Microsoft has paused the rollout of update KB5002907 after multiple reports that it deactivated, or in rare cases entirely removed, perpetual Office 2016 and Office 2019 installations. The update, labeled an “optional update for out-of-date Microsoft 365 Apps installations,” was intended for Windows PCs running Microsoft 365 Apps that were more than 90 days behind on updates using the Current Channel or Monthly Enterprise Channel.
Christian Van Hautte, who runs a managed service provider in Belgium, told BleepingComputer that five unrelated customers contacted his company within about ten minutes on September 24, with dozens of PCs across those organizations suddenly showing Office as an “Unlicensed Product.” All affected machines were running Office 2016 or 2019 Home and Business editions under perpetual, one-time-purchase licenses. Van Hautte said re-entering the original product key restored activation in most cases, but noted the update installed automatically on his customers’ devices despite being marked optional.
Van Hautte also found that KB5002907 appears to remove and reinstall or migrate the existing Office installation during the update process. On systems where 32-bit Office components coexisted with 64-bit add-ons, such as a 32-bit Office 2016 or 2019 install alongside a 64-bit Microsoft Access Runtime, the reinstall could fail because Office setup does not support mixing architectures. In those cases, the existing suite was removed but not successfully reinstalled, leaving affected devices without Office entirely. Microsoft has not confirmed that mixed-bitness configurations are the root cause.
Similar reports across forums and Reddit
Comparable complaints surfaced around the same time on Reddit and in Microsoft’s own support forums, with users describing legitimately licensed Office 2016 and 2019 installs being deactivated or uninstalled overnight. Some users found that reactivation required signing into a Microsoft account and selecting the license rather than simply re-entering a product key.
Microsoft response
After BleepingComputer contacted Microsoft, the company confirmed it had paused the update rollout during its investigation. Microsoft updated the KB5002907 support bulletin to acknowledge “unexpected results” on some devices running Office 2016 or Office 2019, stating the rollout was paused to prevent additional devices from being affected.
Microsoft says affected systems fall into two categories: those where Office appears unlicensed, which customers can resolve by reactivating their purchased product, and rarer cases where Office is removed entirely, requiring users to download and reinstall their purchased copy of Office 2016 or 2019.