Download and Configure Office 2021 with the Office Deployment Tool: Tips and Tricks
How to Download and Use the Office Deployment Tool in 2021
If you want to install or update Microsoft Office on multiple devices in your organization, you might be wondering how to do it efficiently and conveniently. The answer is the Office Deployment Tool (ODT), a command-line tool that allows you to download and deploy Click-to-Run versions of Office, such as Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise, to your client computers. In this article, we will show you how to download and use the ODT in 2021, as well as some tips and tricks to make your deployment process easier.
What is the Office Deployment Tool?
The ODT is a free tool that you can use to configure and perform deployments of Office on Windows devices. The ODT has several benefits, such as:
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It lets you customize your installation settings, such as which applications and languages to install, how to update them, and whether to display the installation user interface.
It lets you download the installation files from the internet or a local source, depending on your network bandwidth and connectivity.
It lets you install or update Office on multiple devices at once, either directly or by using a software distribution tool like Configuration Manager.
It lets you exclude or remove certain applications from your Office installation, such as Skype for Business or Microsoft Teams.
The ODT works with Click-to-Run versions of Office, which are based on Microsoft's streaming and virtualization technology. Click-to-Run versions of Office are faster and more secure than traditional Windows Installer (MSI) versions. They also receive regular updates and new features from Microsoft.
How to Download the Office Deployment Tool?
The first step to use the ODT is to download it from the Microsoft Download Center. Here are the steps:
Download Office Deployment Tool from Microsoft Download Center
How to use Office Deployment Tool for Office LTSC 2021
Office Deployment Tool configuration.xml file examples
Remove existing Office versions before installing Office LTSC 2021
Office LTSC 2021 installation files download location
Install Office LTSC 2021 with Office Deployment Tool command-line
Deploy Office LTSC 2021 with Configuration Manager
Office Deployment Tool setup.exe file download link
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Office Deployment Tool for Click-to-Run versions of Office
Update Office LTSC 2021 with Office Deployment Tool
Exclude or remove Office applications with Office Deployment Tool
Office Deployment Tool for Microsoft 365 Apps
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Skype for Business in Office LTSC 2021 deployment guide
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Use the /configure switch with the Office Deployment Tool
Use the /download switch with the Office Deployment Tool
Use the /packager switch with the Office Deployment Tool
Use the /extract switch with the Office Deployment Tool
Use the /help switch with the Office Deployment Tool
Use the /version switch with the Office Deployment Tool
Use the /remove switch with the Office Deployment Tool
Use the /repair switch with the Office Deployment Tool
Use the /changesetting switch with the Office Deployment Tool
Use the /changeuser switch with the Office Deployment Tool
Use the /includelatest switch with the Office Deployment Tool
Use the /matchinstalled switch with the Office Deployment Tool
Use the /forceappshutdown switch with the Office Deployment Tool
Use the /display switch with the Office Deployment Tool
Use the /quiet switch with the Office Deployment Tool
Use the /norestart switch with the Office Deployment Tool
Use the /deferred switch with the Office Deployment Tool
Use the /sourcepath switch with the Office Deployment Tool
Use the /logpath switch with the Office Deployment Tool
Go to and click on Download.
Select your preferred language from the drop-down menu and click on Download again.
Save the officedeploymenttool.exe file to your computer and run it.
Extract the ODT files to a folder of your choice. You should see several files, including setup.exe and some sample configuration.xml files.
How to Create a Configuration.xml File?
The next step is to create a configuration.xml file, which is a text file that contains instructions for the ODT on how to download, install, or update Office. You can use any text editor, such as Notepad, to create or edit this file. You can also use the , which is a web-based tool that helps you create and modify configuration.xml files.
The configuration.xml file has several elements and attributes that you can customize according to your needs. For example, you can specify the product ID, the channel, the version, the source path, the language, the architecture, the update settings, the display settings, and the exclude or remove settings of your Office installation. For a complete reference of the configuration.xml file schema, see .
Here is an example of a configuration.xml file that downloads and installs Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise in English and French, 64-bit, from the Office CDN, with monthly updates and no user interface:
<Configuration> <Add OfficeClientEdition="64" Channel="Monthly"> <Product ID="O365ProPlusRetail"> <Language ID="en-us" /> <Language ID="fr-fr" /> </Product> </Add> <Updates Enabled="TRUE" /> <Display Level="None" AcceptEULA="TRUE" /> </Configuration>
How to Download the Office Installation Files?
Once you have created your configuration.xml file, you can use the ODT to download the Office installation files to your computer or a network share. This can save you time and bandwidth when you install Office on multiple devices. To download the installation files, follow these steps:
Open a command prompt as an administrator and navigate to the folder where you extracted the ODT files.
Type setup.exe /download configuration.xml and press Enter. Replace configuration.xml with the name of your configuration file if you named it differently.
Wait for the download to complete. You should see a folder named Office in the same location as your ODT files. This folder contains the installation files for Office.
If you want to download the installation files from a local source instead of the Office CDN, you can specify the source path in your configuration.xml file using the SourcePath attribute. For example:
<Configuration> <Add SourcePath="\\server\share\Office" OfficeClientEdition="64" Channel="Monthly"> <Product ID="O365ProPlusRetail"> <Language ID="en-us" /> <Language ID="fr-fr" /> </Product> </Add> <Updates Enabled="TRUE" /> <Display Level="None" AcceptEULA="TRUE" /> </Configuration>
How to Install Office Using the Office Deployment Tool?
After you have downloaded the installation files, you can use the ODT to install Office on your device or devices. To install Office using the ODT, follow these steps:
Open a command prompt as an administrator and navigate to the folder where you extracted the ODT files.
Type setup.exe /configure configuration.xml and press Enter. Replace configuration.xml with the name of your configuration file if you named it differently.
Wait for the installation to complete. You should see a message that says The installation completed successfully.
If you want to install Office on multiple devices at once, you can use a software distribution tool like Configuration Manager or Intune to run the ODT commands remotely. For more information on how to do this, see .
How to Update Office Using the Office Deployment Tool?
The ODT also allows you to update Office to a newer version or switch to a different update channel. To update Office using the ODT, follow these steps:
Create or modify your configuration.xml file to specify the version and channel of Office that you want to update to. For example, if you want to update to version 2106 of Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise on the semi-annual enterprise channel, your configuration.xml file should look like this:
<Configuration> <Add OfficeClientEdition="64" Channel="Broad"> <Product ID="O365ProPlusRetail"> <Language ID="en-us" /> <Language ID="fr-fr" /> </Product> </Add> <Updates Version="16.0.14131.20278" /> <Disp