Updates required

Question

I am on a macbook air with Tahoe OS. Yesterday I successfully installed and redeemed Office 2024 standalone app. bundle. However, for Word, Powerpoint, Excel and Outlook `(version 16.78) it still says: An upgrade is required. By the way: OneNote, OneDrive and Teams are fine... How to update?

Answer 1

Do you have another installation of an earlier version of Office? If so you probably are facing a licensing issue — only one license at a time can be active on the computer. The system is attempting to launch the older version [first come, first served].

See whether this tool provides the solution: Remove Office license

Answer 2

Hi Jos,

Which version of Mac are you running?

The latest is the following:

January 13, 2026 16.105 (26011018)

However, the Microsoft Office for Mac can only be upgraded to version 16.77 if you are an older version of Mac below 12.0.

I hope this information helps. If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to reach out.

Otherwise, please take a moment to rate the answer. Wishing you good luck!

Answer 3

To update Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook on your MacBook Air, you can use Microsoft AutoUpdate (MAU). Here are the steps you can follow:

1. Open Microsoft AutoUpdate: You can find it in the Applications folder or search for it using Spotlight.
2. Check for Updates: Once MAU is open, it should automatically check for updates. If it doesn't, you can click on "Check for Updates" to manually initiate the process.
3. Install Updates: If updates are available for Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook, you will be prompted to install them. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

If you prefer to use the command line, you can also use the msupdate tool to manage updates. Here’s how:

1. Open the Terminal application.
2. Navigate to the MAU directory:
   cd /Library/Application\ Support/Microsoft/MAU2.0/Microsoft\ AutoUpdate.app/Contents/MacOS
3. Run the command to install updates:
   ./msupdate --install --apps MSWD2019 XCEL2019 PPT32019 OPIM2019
   This command will update Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

Make sure your version of macOS is compatible with the updates, as Office for Mac supports the three most recent versions of macOS.

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References:

• Deploy updates for Office for Mac
• Overview of Office for Mac (for admins and IT Pros)
• Update Microsoft applications for Mac by using msupdate

Answer 4

I also purchased Office 365 for Mac in the past couple weeks and have found Outlook (and only Outlook) will not update to 16.105 (26011018). The command-line updater stops at 89% with the error "Timeout while waiting for Update Assistant to respond." The GUI version behaves in the same way, stopping at about 90%, saying "an error has occurred. Retry?" I've removed and reinstalled Outlook, but this update never completes. There was one other update for Outlook when I first activated it about 2 weeks ago and it installed. This seems to be related to 16.105 only.

-Mike J