Roll-back to previous versions of Office

If an update for Microsoft 365 contains a relevant bug, we will inform you on AFo about workarounds and the planned fix date. But sometimes it is unavoidable to quickly roll-back such updates until the problem has been fixed by Microsoft.

This article will show three different methods to roll back undesired updates. See methods 1 and 2 for all click-to-run (CTR) versions of Microsoft 365 and Office. For MSI versions, use method 3 below.

Preparations

Following steps are necessary before rolling back the Office version, regardless whether using roll-back method 1 or 2.

a) Make sure to disable automatic updates:

From within Access or other Office Applications:

File -> Account -> Update Options -> Disable Updates

b) Check for Version, Build and Update Channel you are currently using

From within Access (or another Office application) go to File -> Account.

In this example the version is "2312", exact build "16.0.17126.20132" and update channel "Current Channel".

c) Find the version you want to roll-back to

Previous versions are listed here: Update history for Microsoft 365 Apps. Look in the column of your channel for the right version and build you want to revert to.

Note: All options in this article use the same sample build, i.e. 16.0.17126.20132 to be rolled back to 16.0.17029.20108. You have to replace the build with your desired version. The build has to have the format "16.0.xxxxx.yyyyy", i.e. if it is mentioned in format xxxxx.yyyyy you have to add "16.0." in front of the build.

Method 1: Using OfficeC2RClient.exe

This is the easiest way of rolling back the version of Office, as OfficeC2RClient.exe is supplied with M365.

Open a Command Line window as administrator:

Start -> (type) cmd <enter> -> Run as administrator

Execute following commands:

cd %ProgramFiles%\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\ClickToRun\

Followed by:

OfficeC2RClient.exe /update user updatetoversion=16.0.17029.20108

Replace the version with your desired version and press <enter>. You will see message boxes informing you about the progress:

• Downloading Microsoft 365 and Office updates.

• Applying updates...

• Updates were installed.

Method 2: Using the Office Deployment Tool (ODT)

a) Download and unzip ODT...

... to a folder of your choice.

b) Configuration.XML

Create a configuration file of type XML with a name of your choice.

<Configuration>
  <Updates Enabled="TRUE" TargetVersion="16.0.17029.20108" />
</Configuration>

Replace the target version with your desired version and save it as e.g. configuration.xml.

c) Perform the roll-back

1. Open a Command Line window as administrator: Start -> (type) cmd <enter> -> Run as administrator

2. Navigate to the folder where you unzipped ODT to.

3. Run this command:

setup.exe /configure configuration.xml

Method 3: Roll-back MSI Versions of Office

MSI versions are only available until Office 2016 and hardly receive updates, with the consequence that they receive even less bugs. If you are ever in a situation of having to revert to an earlier MSI version you can do so from Control Panel:

Start -> (type) "Control Panel" <enter>, then navigate to:

Programs -> Programs & Features -> Uninstall a program -> View installed updates.

Find the culprit update and click uninstall.