Office 2024 Professional Plus - Common Errors
Why is my computer still using Microsoft Office 2021 after I installed Office 2024 Pro Plus?
Many users have reported that after installing Office 2024 Pro Plus on their computer (Windows 10 or Windows 11), they are still seeing Office 2021 when they open Office applications such as Word or Excel, even after uninstalling Office 2021 or any previous versions, including Microsoft 365.
If you are facing this issue, we recommend using the Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant Tool to fully uninstall and remove the old version of Office from your system.
Step 1: Use the Microsoft Removal Tool
To ensure a complete removal of Office, we strongly suggest using the official Microsoft Office Removal Tool. This tool will help you uninstall Office 2021 or any previous version completely.
You can download the tool here:
Microsoft Office Removal Tool
After using the tool to completely uninstall Office, you can reinstall Office 2024 from the official download link.
Step 2: Manual Removal (If Necessary)
If the tool doesn’t resolve the issue, you may need to manually remove leftover Office components from the registry. Please follow these steps carefully:
Delete the Office 2021 Licensing Registry Entry
- Press Windows + R, type
regedit
, and press Enter to open the Registry Editor. - Navigate to the following registry key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\Licensing
- Delete the Licensing registry key.
Remove Cached Office Account Identities
- In the Registry Editor, navigate to the following key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\Identity
- Delete the Identity registry key.
If Shared Computer Activation is Enabled:
- If you are using Shared Computer Activation, you need to remove the Identity registry key from the following location:
HKEY_USERS\<User SID>\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common
- To find your current user SID, run the command
whoami /user
in a non-elevated Command Prompt.
Remove Protected Storage System Data
- Navigate to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Protected Storage System
- Delete any values that are present under this registry key.
Step 3: Restart Your Computer
After performing the above steps, restart your computer to apply the changes.
By following these instructions, you should be able to completely remove Office 2021 and successfully use Office 2024. If the issue persists, feel free to contact support for further assistance.