Updated information on MS Update the wipes out factor installed instances of MS Office 2016, 2019, 2021, and 2024
Posted September 27, 2026
This post updates our September 25 article. When we first published, Microsoft had not acknowledged that KB5002907 was deactivating or removing Office. That is no longer true, and we want to correct the record
What Microsoft has confirmed
On September 26, Microsoft paused the rollout of KB5002907 and revised its support notice for the update. The notice now says Microsoft is investigating unexpected results on some devices running Office 2016 or Office 2019, and that the update's repair action left some devices without a working version of Office.
Microsoft describes two outcomes. In some cases Office shows as unlicensed, and the fix is to reactivate the product. In rare cases Office is removed entirely, and the fix is to reinstall it. We are seeing the latter more often in our cases.
What is still unknown
Microsoft has not given a cause, a permanent fix, or a date for when the update might return. Its notice names only Office 2016 and 2019. Some news coverage also lists Office 2021, and we have seen Office 2021 and Office 2024 affected on client machines with OEM licenses, ones that came preinstalled on Dell computers. We have asked Microsoft to confirm whether those versions are in scope.
One IT provider has suggested that the update removes and reinstalls Office as part of its repair, and that the reinstall fails when 32-bit Office is installed alongside a 64-bit Access Runtime. Microsoft has not confirmed this, but it is worth checking on any computer where Office disappeared completely.
What to do if you are affected
If Office shows Unlicensed Product, reactivate it by signing in with the Microsoft account used to set it up and re-run the setup. If it is unlicensed, you repair it by entering the original product key.
If Office is missing, reinstall the edition you purchased. Documents and Outlook data files are not deleted by the removal.
Do not install KB5002907 while it is paused.
