Part 3 – Checking and cleaning up after removing Office and preparing to install Microsoft 365

Applies to:

Microsoft 365

Office 2024

Office LTSC 2024

Office 2021

Office LTSC 2021

Office 2019

Office 2016

Office 2013

Office 2010

Office 2007

Goal of the cleanup step
Restart the machine
Check whether Office has been uninstalled
Check Office applications
Clean up the temporary files folder
Check for remaining Office folders
Update Windows
Check disk space
Temporarily disable antivirus software (if needed)
Preparing for the Microsoft 365 installation step

1. Purpose of the cleanup step

After removing Office with Microsoft's official tools, run a few checks to confirm the system is ready for reinstallation.

The goal of this step is:

Confirm no old Office version remains.
Removes temporary files that are no longer needed.
Make sure Windows is in a stable state.
Reduces the risk of errors while installing Microsoft 365.

2. Restart the machine

Once the Office removal is complete:

Save all work in progress.
Restart the computer.

Restarting lets Windows finish deleting files that were in use and apply the system changes.

3. Check whether Office has been completely removed

Check in Settings

Open:

Settings → Apps → Installed apps

Look for items such as:

Microsoft 365
Microsoft Office
Office Professional
Office Standard
Office Home & Student
Office Home & Business
Visio
Project

If these items no longer appear, the basic removal is complete.

Check in Control Panel

Open:

Control Panel → Programs → Programs and Features

Confirm that no removed Office suites remain.

4. Check the Start menu

Open the Start menu and search for:

Word
Excel
PowerPoint
Outlook
Access
Publisher
OneNote

If the icon is still there but the application will not open, it is usually just a leftover shortcut. You can delete the shortcut without affecting the system.

5. Clean up temporary files

Windows keeps many temporary files during software installation and removal.

Use Disk Cleanup

Press Windows + R.
Type:

cleanmgr

Select the system drive (usually C:).
Select items such as:
- Temporary files
- Temporary Internet Files
- Delivery Optimization Files
- Thumbnails
Press OK to clean up.

Note: do not delete items unless you understand what they do.

6. Check for remaining Office folders

After removing Office, some data or configuration folders may still remain. This is not necessarily a sign that the removal failed.

You can check locations such as:

The Office installation folder in Program Files or Program Files (x86).
Shared data folder in ProgramData.
User configuration folder in AppData (Local or Roaming).

If the folders contain only logs or old configuration files and no Office program is still installed, you may consider deleting them after taking a backup if needed.

7. Update Windows

A fully updated operating system makes the Microsoft 365 installation more reliable.

Open:

Settings → Windows Update

Select:

Check for updates

If an update is available:

Install.
Restart the machine.
Check again until no important updates remain.

8. Check disk space

Microsoft 365 needs enough space to download and install.

Recommendation:

Minimum: 4 GB of free space.
Recommended: 10 GB or more to allow for updates and later use.

9. Temporarily disable antivirus software (if needed)

Some third-party security software can interfere with the installation.

If you hit an error while installing Microsoft 365:

Temporarily disable your antivirus software's real-time protection (if your organization's policy permits it).
Once installation is complete, turn it back on immediately.

Do not remove your security software entirely just to install Office.