Which versions of Office are supported on Windows 8 and on Surface with Windows RT?
Window 8
With the recent launch of Windows 8, you might be asking "Which versions of Office can I deploy to Windows 8 computers?" Well, the following versions of Office are supported on Windows 8 (and on Windows Server 2012, too):
- Office 2013
- Office 2010
- Office 2007
If you are considering deploying Office 2013, be sure to check out System Requirements for Office 2013, as well as other compatibility and deployment information in the Office 2013 library on TechNet.
In addition to the versions of OneNote and Lync that are available in Office 2013, there are also separate versions of OneNote and Lync that have been specifically designed to take advantage of the touch capabilities of Windows 8. Both of these apps are available for free through the Windows Store. For more information, see the following:
- OneNote and Lync Come to Windows Store blog post on the Office News blog
- Lync app
- OneNote app
- Demo of OneNote on a Windows 8 touch device from the Office 15-minute Webinar series
A few things you need to consider about these apps:
- These apps can't be configured or managed by using Group Policy.
- Updates to these apps come through the Windows Store, not Windows Update.
- The apps can be installed and run side-by-side on the same computer as the Office 2013 versions.
- The OneNote app doesn't support saving OneNote files to the local hard drive. You must save the files to a network location, like SkyDrive or SharePoint.
You can use Group Policy to block user access to the Windows Store and to specify a list of supported apps. Group Policy settings for the Windows Store are under Administrative TemplatesWindows ComponentsStore. For more information, see Managing Client Access to the Windows Store.
Office on Demand, Office Web Apps, and apps for Office are also supported on Windows 8.
To find out whether other applications that your users are using will work on Windows 8, go to the Windows Compatibility Center.
Surface with Windows RT
The recent launch of Windows 8 also saw the launch of the Microsoft Surface device. The Microsoft Surface devices that are currently available run Windows RT. Windows RT is an edition of Windows 8 that is pre-installed on PCs and tablets (for example, the Microsoft Surface) that are powered by ARM processors.
So, your next question probably is "How do I deploy Office to a Surface with Windows RT device?" Actually, Windows RT already comes with Microsoft Office Home & Student 2013 RT installed. Office Home & Student 2013 RT includes the following applications:
- Word 2013 RT
- Excel 2013 RT
- PowerPoint 2013 RT
- OneNote 2013 RT
This version of Office has most of the same features as the Office Home & Student 2013 version that you can install on a PC. However, there are some differences. To see a list of those differences, check out the "What Office Home & Student 2013 features are unavailable in Office Home & Student 2013 RT?" section in Introducing Office Home & Student 2013 RT Preview.
A couple of key things to note about Office and Windows RT devices:
- Office Home & Student 2013 RT does not include Outlook. Windows RT does include Internet Explorer, so you can use Outlook Web Access (OWA) to access Exchange Server-hosted e-mail. You can also use the Mail app that is included in Windows RT to access your e-mail.
- The first wave of Windows RT devices that ship have the Preview edition of Office Home & Student 2013 RT. When the final edition of Office Home & Student 2013 RT is available, Windows Update will automatically update the device to the final edition.
- You cannot install any other version of Office on to a device that is running Windows RT. This includes Office 365 ProPlus. Only apps from the Windows Store (for example, the OneNote app and the Lync app) can be installed on Windows RT. In the future, Microsoft Surface devices that run Windows 8 Pro will be available. Windows 8 Pro supports the installation of other versions of Office. [For more information about Office and the Surface with Windows 8 Pro, see the more recent blog post Office and the Microsoft Surface with Windows 8 Pro device — what's supported?]
- Office Web Apps and apps for Office are also supported on Windows RT, although you might experience some issues with installing apps for Office in the Preview edition. Those issues should be resolved after you update to the final edition of Office Home & Student 2013 RT.
- A device that is running Windows RT cannot be joined to an Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) domain. Therefore, you can't use Group Policy to manage and control the configuration of Office installed on a Windows RT device.
Here are some other resources about Windows RT and Office that you might want to look at:
- If you are interested in learning more about how Office is optimized for Windows RT, see the Building Office for Windows RT blog post on the Office Next blog.
- For more information about Windows RT, see Windows RT: Frequently asked questions.
- If you want to more technical details about Windows 8 for the ARM processor, see the Building Windows for the ARM processor architecture blog post on the Building Windows 8 blog.
- For a feature comparison between Windows 8 and Windows RT, see the Announcing the Windows 8 Editions blog post on the Blogging Windows blog.
Comments
Anonymous
January 01, 2003
I have a windows 8 HP pavilion G6 laptop, I have an Microsoft office enterprise 2007 version of the office, when I run the installation everything is fine until I receive the browse installation source halfway through the I click the cd as this is the installation and it accepts it but does not install any further after two minutes or so it asks again for an installation source? Anyone Help me?Anonymous
January 01, 2003
good to see there is plenty of help!!!!! I have the same problem i.e. new windows 8 and trying to load 2007... has anyone got any advice???Anonymous
January 01, 2003
Thanks for sharing - makes things much more easier and good to know that only the RT editions of Office are installable on Windows RT devices.Anonymous
September 07, 2013
I have just got a new laptop with windows 8, i've tried to put microsoft office 2007 on it but it keeps saying the error message that the code i've put in is not for office 2013 so it wont let me put microsoft office 2007 on it.Anonymous
September 12, 2013
I'm the same. I've purchased a new laptop with windows 8, an tried to put Microsoft office 2010 on it but kept getting the error messageAnonymous
September 17, 2013
@Ronak & Tina Did you guys make sure that your version of office has a license for installing on multiple devices? that might be your problem. ;)Anonymous
September 18, 2013
can i install ms office win 7 desktop to win 8 laptopAnonymous
October 04, 2013
I also just purchased a new laptop with Windows 8 and cannot install Office 2010. I can install on different devices but still no luck. Just tells me I need 2013. What can I do?Anonymous
October 12, 2013
Hi, I want to uninstall the Microsoft Office 2007 i have currently on the PC i am using and install it on the new one... using the same Product key. How can I do that?Anonymous
October 17, 2013
I have the same problem, I don't think that you are allowed to have anything but 2013 on windows 8, it can "support" (possibly meaning run) office 2007 and 2010, but I have spent 2 hours trying to download 2010, but it looks like I will have to buy 2013 to use itAnonymous
October 27, 2013
I hv recently bought a laptop and I am unable to install google chrome,vlc media player and I am unable connect internet.pls suggest wat to do....................Anonymous
November 01, 2013
I have a new laptop and I am struggling to download microsoft office professional 2007, is this because I have windows 8? or am I doing something wrong? I've tried putting the disc in but the laptop just isn't reading it and loading ? help?Anonymous
November 08, 2013
I thought it must just be me! It is reassuring (and frustrating) to learn that others cannot install Office 2010 on a new Windows 8 laptop. Comments by others all apply to my situation. Could someone please help us all out?Anonymous
November 10, 2013
Please help - I have the same prob......the product key on my disc won't install on Windows 8 new laptop.Anonymous
November 11, 2013
I have a new laptop with Windows 8 and I installed Office 2007 and I wrote a paper on it and it would not open the paper for days saying there was an error. I clicked recover data and all my words on my paper are gone. There are only random symbols on it. I am thinking Office 2007 is not going to work with my computer! any suggestions?Anonymous
November 15, 2013
I read somewhere about making sure when you browse to the files that they are associated with the program (Icon displays correct). I think you can browse to the file location, right click on the file icon and associate it as an Excel or Word file. then try to open. Does this help solve the problem? I am considering buying a Win8 laptop but need to use a Access 2007.Anonymous
February 04, 2014
I have Windows 8.1 on my new pc but want to load Microsoft Office 2007 on it. Will that work???Anonymous
February 25, 2014
I have Winows 8 and installed MS office 2007 no problem. It runs all applications without problems.Anonymous
March 01, 2014
Same Q as Penitent! Any advice would be helpful. Thanks.
PegAnonymous
March 13, 2014
i really want to buy windows 7 or 8.i am confused which one is better. plzzzzzzz.....help meAnonymous
March 15, 2014
i've installed microsoft office 2010 onto my laptop running windows 8.1 but i can't find it any where on the hard drive. any suggestions?Anonymous
March 20, 2014
I used this site for downloading MS office 2010 with the product key I already bought for my Surface Pro: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/buy/using-your-office-2010-product-key-card-FX101853163.aspxAnonymous
March 24, 2014
I have 8.1 and I am running Office 2007 Pro w/o issues, other than a periodic message from Outlook prompting for Password. I believe there's a fix for that too, just haven't tried anything yet.Anonymous
April 04, 2014
The comment has been removedAnonymous
April 07, 2014
I can't upload my m office 2007 on my new loptap with window 8.1Anonymous
April 15, 2014
i've installed microsoft office 2010 onto my laptop running windows 8.1 but i can't find it any where on the hard drive. any suggestions?Anonymous
May 10, 2014
I want to purchase microsoft office 2010 professional for use on my new HP laptop with windows 8.1. I don't care about touch screen capability. I just want to know if it will install and work properly.Anonymous
June 25, 2014
The comment has been removedAnonymous
June 30, 2014
Having this exact same issue currently, was considering uninstalling windows 8 & installing windows 7 again just so I can continue using my MS Office Professional 7! How ridiculous that it's so difficult to upload a supposedly compatible MS program. I also have issue with it only allowing for a 2013 MS product code. If anyone can enlighten me as to how they successfully installed MS Office 7 on theirs I'd really appreciate it.Anonymous
July 28, 2014
The comment has been removedAnonymous
August 10, 2014
Have installed Office Professional 2010 onto new laptop Windows 8.1 - all my graphics were previously easily saved to PDF format from Publisher and without degradation of quality. I have Adobe Reader Xi on new laptop but it keeps indicating I am not a supported file type - I have tried everything - can anyone help?Anonymous
August 11, 2014
Same product key problem as others installing Office Pro 2007 on Win 8.0. I'm wondering wether it would help to uninstall the trial copy of Office 2013 - any advice please?Anonymous
August 12, 2014
See mine of 11 Aug. I followed advice and phoned to register Office Pro 2007. Automated registration and at the end I was told that it could not be registered as it may be a fraudulent copy. It is not - I bought it in original packaging and it has all the authentic marks. Please can anyone tell me how to sort this out with Microsoft? I don't want to have to buy 2013 version.Anonymous
August 18, 2014
I have just tried to use Word 2013 on my new PC. It has downloaded, but is not possible to use.Anonymous
August 21, 2014
have been told by computer shop that microsoft office 2007 is not compatible with windows 8 and I need to buy the latest one are they being truthful as it says on this sight it will work, thankyouAnonymous
August 26, 2014
Thanks M H, that site you suggested worksAnonymous
September 03, 2014
The comment has been removedAnonymous
October 14, 2014
uninstalled office app in windows 8.1 then office2007 worked okAnonymous
November 29, 2014
I have office 2007 on my laptop & office 2013 RT on surface 2. Can I work simultaneously on both versions by switching my Pen drive ?Anonymous
December 16, 2014
I bought new windows 8.1 laptop and i tried to install office 2010 but it is not getting installed. Please provide solution to this problem.Anonymous
December 25, 2014
Dear all,
just installed my MS Office 2007 version (which I also bought in 2007 and have been running on Windows XP and Windows 7 since then) on a brandnew Acer Aspire V17 Nitro. Very surprisingly the installation ran without any problems and I was able to open e.g. PPT, XLS or Access without problems.
One year ago I had all these problems described in the notes above on another Acer with Win8 and I returned the laptop to the shop because nobody was able to give me a good solution and it is not my role as a client to resolve product flaws.
This time I remember my dealer saying in case of problems I should deactivate Office 2013. And then install my office 2007 thereafter. But this time I had good luck. My advice: Ask the dealer for a solution. If he can't help return the computer and don't ruin your day.Anonymous
December 30, 2014
I just had the same problem. Have a brand new Acer laptop with Windows 8.1 and purchased Office 2010 as a download. I got the message that my product key was not recognized as a valid Office 2013 product key. I was able to ignore that message and went directly to the Office applications to open them without registering the product key (or it did it automatically without telling me). To find the applications, I selected the 'down arrow' from the 'start' page with the tiles and the applications were all listed. I then pinned the applications to the 'start' page with the tiles as well as the task bar. Hope this helps someone elseAnonymous
December 30, 2014
An employer bought an all-in-one computer with Windows 8. After several tries we installed Microsoft 2010 onto it; but I was having problems with the program formatting for word acting up. Underlines would appear in areas where it hadn't been used. The original author of the document insisted he did not use underlines the way they appeared. Font styles changed on captions. It was very difficult fix and deal with. Why would this kinds of problem happenAnonymous
March 18, 2015
So what is the verdict? I have windows 8.1 and want to load word 2010on it. Will it work?Anonymous
March 28, 2015
noAnonymous
May 25, 2015
hi all
I have a windows 8.1 installed on my pc and have tried vainly to install visio 2007. it always popped up on the screen '' missing msvcr80.dll '' .. pls does anyone have an idea of how to sort that?
thx in advanceAnonymous
June 08, 2015
thanks people. I shall not even try to install Microsoft Word on my brand new laptop. It is not worth the aggravation. I am still getting acquainted with Windows 8.1 and from what I have read, it is not particularly wonderful. My old computer uses Windows XP, which Microsoft no longer supports. Anything for the almighty dollar.Anonymous
June 14, 2015
I have just re-installed Windows 8.1 and could not install Office 2003.
The simple so9lution to the problem was.
Invoke the Administrator account and then install Office this should also work for other office versions.
The administrator account allows you to install office programs that MS say are not supported such as 2003 vers or 2000 vers. I could not find this fix any where. however it overcomes the inconsistencies in a user account privileges providing full access for an installation.Anonymous
August 18, 2015
I have a question.My wife just got a new laptop with Windows 8 and may upgrade to win-10. She bought the Office Home and Student 2010 for her old laptop that ran Win-7 so my question is will the software work on the new laptop or does she have to buy something new ?Anonymous
August 24, 2015
LOL, so many people thinking this poor blogpost is a place for answering all their support questions.. no, in fact its not :)Anonymous
November 24, 2015
if office 2003 is supported on windows server 2012