Planned Office Upgrade to Microsoft 365
Starting October 10th, a mandatory Office upgrade will begin deploying to all university computers that do not have the latest version of Office currently installed. The upgrade will target existing installations of Microsoft Office version 2019, 2016, and older and replace them with the latest version of Office, Microsoft 365.
The upgrade will not delete or alter any existing files on your computer during this process. Regardless, ITS always recommends having backups of all important files in a second location such as OneDrive or a Loyola network drive, especially when considering the installation of new software or updates. If you install Microsoft 365 prior to the deadline then you will not need or receive the mandatory deployment in October.
What is Microsoft 365?
Microsoft 365 is the most current version of Microsoft Office. According to Microsoft, the name was changed to "be more reflective of the range of features and benefits in the subscription, to meet the unique needs of individuals and businesses". More information about Microsoft 365 can be found here.
What version of Office do I have installed?
Instructions to determine the version of Office currently installed on your computer can be found here and here.
How do I install Microsoft 365 from Software Center?
- If off campus, make sure that your computer is connected to GlobalProtect
- Save and close all open Microsoft Office applications including but not limited to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook
- Open Software Center from the Start Menu on a Loyola imaged computer
- Select “Microsoft 365” from the list of available applications in the Applications tab
- Click install to begin uninstalling old versions of Office and installing the newest version, Microsoft 365
How long will the upgrade take?
Depending upon your network speed and a variety of other factors the installation can take anywhere from a few minutes up to 10-20 minutes. It may go through several stages of "Downloading" and "Installing". Do not click on cancel and just let it run.
During the deployment you may experience a temporary loss of access to your locally installed Office applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook while these applications are uninstalling and replaced with newer versions. It will not, however, impact your ability to access Microsoft 365 Online if needed during the upgrade process.
When the application has finished installing it will change the "Install" button to "Uninstall" within Software Center. You should now also see the applications appear at the top of the Start Menu under your Recently added list. You may need to sign in to Microsoft 365 the first time that you begin using the new application.
What changes to Office will I see?
Although Microsoft 365 may look a bit different visually, it retains the core functionality of previous Office applications. More information including features new to Microsoft 365 can be found here.
What if I'm using a University owned Mac workstations?
Microsoft 365 is available to install from the Mac Software Center. Additional information is available here.
What about Microsoft Office on my personal workstations?
All Loyola faculty, staff, and students have access to install Microsoft 365 on up to five personal devices. Additional information is available here.
Have an issue or concern? Contact the Service Desk by logging an incident, via email at itsservicedesk@luc.edu or via phone at 773-508-4487.
Additional Resources
- https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/word
- https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/excel
- https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/powerpoint
- https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook
- https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/teams
- https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/access
*Please note, if you are an active user of Microsoft Project 2016/2019 or Visio 2016/2019 then it is highly recommended that you purchase a license for the 365 version of these applications prior to running this upgrade. Project 2016/2019 and Visio 2016/2019 are not compatible with Microsoft 365. Only Project 365 and Visio 365 will work with Microsoft 365.
Starting October 10th, a mandatory Office upgrade will begin deploying to all university computers that do not have the latest version of Office currently installed. The upgrade will target existing installations of Microsoft Office version 2019, 2016, and older and replace them with the latest version of Office, Microsoft 365.
The upgrade will not delete or alter any existing files on your computer during this process. Regardless, ITS always recommends having backups of all important files in a second location such as OneDrive or a Loyola network drive, especially when considering the installation of new software or updates. If you install Microsoft 365 prior to the deadline then you will not need or receive the mandatory deployment in October.
What is Microsoft 365?
Microsoft 365 is the most current version of Microsoft Office. According to Microsoft, the name was changed to "be more reflective of the range of features and benefits in the subscription, to meet the unique needs of individuals and businesses". More information about Microsoft 365 can be found here.
What version of Office do I have installed?
Instructions to determine the version of Office currently installed on your computer can be found here and here.
How do I install Microsoft 365 from Software Center?
- If off campus, make sure that your computer is connected to GlobalProtect
- Save and close all open Microsoft Office applications including but not limited to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook
- Open Software Center from the Start Menu on a Loyola imaged computer
- Select “Microsoft 365” from the list of available applications in the Applications tab
- Click install to begin uninstalling old versions of Office and installing the newest version, Microsoft 365
How long will the upgrade take?
Depending upon your network speed and a variety of other factors the installation can take anywhere from a few minutes up to 10-20 minutes. It may go through several stages of "Downloading" and "Installing". Do not click on cancel and just let it run.
During the deployment you may experience a temporary loss of access to your locally installed Office applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook while these applications are uninstalling and replaced with newer versions. It will not, however, impact your ability to access Microsoft 365 Online if needed during the upgrade process.
When the application has finished installing it will change the "Install" button to "Uninstall" within Software Center. You should now also see the applications appear at the top of the Start Menu under your Recently added list. You may need to sign in to Microsoft 365 the first time that you begin using the new application.
What changes to Office will I see?
Although Microsoft 365 may look a bit different visually, it retains the core functionality of previous Office applications. More information including features new to Microsoft 365 can be found here.
What if I'm using a University owned Mac workstations?
Microsoft 365 is available to install from the Mac Software Center. Additional information is available here.
What about Microsoft Office on my personal workstations?
All Loyola faculty, staff, and students have access to install Microsoft 365 on up to five personal devices. Additional information is available here.
Have an issue or concern? Contact the Service Desk by logging an incident, via email at itsservicedesk@luc.edu or via phone at 773-508-4487.
Additional Resources
- https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/word
- https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/excel
- https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/powerpoint
- https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook
- https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/teams
- https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/access
*Please note, if you are an active user of Microsoft Project 2016/2019 or Visio 2016/2019 then it is highly recommended that you purchase a license for the 365 version of these applications prior to running this upgrade. Project 2016/2019 and Visio 2016/2019 are not compatible with Microsoft 365. Only Project 365 and Visio 365 will work with Microsoft 365.