Office Deployment Tool: Customise Your Office Installation

The Office Deployment Tool (ODT) is Microsoft's free tool for choosing exactly what Office installs: the edition, the language, the 32-bit or 64-bit architecture and the apps to exclude. It consists of a small setup.exe and a configuration.xml file that you write; a single command, setup.exe /configure configuration.xml, then starts the installation. It works with Office 2021 and Office 2024, with both retail and volume (MAK) licences.

We use it every day in support: to install Office without Access or Publisher on an admin workstation, to force a specific language on a PC bought with Windows in another language, or to prepare an identical installation on several machines. Here's the complete method, with files ready to adapt.

Office Deployment Tool: what is it for and when should you use it?

The standard Office installer installs everything, in the Windows language, without asking. The ODT uses the same Click-to-Run technology but lets you decide. It becomes useful in four cases:

• Volume licence: an Office LTSC 2021 or 2024 MAK key won't install with the consumer installer; the ODT is the method Microsoft intends.
• Unwanted apps: exclude Access, Publisher, OneNote or Outlook at installation, rather than leaving unnecessary icons.
• Language: install Office in English (en-gb) whatever the Windows language, or add proofing tools for another language.
• Several machines or a slow connection: download the files once, then install offline from a USB drive or shared folder.

If you're simply looking for an Office 2021 installation file, our article on the Office 2021 Pro Plus ISO and offline installation explains why there's no official consumer ISO and where the ODT comes in.

How do you download and prepare the Office Deployment Tool?

1. Download the tool from the official page referenced in the Office Deployment Tool overview on Microsoft Learn. The file is called officedeploymenttool_xxxxx-xxxxx.exe. Always take the latest version.
2. Create a short folder with no spaces or accents, for example C:\ODT.
3. Run the executable, accept the licence and choose C:\ODT as the extraction folder.
4. You get setup.exe and several sample XML files. You can delete them: we'll write our own configuration.xml.
5. Open Notepad and save an empty file as C:\ODT\configuration.xml (Save as type: All files, UTF-8 encoding), otherwise Windows adds .txt to the end.

Support tip: turn on file extensions (File Explorer > View > Show > File name extensions). A good share of the "setup.exe can't find the file" cases we see come from a configuration.xml.txt.

Which Product ID and channel should you choose for Office 2021 or 2024?

The XML file must state the exact product ID that matches your key. A mistake here is the number one cause of activation failures: a retail key won't activate on a Volume installation, and vice versa.

Consumer editions also exist: HomeBusiness2021Retail, HomeBusiness2024Retail, HomeStudent2021Retail or Home2024Retail. For volume, the PerpetualVL2021 or PerpetualVL2024 channel is mandatory. If you're unsure about your key type, look at the name of the product you bought: "MAK", "Volume" or "LTSC" means a volume licence.

Example configuration.xml: Office in English, 64-bit, without Access or Publisher

Here's the file we use most often for an Office 2021 Professional Plus retail licence. Copy it as-is into C:\ODT\configuration.xml:

<Configuration>
  <Add OfficeClientEdition="64" Channel="Current">
    <Product ID="ProPlus2021Retail">
      <Language ID="en-gb" />
      <ExcludeApp ID="Access" />
      <ExcludeApp ID="Publisher" />
      <ExcludeApp ID="Lync" />
    </Product>
  </Add>
  <Updates Enabled="TRUE" />
  <RemoveMSI />
  <Display Level="Full" AcceptEULA="TRUE" />
</Configuration>

Line by line:

• OfficeClientEdition="64": the 64-bit version, recommended by Microsoft from 4 GB of memory. Only keep 32 for an old add-in or driver that requires it.
• Language ID="en-gb": English (UK) interface. MatchOS uses the Windows language.
• ExcludeApp: one line per app you don't want installed (list below).
• Updates Enabled="TRUE": keeps automatic updates on. Only set FALSE if you manage updates yourself.
• RemoveMSI: first uninstalls older Office versions installed via MSI (2010, 2013, 2016).
• Display Level="Full": shows progress. None makes the installation silent, which is useful for deployment.

For Office 2024 retail, simply replace ProPlus2021Retail with ProPlus2024Retail and remove the Publisher line: Publisher isn't part of Office 2024.

Which apps can you exclude with ExcludeApp?

The IDs recognised by the ODT, according to the page Configuration options for the Office Deployment Tool, are:

• Access, Excel, OneNote, Outlook, PowerPoint, Publisher, Word;
• Lync for Skype for Business;
• OneDrive for the OneDrive sync client and Groove for the old OneDrive for Business;
• Teams and OutlookForWindows (the new Outlook), mainly relevant for Microsoft 365.

Excluding an app that isn't in the installed edition doesn't cause an error. Conversely, you can't "exclude" Word or Excel to save on a licence: the key is still for the full suite. To add an excluded app later, run /configure again with a file that doesn't have the corresponding ExcludeApp line.

How do you start the download and installation?

Open Command Prompt as administrator (type cmd in Start, right-click > Run as administrator), then:

1. cd /d C:\ODT
2. Optional, for an offline installation: setup.exe /download configuration.xml. The files (several GB) are placed in an Office subfolder, or in the folder specified by the SourcePath attribute.
3. setup.exe /configure configuration.xml to install. Without a prior /download, the ODT downloads directly from the internet.

For an offline installation on another PC, copy the whole C:\ODT folder (setup.exe, XML and Office subfolder) and run the same /configure command: the local folder is used first when it sits next to setup.exe or in the SourcePath. Remember to download the 32-bit and 64-bit files separately if you have both types of machine.

Activating Office after an ODT installation

Activation depends on the key type:

• Retail key (Office 2021 or 2024 Professional Plus): open Word and the activation window appears; otherwise File > Account > Activate Product (or Change License) and enter the 25 characters. For a key linked to a Microsoft account, sign in with that account.
• MAK key (LTSC volume): add the key to the XML file, on the Product line, and request automatic activation:

<Product ID="ProPlus2021Volume" PIDKEY="XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX">
<Property Name="AUTOACTIVATE" Value="1" />

The Property tag goes at the same level as Add, Updates and Display, and the channel must then be PerpetualVL2021. You can check the status of a volume licence with cscript "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16\OSPP.VBS" /dstatus. If activation fails after installation, our guide to Office 2024 activation errors and their fixes also covers the most common codes seen with Office 2021.

Generate the XML file without writing it: Microsoft's online tool

If you'd rather tick boxes, Microsoft offers the Office Customization Tool at config.office.com. You choose the architecture, product, language and apps, then export a configuration.xml to place next to setup.exe. Before using it, always double-check the generated Product ID and Channel: they must match the table above and your key type.

The most common errors with the Office Deployment Tool

The pre-installed Microsoft 365 case is the most common on new PCs. To remove it cleanly, you can use a second file, for example remove.xml, containing <Remove All="TRUE" /> and run with setup.exe /configure remove.xml; be careful, it removes all Click-to-Run apps, including Visio and Project. The step-by-step method, with Microsoft's uninstall tool, is covered in our article on replacing Microsoft 365 with Office 2021 or 2024.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Office Deployment Tool free and legal?

Yes. It's an official, free Microsoft tool. It doesn't provide any licence: it installs Office, which you then activate with your own product key.

Can you install Office 2021 and Office 2024 with the same file?

No, a file should only target one version of the suite. Change the Product ID to match your licence, and don't install two different Office suites on the same PC.

Can you add Visio or Project to an existing installation?

Yes, with a file that contains only the Visio or Project product, in the same language and architecture as the suite already installed. Preferably choose the same generation (2021 with 2021): some version combinations are rejected by the installer.

Do updates work after an ODT installation?

Yes, if Updates Enabled="TRUE" (the default). For what to do next, see our guide to updating Office 2021 to the latest version.

Do you need an internet connection?

For /download, yes. Installation with /configure can then be done offline; activation, however, needs the internet (or Microsoft's offline activation process for some keys).

Install Office with the right licence

The ODT is no use without a key that matches the chosen Product ID. For a personal or freelance machine, Office 2024 Professional Plus for Windows installs with ProPlus2024Retail and is supported until October 2029. For businesses deploying via XML file across several machines, the Office 2021 Professional Plus volume (MAK) licence fits straight into the PIDKEY attribute; bear in mind that Office 2021 no longer receives security updates since 13 October 2026. If in doubt, send us your configuration.xml: we'll review it before you start the deployment.