As of last week, Microsoft released built 16.17 of Microsoft Office. This updates clients from Office 2016 to Office 2019 (and has the nasty side effect of unlicensing you if you don't run the Office 2019 volume serializer). Microsoft is also continuing to release security updates for Office 2016, which continue to have the 16.16.x release.
- Office 2016 Mac Catalina Serializer
- Office 2016 Mac Serializer Download
- Office 2016 For Mac Serializer
- Office Mac Serializer 2019
- Office For Mac Serializer
- Once the download is complete, double-click to open the Office2016Mac.iso file and run the installer package - MicrosoftOffice2016VLSerializer.pkg. Launch any Office app, like Word. In the top menu, select Word About Word.
- Step 1) Install any edition of Office 2016 for Mac Step 2) Run VL Serializer PKG (make sure you have v2 as v1 is broken) - This should be called MicrosoftOffice2016VLSerializer2.0.pkg Step 3) After installing VL Serializer your Office 2016 for Mac is activated & there is no step 3.
Soon Microsoft are to release an update to the Office 2016 Volume License installer on VLSC.
This update is 15.17 & is the first that has a few changes that may affect the way you deploy Office 2016.
These changes are going to be later enforced in 15.20 & onwards. Below are some details on the changes, some of the why & how via the power of the MacAdmins.org Slack & the awesome @pbowden that some of us have had a sneak peek.
Contents
- 1 What's Changing?
When you download the .iso from VLSC you'll notice two packages within it:
The change is the new second pkg: 'Microsoft_Office_2016_VL_Serializer.pkg'
What's that about?
Well, for a while now it's been fairly common practice to deploy the Office license to Macs outside of the Office installers or updates.
This came about as on occasion an Office Update or Installer would delete the file.
However, whilst the deletion itself was a bug, the ability to use the license.plist across Macs was also a bug.
What is it & should I use it?
With Office 2016, Microsoft are moving to a device based serialisation method. Which means that deploying the plist /Library/Preferences/com.microsoft.office.licensingv2.plist will no longer work.
This device based serialisation is based around the generating a license on the Mac that is to be running Office 2016.
So if you employ monolithic imaging or deploy Office 2016 via a Composer snap shot etc, the serialisation will not work. (Please don't deploy Office 2016 via a Composer snap shot, use the pkg).
Also, if you install Office 2016 whilst booted to another volume (as in when installing via a NetBoot or NetInstall volume or something like Target Mode Imaging), again the serialisation will not work.
To install Office 2016 from another volume & have the serialisation work, cache it locally on the Mac being imaged & install on first boot or if using Casper Imaging check 'Install on boot drive after Imaging' for the PKG from within Casper Admin.
Office 2016 Mac Catalina Serializer
However, to enable Office 2016 to be correctly licensed in the multitude of deployment scenarios that we mac admins employ, @pbowden & his team have created the 'Microsoft_Office_2016_VL_Serializer.pkg'
Running this will correctly serialise the Office 2016 suite, & should be run from the Mac that's running the suite. So again, can be added post imaging & then the suite will be correctly serialised.
To be clear, this will only affect you if using the Volume Licensed version of Office 2016 & not the Office365 version.
What happens if I carry on copying the licensing.plist?
For now, not much.
Office 2016 Mac Serializer Download
15.17 is the first release with the 'Microsoft_Office_2016_VL_Serializer.pkg', from 15.20 (scheduled for Q1 2016) you will have to use the correct license.
How did people find this out?
Well a little over a month ago a gentleman with the nick @pbowden hopped into the #microsoft-office channel on the MacAdmins.org Slack, this was awesome as @pbowden is a: Software engineer for Office for Mac/iOS at Microsoft, a fellow Brit & nice guy.
It's been a great few weeks with the community sharing feedback with @pbowden & some of us being able to test pre-release installers for Office.
I hope this warning has been as helpful to you, as it was when @pbowden shared it with us.
Office 2016 For Mac Serializer
Volume Serializer is used to activate Office 2019 for Mac or Office 2016 for Mac as a volume license version. This file must be run on the user's computer. You can do this either before or after you install Office.
For more detailed and up-to-date instructions, see the official Microsoft documentation.
Well, for a while now it's been fairly common practice to deploy the Office license to Macs outside of the Office installers or updates.
This came about as on occasion an Office Update or Installer would delete the file.
However, whilst the deletion itself was a bug, the ability to use the license.plist across Macs was also a bug.
What is it & should I use it?
With Office 2016, Microsoft are moving to a device based serialisation method. Which means that deploying the plist /Library/Preferences/com.microsoft.office.licensingv2.plist will no longer work.
This device based serialisation is based around the generating a license on the Mac that is to be running Office 2016.
So if you employ monolithic imaging or deploy Office 2016 via a Composer snap shot etc, the serialisation will not work. (Please don't deploy Office 2016 via a Composer snap shot, use the pkg).
Also, if you install Office 2016 whilst booted to another volume (as in when installing via a NetBoot or NetInstall volume or something like Target Mode Imaging), again the serialisation will not work.
To install Office 2016 from another volume & have the serialisation work, cache it locally on the Mac being imaged & install on first boot or if using Casper Imaging check 'Install on boot drive after Imaging' for the PKG from within Casper Admin.
Office 2016 Mac Catalina Serializer
However, to enable Office 2016 to be correctly licensed in the multitude of deployment scenarios that we mac admins employ, @pbowden & his team have created the 'Microsoft_Office_2016_VL_Serializer.pkg'
Running this will correctly serialise the Office 2016 suite, & should be run from the Mac that's running the suite. So again, can be added post imaging & then the suite will be correctly serialised.
To be clear, this will only affect you if using the Volume Licensed version of Office 2016 & not the Office365 version.
What happens if I carry on copying the licensing.plist?
For now, not much.
Office 2016 Mac Serializer Download
15.17 is the first release with the 'Microsoft_Office_2016_VL_Serializer.pkg', from 15.20 (scheduled for Q1 2016) you will have to use the correct license.
How did people find this out?
Well a little over a month ago a gentleman with the nick @pbowden hopped into the #microsoft-office channel on the MacAdmins.org Slack, this was awesome as @pbowden is a: Software engineer for Office for Mac/iOS at Microsoft, a fellow Brit & nice guy.
It's been a great few weeks with the community sharing feedback with @pbowden & some of us being able to test pre-release installers for Office.
I hope this warning has been as helpful to you, as it was when @pbowden shared it with us.
Office 2016 For Mac Serializer
Volume Serializer is used to activate Office 2019 for Mac or Office 2016 for Mac as a volume license version. This file must be run on the user's computer. You can do this either before or after you install Office.
For more detailed and up-to-date instructions, see the official Microsoft documentation.
Office Mac Serializer 2019
Office For Mac Serializer
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