Microsoft has halted the rollout of the KB5002907 update following reports that it caused Office 2016 and Office 2019 installations to show as unlicensed or be removed completely, affecting multiple users and prompting an investigation.
Microsoft has halted the distribution of KB5002907 after reports that the optional Windows update left some perpetual Office 2016 and Office 2019 installations showing as unlicensed, and in a smaller number of cases removed the software altogether. The company said in an updated support notice that it is investigating the fault and has paused the rollout to prevent more devices from being affected.
The update, released around 23 September, was intended for Windows PCs running Microsoft 365 Apps that were more than 90 days out of date on the Current Channel or Monthly Enterprise Channel. Microsoft had described it as optional and said it would be offered through Windows Update rather than installed automatically. That makes the reports of automatic deployment on some systems particularly notable, especially because affected users said the patch struck PCs that were not the intended target.
Reports of the failure began appearing on 24 September, when administrators and managed service providers started seeing Office installations suddenly marked as “Unlicensed Product”. Christian Van Hautte, who runs a managed service provider in Belgium, said five unrelated customers contacted his firm within about ten minutes, with dozens of machines affected across those businesses. Users reported warning banners saying the software would stop functioning after five days, while some also said normal editing features had been stripped away. In at least one case, restoring service required repeated reactivation, restarts and sign-ins.
According to Microsoft’s current guidance, the recovery path depends on the symptom. Where Office remains installed but appears unlicensed, users are advised to reactivate the bought product, either by re-entering the original product key or by signing in with the Microsoft account linked to the purchase and selecting the appropriate licence. Where the suite has been removed, Microsoft says users should download and reinstall the purchased copy of Office 2016 or Office 2019.
The incident is especially awkward because Office 2016 and Office 2019 reached end of support on 14 October 2025, although Microsoft said at the time that customers could continue using them. It is also the second Office-related problem to surface this month, following a separate issue that broke copy and paste in Excel 2016. Microsoft has not said when KB5002907 will return, or whether a revised build will exclude perpetual Office installations.
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