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Apr 08, 2019 Microsoft Office 2016 (codenamed Office 16) is a version of the Microsoft Office productivity suite, succeeding both Office 2013 and Office for Mac 2011, and preceding Office 2019 for both platforms. It was released on macOS on July 9, 2015 and on Microsoft Windows on September 22, 2015 for Office 365 subscribers.
Note
Office 365 ProPlus is being renamed to Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise. For more information about this change, read this blog post.
Summary
Existing Office 2016 for Mac customers will be seamlessly upgraded to 64-bit versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote as part of the August product release (version 15.25). This affects customers of all license types: Retail, Office 365 Consumer, Office 365 Commercial, and Volume License installations.
Deployment options for the 64-bit update
AutoUpdate (MAU)
Customers who use Microsoft AutoUpdate (MAU) to keep their Office applications up-to-date will see a 'regular' monthly update notification when their selected channel is upgraded to 64-bit builds. Depending on which version is installed on the local computer, MAU will offer either a delta or full update. The update package size does not change between 32-bit and 64-bit versions. Also, MAU can deliver a delta update when applicable to update a user from 32-bit to 64-bit applications. Therefore, customers won't experience a sharp increase in download activity. For the release to the Production channel, customers will see '(64-bit)' in the update title to make them aware that this is a 64-bit update.
For information about how to use the MAU, see Check for Office for Mac updates automatically.
Manual updates
The August release of Office for Mac is available for manual download. The following file provides a 64-bit package to replace existing 32-bit applications with 64-bit variants during installation:
Download the Microsoft Office 2016 for Mac August update package now.
Virus-scan claim
Microsoft scanned this file for viruses, using the most current virus-detection software that was available on the date that the file was posted. The file is stored on security-enhanced servers that help prevent any unauthorized changes to it.
Volume License Service Center
Volume License customers typically get their Office 2016 software from the Volume License Service Center (VLSC). These builds are refreshed infrequently and are typically aligned with new language editions. The VLSC will continue to offer 32-bit installers (15.23) until November 2016. However, all updater packages that are released after August will be based on 64-bit builds. Therefore, a VLSC customer who updates either manually or through AutoUpdate will be transitioned to 64-bit builds.
More Information
64-bit only
The Mac operating system has been 64-bit for several years. Unlike for Windows, there's no choice between running a 32-bit or 64-bit version of the Mac operating system. Similarly, we won't offer a choice between 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Office 2016 for Mac. After each 'channel' is transitioned per the rollout schedule, only 64-bit builds will be available.
Effect on third-party applications and add-ins
The transition to 64-bit Office for Mac was announced on the Office developer blog in April 2016. This website is the primary reference for third-party vendors to understand the change and the effect on their products. IT Pros will want to understand which compiled add-ins are deployed to the users whom they manage so that they can assess the effect of the upgrade. The following Microsoft Office website summarizes the issues that affect the more common add-ins that are used together with Office 2016 for Mac:
Tools for inspecting product architecture
To verify the architecture of an Office application (that is, to understand whether you have a 32-bit or 64-bit build), start the application, open the Activity Monitor, and then enable the Kind column.
Microsoft Office 2016 Mac Volume Installer Download
You can also use the file command in a terminal session to inspect the binary. For this use, type file -N <path of binary>.This method can be used with for any binary file, including third-party add-ins.
The file command returns one of three values.
| Return value | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Mach-O 64-bit executable x86_64 | 64-bit binary |
| Mach-O executable i386 | 32-bit binary |
| Mach-O 64-bit executable x86_64 | FAT binary (compatible with both 32-bit and 64-bit processes) |
| Mach-O executable i386 | FAT binary (compatible with both 32-bit and 64-bit processes) |
Options for reverting to 32-bit installations
There may be situations in which the customer has to change code that's not 64-bit ready. If customers can't immediately move forward to 64-bit builds, we will make available a one-time 32-bit update for the 15.25 release in addition to the default 64-bit updates. The 32-bit updates will be available only for manual download from the Office CDN.
The latest 32-bit release of Office 2016 for Mac (15.25.160818) can be downloaded from https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=823192.
Customers who manually install the 32-bit release won't be offered the 64-bit version of 15.25 through MAU. However, MAU will offer the 64-bit version of 15.26 in September 2016. Therefore, customers have a limited time to remain on 32-bit builds.
If a customer has already upgraded to the 64-bit update of Office for Mac 15.25 and wants to revert to the 32-bit version, follow these steps:
- Exit all open Office 2016 applications.
- Start Safari, and then browse to https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=823192 to start the download of the 32-bit installer.
- Double-click the downloaded package, and then follow the instructions.
The 64-bit installation has a build date of 160817. The 32-bit version has a build date of 160818.
-->Applies to:Office 2019 for Mac, Office 2016 for Mac
The Volume Serializer (VL) is used to activate Office 2019 for Mac or Office 2016 for Mac as a volume licensed version. It's an approximately 4 mb package file that you run on a user's computer, either before or after you've installed Office.
Download the Volume License (VL) Serializer from the VLSC
To download the VL Serializer, do the following:
- Sign in to the Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC).
- Select the Download and Keys tab.
- Depending on the version that you're deploying, search for 'Office 2019 for Mac Standard' or 'Office 2016 for Mac Standard.'
- Select the Download link in the results panel.
- Select the Continue button at the bottom of the window.
- Select the icon (circle with download arrow) to download the VL Serializer .iso file.
- Once the download is complete, mount the .iso file to extract the VL Serializer package file.
Make sure you have the correct VL serializer version for the version of Office that you're deploying to your users.
| Version | File name |
|---|---|
| Office 2019 for Mac | Microsoft_Office_2019_VL_Serializer.pkg |
| Office 2016 for Mac | Microsoft_Office_2016_VL_Serializer.pkg |
Then, deploy and run the VL Serializer package file on each computer that you want to activate Office as a volume licensed version.
Note
- You can't use the VL Serializer for Office 2019 for Mac to activate a volume licensed version of Office 2016 for Mac.
- Volume licensed versions of Office 2019 for Mac have version numbers of 16.17 or higher. Volume licensed versions of Office 2016 for Mac have version numbers of 16.16 or lower, such as 16.16.2 or 16.15.
Additional information about the VL Serializer
- The volume license is located in the /Library/Preferences/com.microsoft.office.licensingV2.plist directory.
- The licensing plist generated by the VL Serializer contains data that's encrypted by using the serial number of the boot drive on the computer where it was generated. Upon each Office application launch, the plist is decrypted by using the current boot drive serial number as the decryption key. If the data cannot be decrypted (for example, boot drive serial number is different), Office will go into an unlicensed state without warning.
- Because the license plist file is encrypted using information from the computer on which it's installed, you can't copy it to a different computer to activate Office on that computer.
- There's a single VL Serializer package that contains a single key that's shared between all volume licensed customer installations.
- The VL Serializer package contains a binary executable that's named 'Microsoft Office Setup Assistant.' It's this executable that actually activates the volume license.
- If you install the volume licensed version of Office 2016 for Mac from the .iso file downloaded from the VLSC, you don't need to run the VL Serializer. That installer package already has the VL Serializer functionality built-in. But, we recommend that you always download and install the most current version that's available on the Office Content Delivery Network (CDN) on the internet. For more information, see Download Office for Mac to your local network.
- The VL Serializer package is compatible with mobile device management (MDM) servers such as Microsoft Intune, Jamf Pro, or FileWave.