecture, the update settings, the display settings, and the exclude or remove settings of your Office installation. For a complete reference of the configuration.xml file schema, see .

Here is an example of a configuration.xml file that downloads and installs Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise in English and French, 64-bit, from the Office CDN, with monthly updates and no user interface:

Download Office Deployment Tool from Microsoft Download Center

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Use the /configure switch with the Office Deployment Tool

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Use the /logpath switch with the Office Deployment Tool

How to Download the Office Installation Files?

Once you have created your configuration.xml file, you can use the ODT to download the Office installation files to your computer or a network share. This can save you time and bandwidth when you install Office on multiple devices. To download the installation files, follow these steps:

Open a command prompt as an administrator and navigate to the folder where you extracted the ODT files.

Type setup.exe /download configuration.xml and press Enter. Replace configuration.xml with the name of your configuration file if you named it differently.

Wait for the download to complete. You should see a folder named Office in the same location as your ODT files. This folder contains the installation files for Office.

If you want to download the installation files from a local source instead of the Office CDN, you can specify the source path in your configuration.xml file using the SourcePath attribute. For example:

How to Install Office Using the Office Deployment Tool?

After you have downloaded the installation files, you can use the ODT to install Office on your device or devices. To install Office using the ODT, follow these steps:

Open a command prompt as an administrator and navigate to the folder where you extracted the ODT files.

Type setup.exe /configure configuration.xml and press Enter. Replace configuration.xml with the name of your configuration file if you named it differently.

Wait for the installation to complete. You should see a message that says The installation completed successfully.

If you want to install Office on multiple devices at once, you can use a software distribution tool like Configuration Manager or Intune to run the ODT commands remotely. For more information on how to do this, see .

How to Update Office Using the Office Deployment Tool?

The ODT also allows you to update Office to a newer version or switch to a different update channel. To update Office using the ODT, follow these steps:

Create or modify your configuration.xml file to specify the version and channel of Office that you want to update to. For example, if you want to update to version 2106 of Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise on the semi-annual enterprise channel, your configuration.xml file should look like this:

Open a command prompt as an administrator and navigate to the folder where you extracted the ODT files.

Type setup.exe /configure configuration.xml and press Enter. Replace configuration.xml with the name of your configuration file if you named it differently.

Wait for the update to complete. You should see a message that says The installation completed successfully.

You can also use the ODT to download the update files in advance and apply them later. To do this, you need to use the /download and /update switches instead of the /configure switch. For more information on how to do this, see .

How to Exclude or Remove Office Applications Using the Office Deployment Tool?

Sometimes, you might want to exclude or remove certain applications from your Office installation, such as Skype for Business or Microsoft Teams. The ODT allows you to do this by using the ExcludeApp or RemoveMSI elements in your configuration.xml file. To exclude or remove Office applications using the ODT, follow these steps:

Create or modify your configuration.xml file to specify the applications that you want to exclude or remove. For example, if you want to exclude Skype for Business and Microsoft Teams from your installation, your configuration.xml file should look like this:

If you want to remove any existing MSI versions of Office applications before installing Office, you can use the RemoveMSI element in your configuration.xml file. For example, if you want to remove all MSI versions of Office, your configuration.xml file should look like this:

Open a command prompt as an administrator and navigate to the folder where you extracted the ODT files.

Type setup.exe /configure configuration.xml and press Enter. Replace configuration.xml with the name of your configuration file if you named it differently.

Wait for the installation or removal to complete. You should see a message that says The installation completed successfully.

How to Use Configuration Manager to Deploy Office?

If you have Configuration Manager in your organization, you can use it to deploy Office using the ODT. Configuration Manager is a tool that helps you manage software deployments, updates, and compliance across your devices. To use Configuration Manager to deploy Office, follow these steps:

Create a configuration.xml file that specifies your installation settings for Office.

Create an application in Configuration Manager that uses the ODT and the configuration.xml file as the installation source.

Distribute the application content to your distribution points.

Create a deployment type for the application that specifies how to detect and install Office.

Create a deployment for the application that targets the devices or users that you want to install Office on.

For more details on how to use Configuration Manager to deploy Office, see .

How to Remove Existing Versions of Office Before Installing Office?

Before you install Office using the ODT, you might want to remove any existing versions of Office from your device or devices. This can help you avoid compatibility issues and free up disk space. To remove existing versions of Office before installing Office, you can use one of the following methods:

Use the RemoveMSI element in your configuration.xml file, as explained in the previous section.

Use the , which is a web-based tool that helps you uninstall Office products from your device.

Use the , which is a downloadable tool that automatically removes Office products from your device.

Use the , which is a built-in feature of Windows that allows you to uninstall programs from your device.

For more information on how to remove existing versions of Office before installing Office, see .

Conclusion

The ODT is a powerful and flexible tool that allows you to download and deploy Click-to-Run versions of Office, such as Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise, to your device or devices. You can use the ODT to customize your installation settings, download the installation files from the internet or a local source, install or update Office on multiple devices at once, exclude or remove certain applications from your Office installation, and use Configuration Manager to deploy Office. You can also use the ODT to remove existing versions of Office before installing Office, which can help you avoid compatibility issues and free up disk space.

We hope this article has helped you understand how to download and use the ODT in 2021. If you have any questions or feedback, please let us know in the comments below. Thank you for reading!

FAQs

Here are some frequently asked questions and answers about the ODT:

Where can I find more information about the ODT?You can find more information about the ODT on the , which includes reference articles, videos, blogs, and forums.

What are the system requirements for using the ODT?You need to have Windows 7 or later, .NET Framework 4.5 or later, and at least 5 GB of free disk space to use the ODT.

How can I troubleshoot issues with using the ODT?You can use the /log switch to generate a log file that records the actions and errors of the ODT. You can also use the , which is a web-based tool that helps you diagnose and resolve common issues with using the ODT.

How can I provide feedback or suggestions for improving the ODT?You can use the , which is a platform that allows you to share your ideas and vote on other users' ideas for improving the ODT.

How can I get support for using the ODT?You can contact Microsoft Support by phone, chat, or email, or visit the , which is a community of experts and users who can help you with using the ODT.

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