The Office Customization Tool offers a web-based interface that creates configuration files that you can use to deploy Office at scale. Like the ODT, you can define which applications and languages are installed and how the Office applications will be updated.
To use the Office Customization Tool, as shown in Figure 4-5, go to https://config.office.com/deploymentsettings and optionally sign in using a Global Administrator account.
FIGURE 4-5 Configuring Office using the Office Customization Tool
Within the Office Customization Tool, you will choose the products, languages, and application preferences to configure. For example, you can configure the following settings.
- 64-bit German version of Microsoft 365 Apps
- All Microsoft 365 Apps except Access
- Automatically accept the EULA
Microsoft recommends that you uninstall any previous versions of Office before installing volume-licensed versions of Office 2019 or 2021 products. When using the Office Deployment Tool, you can use the RemoveMSI element in your configuration.xml file to uninstall versions of Office that use the Windows Installer installation technology.
Follow these steps to create a configuration file using the Office Customization Tool that can be used to install a customized version of Office.
- Launch the Office Customization Tool at https://config.office.com/deploymentsettings and sign in as a Global Administrator.
- In the Product and releases section, choose the architecture you want to deploy—either the 32-bit or 64-bit version of Office. You can deploy one architecture per configuration file.
- Choose the products and apps you want to deploy. You can choose Office Suites, Visio, Project, and other products such as Skype for Business Basic 2019 and Language Packs.
- Choose the update channel, which will be determined by the products you select in Step 3.
- Choose which version you want to deploy. Typically, this is the latest available version. Use the toggles under the Turn apps on or off to include or exclude them from being deployed section to select the desired apps and select Next.
- In the Language section, choose which primary language you require. You can include additional languages. You can use the option to Match Operating System, which will automatically install the same languages used on the client device. Select Next.
- In the Installation section, choose whether to install the Office files directly or from the cloud:
• Office Content Delivery Network (CDN) from a location on your network
• Local source
• Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager - Choose whether the installation is displayed to the users and whether the process can shut down any running applications. Select Next.
- In the Update and upgrade section, choose whether to install the Office files directly or from the cloud:
• Office Content Delivery Network (CDN) from a location on your network.
• Local source
• Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager - Choose whether the installation process will automatically check for updates.
- In the Upgrade section, choose whether to uninstall all MSI-versions of Office, including Visio and Project, and whether to automatically install the same language versions as the removed MSI-version of Office. Select Next.
- In the Licensing and activation section, choose between User based, Shared Computer, and Device based licensing. Select Next.
- In the General section, you can provide your organization name and a description that will populate the Company property on Office documents. Select Next.
- In the Application preferences section, choose what preferences to apply for when deploying Office. There are more than 30 options to fine-tune the behavior of Office. Most settings can be configured or set to True, False, or Not configured.
- Select Finish. You can review the configured settings in the right-hand pane throughout the configuration process.
- Once complete, you can select Export. Before creating the file, you must specify the default file format that Office uses or choose Keep Current Settings to keep the current settings. File formats can be either Office Open XML formats or OpenDocument formats. Select OK.
- Accept the terms in the license agreement, then provide a name for the configuration file, and then select Export.
After creating the configuration files, you can now use the file in your deployment workflow with the Office Deployment Tool or another software distribution solution.