Deleted preinstalled Office accidentally? Recoverable?

Question

ZAs the title said, on a night I had taken sleeping pills and should've been in bed, instead I was getting a letter off. somewher in the I deleted the preinstalled Office suite on my computer accidentally? I'd given it up for lost until Copilot said it could be recoverable?

Answer 1

1

Open the Settings App, then go to Apps - Installed apps.

Scroll down in the list of installed apps, do you find Microsoft Office or Microsoft 365 listed there?

2

If not, log into your Microsoft account on this link, do you find your Office licence listed there, and if so, are you able to install Office from there.

https://account.microsoft.com/services/

Answer 2

If the preinstalled Office was uninstalled or removed, it cannot simply be “undeleted,” but it is normally recoverable by reinstalling and reactivating it using the original license tied to the device or to a Microsoft account.

Use these steps depending on how Office was originally provided:

1. If Office came preinstalled with a product key card or was activated with a Microsoft account
   • On the same PC, open a browser and go to the Microsoft account services page: sign in with the Microsoft account that was used to activate Office.
   • In the list of services and subscriptions, locate the Office product (for example, Office Home & Student 2019, Office 2021, or Microsoft 365).
   • Select Install to download the Office installer, then run it and follow the prompts to reinstall Office.
   • This is the same method used when reinstalling a preinstalled Office such as Office Home & Student 2019.
2. If the device was reset or recovered using Windows Recovery (Push Button Reset)
   • After a Windows Recovery, preinstalled Office may no longer appear on the PC.
   • In that case, follow the instructions in the ReadMe file that Windows Recovery placed on the desktop. That ReadMe file contains the specific steps or links needed to reinstall the Office edition that came with the PC.
   • Then, based on the Office version listed there, follow the appropriate reinstall guide:
     • For Microsoft 365 or Office 2021: use the steps in “Download, install, or reinstall Microsoft 365 or Office 2024 on a PC or Mac.”
     • For Office 2019, Office 2016, or Office 2013: use the steps in “Download and install or reinstall Office 2021, Office 2019, or Office 2016.”
3. If the preinstalled Office was Office 2010 or Office 2007
   • Use the corresponding “Install Office 2010” or “Install Office 2007” instructions referenced from the same recovery article.

If the original Microsoft account used to activate Office is not known, or the ReadMe file from a Windows Recovery cannot be found, direct self-service recovery may not be possible and support assistance from the PC manufacturer or Microsoft Support may be required.

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References:

• Office is no longer on your PC after you do a Recovery in Windows
• How to reinstall Office & Student 2019 - Microsoft Q&A