Step 1: Sign in and install Office

  1. Go to portal.office.com and if you're not already signed in, select Sign in.
  2. Sign in with the account you associated with this version of Office. Businesses should choose 'work account' when signing in.
  3. On the Office home page, select Install Office Apps > Office 2016 if you signed in with a work or school account. (Note: The link may say Office 2016, however Office will install the most up-to-date version of the Office apps as set by your Office 365 admin.)
Screenshot of Office.com if signing in with a work or school account

This begins the download of Office. Follow the prompts on your screen to complete the install.

Don't see an install option after signing in? There could be an issue with your account. Select Need help? from above and review the issues listed in the section Account questions


Step 2: Install Office

  1. Once the download has completed, open Finder, go to Downloads, and double-click Microsoft Office installer.pkg file (the name might vary slightly).

    The Downloads icon on the Dock shows the Office 365 installer package

    Tip: If you see an error that says the Microsoft Office installer.pkg can't be opened because it is from an unidentified developer, wait 10 seconds and move the downloaded file to your desktop. Hold Control + click the file to launch the installer.

  2. On the first installation screen, select Continue to begin the installation process.

    First Mac 2016 installation screen with "Continue" highlighted

  3. Review the software license agreement, and then click Continue.

  4. Select Agree to agree to the terms of the software license agreement.

  5. Choose how you want to install Office and click Continue.

  6. Review the disk space requirements or change your install location, and then click Install.

    Note: If you want to only install specific Office apps and not the entire suite, click the Customize button and uncheck the programs you don't want.

  7. Enter your Mac login password, if prompted, and then click Install Software. (This is the password that you use to log in to your Mac.)

    Enter your admin password to begin installing

  8. The software begins to install. Click Close when the installation is finished. If Office installation fails, see What to try if you can't install or activate Office for Mac.

    Shows the final page of the installation process, indicating that the installation was successful.


Step 3: Launch an Office for Mac app and start the activation process

  1. Click the Launchpad icon in the Dock to display all of your apps.

    Shows the Launchpad button in the Dock

  2. Click the Microsoft Word icon in the Launchpad.

    Shows the Microsoft Word icon in a partial view of the Launchpad

  3. The What's New window opens automatically when you launch Word. Click Get Started to start activating. If you need help activating Office, see Activate Office for Mac. If Office activation fails, see What to try if you can't install or activate Office for Mac.

    Start activating Word 2016 for Mac



Installation notes

Installation notes

How do I pin the Office app icons to the dock?

  1. Go to Finder > Applications and open the Office app you want.

  2. In the Dock, Control+click or right-click the app icon and choose Options > Keep in Dock.