Custom Office 365 Install using Office Deployment Tool (ODT)

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If you’re managing multiple machines (e.g. in an org), you often don’t want to install everything that comes with Office by default. You might want:

  • Only Word, Excel, Outlook (no Access, Publisher, etc.)

  • A specific update channel (Monthly, Semi-Annual, etc.)

  • Language packs or proofing tools

  • Shared computer activation or shared licensing mode

  • Disabling certain features or telemetry

config.office.com + ODT gives you control in a reproducible way.

Step 1: Create your configuration via config.office.com

Microsoft provides a web UI for generating the XML configuration file that the Office Deployment Tool reads. Here’s how:

  1. Go to config.office.com and click “Create” → Deployment configuration (or similar).



  2. In the UI, you’ll see options like:

    • Product / Suite: Choose “Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise” (or whichever SKU you need).

    • Installation options:

      • Choose Version/Update channel (Current, Monthly Enterprise, Semi-Annual, etc.)

      • Choose Architecture (32-bit vs 64-bit)

    • Apps: Tick or untick which apps you want (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, etc.)

    • Languages: Select your desired language(s)

    • Licensing / Activation: e.g. shared computer activation

    • Update settings: e.g. how often to check for updates, whether to use CDN or local distribution points

    • Other settings: e.g. block macros, remove Office from existing installations, logging level, etc.

  3. Once you’re happy, you click choose “Office deployment XML” that’s compatible with the Office Deployment Tool.

  4. Save that XML file — e.g. customOfficeConfig.xml.

Now you have a config file describing exactly what you want your Office install to look like.

Step 2: Download and run the Office Deployment Tool (ODT)

The Office Deployment Tool is a small executable + a sample config XML that you use to actually download and install Office on target machines.

  1. Download the latest Office Deployment Tool from Microsoft’s site.

  2. Run the .exe and extract its contents to a folder, e.g.

    C:\Temp\ODT

    Inside, you’ll see:

    • setup.exe

    • A sample configuration.xml (you can ignore or backup it)

  3. Put your customOfficeConfig.xml (that you have generated from step 1) into the same folder, or somewhere convenient.

Step 3: Install on target machines

Open CMD as Admin, navigate to the C:\Temp\ODT, then run:

.\setup.exe /configure customOfficeConfig.xml

What this does:

  • It will install Office on that machine per your specified settings: which apps, which update channel, activation settings, etc.

  • It can take time depending on download + installation size.

Tips, caveats & gotchas

  • Test in a VM first — always validate your configuration before rolling out.

  • The update channel setting is critical — make sure it matches what your org supports.

  • If your config is invalid (e.g. misses a language or tries to include incompatible apps) ODT will error.

  • Office tends to cache downloads and logs — monitor disk space.

  • For shared computer activation, make sure that the license settings in your tenant support it.

  • If you want future edits, keep a “master” config in source control.

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