If you encounter issues with Microsoft Office applications after installing the latest updates, reverting to a previous version may be necessary. This is often simpler than diagnosing the underlying problems. This guide applies specifically to the Click-to-Run (C2R) versions of Office 2021, 2019, 2016, and Microsoft 365 Apps.
For MSI versions of Office, you can uninstall the latest update through Settings → Windows Update → Update History → Uninstall Updates. However, this method isn’t applicable for C2R versions, which are the most widely used today. C2R versions do not receive updates via the Windows Update channel; instead, updates are continuously delivered via Microsoft’s CDN, meaning the latest version is always installed.
To check which version of Office you have, open any Office application (like Word) and navigate to File → Account. For instance, if you have MS Office 2019 C2R installed, the build number will be found by clicking the About button.
Next, check the Office Update channel by locating the UpdateBranch parameter in the registry under HKLMsoftwarepoliciesmicrosoftoffice16.0commonofficeupdate. This will indicate your current update channel.
If you wish to revert to a previous version, begin by disabling the auto-update feature. Go to File → Account → Update Options, and select Disable Updates. This prevents Office from updating itself back to the latest version.
To find out the build number of the version you want to roll back to:
- For Office 2016 or 2019, visit the update history for Office 2019.
- For Office 2021 (including LTSC), check the update history for Office 2021.
- For Microsoft 365 Apps, refer to the update history for Microsoft 365 Apps.
Once you’ve identified the build number to revert to, open a command prompt as an administrator and change the directory to:
cd %ProgramFiles%Common FilesMicrosoft SharedClickToRun
Then, input the command to roll back to your desired version:
officec2rclient.exe /update user updatetoversion=<build number>
For example, to revert to version 16.0.18129.20158, you would use the command:
officec2rclient.exe /update user updatetoversion=16.0.18129.20158
If you are using the Office Deployment Tool (ODT) for installation, you can specify the target version in the XML configuration file:
<Configuration> <Updates Enabled="TRUE" TargetVersion="16.0.18129.20158" /></Configuration>Then, run the installation command:
setup.exe /configure configuration.xml
Make sure to re-enable automatic updates after a determined period to avoid missing critical security updates or fixes.
For immediate updates to the latest version of C2R MS Office, use:
OfficeC2RClient.exe /update USER
This process should help you manage your Office versions effectively.