Updating your Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) client applications ensures you have the latest features, security patches, and performance improvements. The method described in the provided reference focuses on manually updating the Office client application directly through its interface, a common process for individual installations which can also be performed on a server environment where the Office client is installed and accessible via GUI.
Steps for Manual Update via Office Application
This process involves opening any Office application installed on the server and accessing the update options within the account settings.
Here is how to manually check for and install updates for your Microsoft 365 client application:
- Open an Office App: Begin by launching any Microsoft 365 application, such as Word or Excel, that you have installed on the server.
- Open a Blank Document: Create or open any document. For simplicity, opening a Blank document is recommended.
- Click on File: In the open document window, click on the File tab in the upper-left corner.
- Click on Account: From the menu that appears on the left-hand side, select the Account option.
- Initiate Update: Look for the Update Options drop-down menu. Click on it, and then select Update Now to check for and install available updates.
Following these steps will prompt the Office application to connect to Microsoft's servers, check for any pending updates for your specific version and channel, and download/install them if found. A dialog box will typically appear showing the progress of the download and installation. You may be prompted to close any open Office applications during the installation process.
This method is effective for updating the Office client application installed directly on a server OS, provided it is not being centrally managed by other tools like Configuration Manager or Group Policy, which are more common for large-scale server deployments.
