Feb 18, 2019 Open any Microsoft Office application. You can open Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Outlook. To access any of the Office apps on your Mac, click the desktop and click Go in the top menu bar, and then select Applications in the drop-down menu. It's in the menu bar at the top of the screen. Aug 03, 2016 Microsoft releases 64-bit Office for Mac: The secret to getting it by Erik Eckel in Software on August 3, 2016, 11:16 AM PST Microsoft released an early 64-bit version of its Office for Mac suite.
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Office 365 ProPlus is being renamed to Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise. For more information about this change, read this blog post.
Summary
Existing Office 2016 for Mac customers will be seamlessly upgraded to 64-bit versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote as part of the August product release (version 15.25). This affects customers of all license types: Retail, Office 365 Consumer, Office 365 Commercial, and Volume License installations.
Deployment options for the 64-bit update
AutoUpdate (MAU)
Customers who use Microsoft AutoUpdate (MAU) to keep their Office applications up-to-date will see a 'regular' monthly update notification when their selected channel is upgraded to 64-bit builds. Depending on which version is installed on the local computer, MAU will offer either a delta or full update. The update package size does not change between 32-bit and 64-bit versions. Also, MAU can deliver a delta update when applicable to update a user from 32-bit to 64-bit applications. Therefore, customers won't experience a sharp increase in download activity. For the release to the Production channel, customers will see '(64-bit)' in the update title to make them aware that this is a 64-bit update.
For information about how to use the MAU, see Check for Office for Mac updates automatically.
Manual updates
The August release of Office for Mac is available for manual download. The following file provides a 64-bit package to replace existing 32-bit applications with 64-bit variants during installation:
Download the Microsoft Office 2016 for Mac August update package now.
Virus-scan claim
Microsoft scanned this file for viruses, using the most current virus-detection software that was available on the date that the file was posted. The file is stored on security-enhanced servers that help prevent any unauthorized changes to it.
Volume License Service Center
Volume License customers typically get their Office 2016 software from the Volume License Service Center (VLSC). These builds are refreshed infrequently and are typically aligned with new language editions. The VLSC will continue to offer 32-bit installers (15.23) until November 2016. However, all updater packages that are released after August will be based on 64-bit builds. Therefore, a VLSC customer who updates either manually or through AutoUpdate will be transitioned to 64-bit builds.
More Information
64-bit only
The Mac operating system has been 64-bit for several years. Unlike for Windows, there's no choice between running a 32-bit or 64-bit version of the Mac operating system. Similarly, we won't offer a choice between 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Office 2016 for Mac. After each 'channel' is transitioned per the rollout schedule, only 64-bit builds will be available.
Effect on third-party applications and add-ins
The transition to 64-bit Office for Mac was announced on the Office developer blog in April 2016. This website is the primary reference for third-party vendors to understand the change and the effect on their products. IT Pros will want to understand which compiled add-ins are deployed to the users whom they manage so that they can assess the effect of the upgrade. The following Microsoft Office website summarizes the issues that affect the more common add-ins that are used together with Office 2016 for Mac:
Tools for inspecting product architecture
Microsoft Office For Mac Download
To verify the architecture of an Office application (that is, to understand whether you have a 32-bit or 64-bit build), start the application, open the Activity Monitor, and then enable the Kind column.
Microsoft Office Mac 64 Bit Upgrade
You can also use the file command in a terminal session to inspect the binary. For this use, type file -N <path of binary>.This method can be used with for any binary file, including third-party add-ins.
The file command returns one of three values.
| Return value | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Mach-O 64-bit executable x86_64 | 64-bit binary |
| Mach-O executable i386 | 32-bit binary |
| Mach-O 64-bit executable x86_64 | FAT binary (compatible with both 32-bit and 64-bit processes) |
| Mach-O executable i386 | FAT binary (compatible with both 32-bit and 64-bit processes) |
Options for reverting to 32-bit installations
There may be situations in which the customer has to change code that's not 64-bit ready. If customers can't immediately move forward to 64-bit builds, we will make available a one-time 32-bit update for the 15.25 release in addition to the default 64-bit updates. The 32-bit updates will be available only for manual download from the Office CDN.
The latest 32-bit release of Office 2016 for Mac (15.25.160818) can be downloaded from https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=823192.
Customers who manually install the 32-bit release won't be offered the 64-bit version of 15.25 through MAU. However, MAU will offer the 64-bit version of 15.26 in September 2016. Therefore, customers have a limited time to remain on 32-bit builds.
If a customer has already upgraded to the 64-bit update of Office for Mac 15.25 and wants to revert to the 32-bit version, follow these steps:
- Exit all open Office 2016 applications.
- Start Safari, and then browse to https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=823192 to start the download of the 32-bit installer.
- Double-click the downloaded package, and then follow the instructions.
The 64-bit installation has a build date of 160817. The 32-bit version has a build date of 160818.
Windows users have been able to run 64 bit releases Office since 2010. While the Mac has fully transitioned to 64-bit computing since the launch of 2009’s Snow Leopard; many apps remain limited to the 32-bit memory address space. Last year, Microsoft launched Office 2016 for Mac; introducing greater feature parity with the Office 2016 release for Windows. A year later, Office for Mac finally sees the release of the first 64-bit revision.
The update provides increased benefits such as the ability to work on larger data sets in Excel 2016 and complex documents in Microsoft Word. For now, the 64-bit release is limited to user’s who are part of the Office Insider Program, launched in November of 2015. The Office Insider Program is similar to the Windows Insider Program and provides early access to new features and functionality before they are generally available.
Office 2016 for Mac 64 Bit Now Available
Before users take the plunge and install the 64-bit update, please be aware of the lack of compatibility with third party add-ons. Add-ons themselves are a new feature addition to Office for the Mac. If you depend on a third-party add-on, you should avoid the upgrade for now.
What does this change mean for me?
- If you use Office 2016 for Mac but don’t use any add-ins, you should be unaffected by this change.
- If you use or develop add-ins in Office 2016 for Mac, you may need to update those add-ins to 64-bit.
- Please note: If you use the Thomson Reuters EndNote Cite While You Write (CWYW) add-in for Word 2016 for Mac, and you need a 64-bit version of the add-in, consider joining the EndNote beta testing program. Once you sign up, you’ll receive a beta version of the 64-bit CWYW add-in. Any feedback you provide will help ensure that the add-in for EndNote is fully compatible with the 64-bit version of Word 2016 for Mac.
I develop add-ins or write VBA for Office 2016 for Mac. What do I need to know?
The primary impact of this change is to compiled add-ins. Office add-ins (add-ins using the JavaScript-based APIs) are not impacted by this change.
The work required to update your add-ins for 64-bit will vary based on the code.
For example, any use of VBA’s DECLARE statement to load external functions in compiled dynamic libraries will require that those libraries support 64-bit. The VBA code itself will continue to work as VBA is transitioned to 64-bit, but you’ll need to update the external libraries. Source
How to install Office 2016 for Mac 64 bit
Launch any Office 2016 for Mac application such as Word or Excel, click Help > Check for Updates. If there are any available updates for the Microsoft Auto Update app, install them first.
Launch Check for Updates again then check the box to Join the Insider program. Click in the list box, change the setting to Fast, then click Check for Updates. Proceed to download and install the available updates.
That’s pretty much it. To confirm you are running a 64-bit version of Word or Excel, launch Activity Monitor, right-click in the tabs at the top of the CPU view, then enable the kind field. The app will now show you which processes are 32-bit or 64-bit.
Microsoft Office 64 Bit Upgrade For Mac
On a side note, Microsoft released a 15.24 update for Office Insiders on the slow ring. The update adds a lot of user facing functionality such as easier ways to share files, manipulate objects, improved drawing tools and tablet support. If you experience problems installing Office updates for Mac, be sure to check out our previous article with instructions how to fix it. To get up to speed with some of the new features, take a look at our other Office guides, such as the new Full-Screen View in Outlook 2016 and keyboard Shortcuts.