Do you want to install the 2019 version of Microsoft desktop applications? Are you not completely sure how to use the Office Deployment tool? Are you feeling ambitious? Then this guide was prepared for you!
We have laid out precise steps for members who are not familiar with using Windows Command Prompt. We’ve even taken care of the coding for you! So anyone, whatever their level of tech proficiency, can follow the steps in this guide to download and install the software.
Please Note: Software Assurance allows you to install the previous version of Microsoft Office instead of the most current one. If you do not wish to follow the steps in this guide and would prefer an easier installation, you can install the 2016 version of your Microsoft software by following our Office 2016 installation guide.
Use this guide to help you install 2019 Microsoft Desktop Apps for Windows, such as:
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Here are the things you need before you get started:
- an internet connection,
- to be running Windows 10,
- administrator account password for your PC (Ideally, you should be logged into an administrator account for your installation),
- licence activation key or your organization’s VLSC account credentials so that you can get your activation key.
- If you have not yet created a VLSC account, please see our How to set up a VLSC account guide. For more help, see Step 5.
Outline
Step 1: Prepare your computer
A) Uninstall any previous versions of the Microsoft Software you’re installing.
Note: The installation will not work if the Microsoft App is already installed, regardless of the version.
B) IMPORTANT! Check that your computer did not come pre-installed with Office 365.
Many new computers come pre-installed with Office 365. To check:
1. Click on the Start menu. Type “Apps and features” and select the match with the same name. (Note: You cannot get to the required page through the Control Panel).
2. Search the Apps & features list for “Microsoft Office”
3. If the results list "Microsoft Office Desktop Apps" or "Microsoft Office 365" click on the item, and then click “Uninstall”. Otherwise, you can proceed to Step 2.

Step 2: Download and install the Office Deployment Tool
A) Create a new folder on your Desktop. Name it “ODT”.
B) Download the Office deployment tool (ODT).
Visit the Microsoft Download Center and click on the Download button.
C) Install the ODT.
Open the file to install it. You will be prompted to accept Microsoft’s Software Licence Terms.
Note: If you are not logged into an administrator account, you will be prompted for an administrator's password.
D) Store the extracted files in the right folder.
You will be prompted to select a folder to store the extracted files. Make sure your username is indicated in the dialogue box.
Using a non-administrator account?
[ + ] If you don't see your username in the dialogue box, click to expand
Navigate to:
This PC > OS (C:) > Users ,
then navigate to your user account. Under your account, go to
Desktop > ODT.
[ - ] Close
Store extracted files from the Office Deployment Tool in the new “ODT” folder in your Desktop. This is the folder we created in Step 2 Part A.
If you opened your ODT folder on your desktop, it should look like the image below:
Step 3: Download your configuration file
[ + ] Click to learn more about XML files
In this step, you will be downloading an Extensible Markup Language (XML) file that TechSoup Canada has prepared for you. XML files describe the transportation, structure, and storage of data. We will be using these XML files to download the installation files for our software via the Windows Command Prompt.
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A) Select the right XML file for your software.
The XML files are available below section B. Click on the name of the software you want to install to access the version and language you need.

B) Download the XML file.
When you click on a link under the product titles below, you will be taken to a file hosted in box. Download the file by clicking on Download near the top right corner of the Window.
A dialogue box may appear after a few seconds. Save the file.
C) Move the XML file to the "ODT" Folder.
Move the XML file from your Downloads folder to your new “ODT” Folder in your Desktop. This is the folder we created in Step 2 Part A.
If you opened your ODT folder, it should like the image below:
IMPORTANT! Your file name must either be displaying as "configuration.xml" or "configuration". Variations in the file name will cause issues in Step 4C.
Step 4: Download and install your app through the 'Windows Command Prompt' application
[ + ] Click to learn more about Windows Command Prompt
In this step, you will be using command functions to tell the computer to download the installation files onto your system.
The Windows Command Prompt is an application that is native to your Windows Operating System. It is used to give your computer instructions to perform a task. In this case, we will be using Windows Command Prompt to do two things:
First, you will be telling the computer to download the installation files for your Microsoft 2019 Apps from the Office Content Delivery Network (CDN).
Second, you will install those files on your computer.
If that didn’t make too much sense, don’t worry. Simply follow the instructions below.
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A) Open Windows Command Prompt.
Open Windows Command Prompt by clicking on the Start button and typing cmd. Open the application.
The command prompt will show your version of Windows and copyright information in the first 2 lines.
The next line will show you your current working directory, it should say something like “C:\Users\username”. This is called your home directory.
B) Change your current directory to the ODT folder on your desktop.
[ + ] Click to learn more about the cd command
In this step, we will use the command below to get into your new ODT folder on your Desktop, which should be located inside your home directory. The ‘cd’ command changes your current working directory. You can think of a directory as a folder in your computer.
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1. Copy the command below:
cd Desktop\ODT
2. Paste this command by right-clicking in the command prompt
3. Hit Enter on your keyboard to execute the command. This should change your current working directory to the ODT folder in your Desktop.

“The system cannot find the path specified”
[ + ]Click for troubleshooting help
If you got an error message that says “The system cannot find the path specified”, then your default directory may not be where we expected.
To navigate to the correct folder in the Command Prompt:
1. Navigate to the top of the directory tree by entering :
cd\
2. Hit Enter .
3. Open up your ODT folder in your Desktop. Right-click on the address bar and click Copy address .
4. Go back to your command prompt and type "cd" and then hit space - then right click to paste the new address. The current line should look like this example:
5. If your file is saved in the administrator’s account, copy the command below, and change <username> for the name of the administrator’s account:
cd Users\<username>\Desktop\ODT
6. Hit Enter to execute the command. This should change your current working directory to the ODT folder in your Desktop. You can now continue to part C) below.
[ - ] Close
C) Download your Microsoft 2019 Apps.
Copy and paste the command below:
setup /download configuration.xml
Hit Enter .
This command can take around 10 minutes to finish running. It will seem as though nothing is happening, but files are being downloaded to your ODT folder.

“Couldn't install”
[ + ]Click for troubleshooting help
If you got an error message that says “Couldn't install. We're sorry, we had a problem installing your Office program(s) [...] Error Code: 30029-1007 (0)”, then you might need to check the name of the file in your ODT folder.
Rename the file so that the name is either "configuration" or "configuration.xml".
[ - ] Close
If you opened your ODT folder, it should look like the image below:
You will know the command has finished running when the Command Prompt window looks like this:
There is a new line starting with C:\Users\username where you did not enter a command.
D) Install your Microsoft 2019 Apps.
Once the previous command has finished running you must copy and paste, the command below:
setup /configure configuration.xml
Hit Enter.
You will be prompted to allow Microsoft to make changes to your device.
Once you agree, a display window will appear, showing the progress of your installation.
When the installation is complete, the display will disappear. You can then close the command prompt.
Step 5: Get your activation key from the VLSC
In this step, you will log onto the Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC) to retrieve your activation key.
A) Login to the VLSC.
Go to the Volume Licensing Service Center and log in with the email listed on your TechSoup Account for Software Delivery.
B) Retrieve your installation key.
1. Go to the Downloads and Keys tab. Find the Microsoft 2019 app you are installing in your list of products.
2. Click on the Key tab beside the product you want to install. Copy the MAK key in the bottom table.
The image below shows the right and wrong keys. Your most recent key is the one with the biggest licence ID number.

Step 6: Activate your software
A)Open an Office application.
Once you have copied the correct key, open one of your new Microsoft applications. We opened Microsoft Excel.
B)Enter the Activation Key.
1. Open a blank document.
2. Go to File > Account > Change Product Key and paste your activation Key. Activate your software.
Step 7: Pin your apps (optional)
Microsoft 2019 apps won’t create shortcuts for your desktop.
To make them easy to access, click on your Start Menu, and go down your list of programs to locate the Microsoft Office Apps.
When you come across the ones you wish to pin, right click on the app, and then click Pin to Start.
The programs to pin for Office Standard 2019 are:
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The programs to pin for Office Pro Plus 2019 are:
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Need to install another Microsoft 2019 App?
To install another Microsoft 2019 Desktop App, delete the "configuration.xml" file from your ODT folder (and your Downloads folder if it's in both places) and redo the process starting from Step 3.
Need to install your software on another computer?
To install the software on another computer, copy the “ODT” folder onto a USB stick, save the folder on the Desktop of the other computer, and repeat the process from Step 4.
Comments
unable to input MAK key
I followed all instructions for downloading the Office 2019 onto my computer. Everything was fine until I was asked to change the product key. It will not allow me to paste the key numbers
Installing Office 2019 problem
Hi! Wondering if you could please help me. Step 4 C) I ran the command as indicated and actually let it run for several hours. However, the command does not give me the new line starting with C:\Users\username. It looks like it is still running. I checked the ODT folder and it does have the Office folder (with Data subfolder) in it. I am connected to the internet - don't see any issues there. Since I have the Office folder in the ODT folder, I tried to run another command prompt using the next Step 4 D) command but it comes with an error and won't run it Any suggestions on how to fix this? Thanks so much Pat
Did you navigate to the right folder first?
Hi Pat!
Before you can run Step 4 D) from a new command prompt, you need to navigate to the ODT folder again user the cd Desktop/ODT command described in Step 4 B).
Try doing Step 4 B) then Step 4 D) in the same command prompt window and see if that works. If you continue to experience difficulties, it may be best to send us a screenshot of your issue by email to customerservice[at]techsoupcanada.ca.
Microsoft Office 2019 installation
I was installing Microsoft Office 2019 following the instructions provided. During the execution of step 4C (downloading the Microsoft App) I waited for over an hour for this process to download the app and it still wasn't complete. So I left the computer running overnight and went home. In the morning the computer was off. The OFFICE folder was find in the ODT folder so I proceeded to step 4D. I received the prompt to allow Microsoft to make changes. At this point the installation process froze and the installing OFFICE screen never disappeared. To make a long story shorter, I had to download the Microsoft APP into a new folder ODT2 since I could not delete any of the files in the ODT\Folder. It took over an hour to download the Microsoft APP which was 1.9 GB. After this successful APP download I tried performing Step 4D again with the same result. The installing OFFice screen appears but nothing is being installed. I tried running the uninstall utility but to no success. I believe that the first attempt failed because the computer shutdown before the download was completed. Any suggestions?
Sorry to hear you're having trouble
Hi Frank,
Thanks for reaching out.
The issue your describing seems to be specific to your device. Unfortunately, we won't be able to help you troubleshoot the issue, but you can always install the 2016 version of Microsoft Office since your order would have included softare assurance.
Instructions for installing Office 2016 are available at https://www.techsoupcanada.ca/en/node/11717
THANK YOU
I could have never navigated that labyrinth without these instructions!!!
So glad these instructions
So glad these instructions helped!
Ajouter une Signature - impossible
Bonjour Myriam, À la suite de l'installation de 2019 sur un des postes, je n'arrive plus à incorporer la signature de la personne... Une solution à proposer ??? - je tente une seconde fois de désinstaller et réinstaller office... merci, Jocelyn Laplante
Microsoft vous propose des solutions
Bonjour Jocelyn,
Merci de votre question!
Il semble que ce problème est assez commun que Microsoft a créé un page sur le sujet. Veuillez consulter https://support.office.com/fr-fr/article/outlook-se-bloque-lors-d-un-clic-sur-le-bouton-signature-c70b36c2-66ca-401c-ab45-f29a46495d02?ui=fr-FR&rs=fr-FR&ad=FR
Notez que nous n'avons pas essayé cette solution, et que vous devez être prudent si vous voulez faire des modifications au registre.
install office 2019
Thank you for the instructions very helpful. Can I delete the ODT folder when I am done?
Hello! Thanks for reaching
Hello!
Thanks for reaching out! Once the installation is complete, you can absolutely delete the ODT folder!
Impossible de se connecter dans le VLSC
Bonjour, nous tentons d'allez chercher nos licences dans le VLSC mais aucun de nos courriels qui sont associé a techsoup ne semble fonctionné. Est-ce que vous pouvez nous aider? me recontacter au g.lavallee@xtrem.qc.ca. Je me nomme Guillaume Lavallée et je suis technicien informatique a l'Orientheque. Merci et bonne journée
Merci de votre question!
Bonjour Guillaume!
Pour de l'aide avec votre compte VLSC, veuillez consulter notre guide, Comment créer un compte CSLV: https://www.techsoupcanada.ca/fr/node/11727
Pour des questions concernant votre compte TechSoup, veuillez contacter notre service à la clientèle au customerservice@techsoupcanada.ca.
Merci!