Problem adding MS Publisher

Question

I am trying to install MS Publisher to my computer. I am running Windows 11 and have MS Office Home 2024 already installed. I purchased MS Publisher 2021 online and have a download link and 25 digit activation key.

When begin the installation process, I get an error message indicating I need to uninstall my existing OneNote and Office Home 2024 products. OneNote and Office were bundled with the computer. I do not have activation keys to reinstall existing apps. I am running standalone software, not subscription based Office d365.

If I uninstall OneNote and Office, how do I reinstall them after installing Publisher?

Answer 1

Hi, Bill Kendrick

This usually happens because Office 2024 and Publisher 2021 are different Office generations, and Microsoft generally does not support running that mix on the same PC. That is why each installer keeps asking to remove the other.

Here are some suggestions you can try:

If Publisher is the main app you need, it is usually recommended to stay with an Office 2021 version instead of Office 2024, because matching versions are less likely to conflict.

If you want to keep Office 2024, reinstall it from the same Microsoft account it was linked to after setup or redemption. That helps restore the preinstalled Office license correctly.

If the PC is stuck in the uninstall loop, try a full clean uninstall and reinstall. The uninstall troubleshooter does not currently remove Office 2024, so manual removal may be needed for that version.

Thank you for your patience in reading, I hope this information has been helpful to you. 

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