Install of Skype for Business 2016 from the Microsoft 365 portal installs all the Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise applications

• Applies to:

  Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise, Skype for Business 2016

Problem

You have a Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise or Office 365 E3 subscription. In the Microsoft 365 portal, you click Install for Skype for Business 2016 on the Skype for Business tab of the MySoftware page. After you activate the installation, you notice that all the Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise applications are installed, instead of just Skype for Business 2016.

Note

This doesn't occur for Microsoft 365 Business Standard subscription users.

Workaround

To install only Skype for Business 2016, you have to use the 2016 version of the Office Deployment Tool (ODT) for Click-to-Run.

For more information about the Office Deployment Tool, see Overview of the Office Deployment Tool.

For information about excluding programs from the installation, see Configuration options for the Office Deployment Tool.

A sample Configuration.XML file:

<Configuration>
  <Add OfficeClientEdition="32" Channel="Deferred">
  <Product ID="O365ProPlusRetail">
  <Language ID="en-us" />
  <ExcludeApp ID="Access" />
  <ExcludeApp ID="Excel" />
  <ExcludeApp ID="OneNote" />
  <ExcludeApp ID="OneDrive" />
  <ExcludeApp ID="Outlook" />
  <ExcludeApp ID="PowerPoint" />
  <ExcludeApp ID="Publisher" />
  <ExcludeApp ID="Word" />
  <ExcludeApp ID="Groove" />
  </Product>
  </Add>
</Configuration>

More Information

Microsoft is aware of this behavior, and we are working to improve this experience. This issue occurs because the Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise and Office 365 E3 subscriptions don't include entitlement for the Skype for Business product that's currently offered from the Skype for Business tab.

This issue doesn't occur when Microsoft Lync 2013 or Skype for Business 2015 is installed from the Skype for Business tab. During activation for these productions you're prompted to "Choose your product" and are presented with the option to install Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise. If you exit without completing "Choose your product", Lync or Skype for Business will not be activated.