Yes. While some upgrades might work, it is strongly recommended to perform a clean removal to avoid conflicts, licensing errors, and installation failures.
If you prefer not to use Microsoft's tool or want more options, several excellent third-party utilities are designed for deep software removal. Many of these are more aggressive than SaRA and are often based on the same underlying Microsoft "OffScrub" technology, making them powerful alternatives.
Traces of older versions (like Office 2016) conflict with newer deployments (like Microsoft 365). ms office removal tool
| Error Code / Message | Cause | Fix | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Background Office processes still running. | Kill OSPPREARM.exe and ClickToRunSvc via Task Manager, then retry. | | "SaRA cannot remove MSI-based Office" | Windows Installer service is corrupt. | Run msiexec /unregister then msiexec /regserver in admin CMD. | | Removal succeeds but activation data remains | Tokens stored in C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Licensing . | Manually delete that folder after running SaRA. | | Tool says "No Office found" but Start menu shows icons | Corrupt uninstall registry keys. | Use Revo Uninstaller Free (portable mode) or manually delete registry keys under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Office . |
Scroll to the "Option 2 - Completely uninstall Office with the uninstall support tool" section. Many of these are more aggressive than SaRA
Note: To see the AppData folder, you must enable "Hidden items" under the View tab in File Explorer. 3. Clear the Windows Registry
Click Install and then Agree to the service agreement. | Kill OSPPREARM
No, the Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant is designed strictly for Windows operating systems. To completely remove Office from a Mac, you must manually move the Office applications to the Trash and clear out the associated container files from the user ~/Library/Containers directory. What should I do if the tool gets stuck?
