Update error . . . Some aps have encountered errors

Hello Tim,

Thank you for sharing the details about the update error you are experiencing with Office for Mac. I understand how frustrating it can be when updates fail despite having the latest macOS installed.

This issue often occurs due to conflicts within the existing installation or permissions settings. A clean reinstall is recommended to resolve these errors effectively. You do not need to deactivate your license before uninstalling because your Office license is linked to your Microsoft account, not the installation itself.

To proceed completely remove Office using the official Microsoft Office Removal Tool, restart your Mac and then download the latest installer from your Microsoft 365 account page to ensure a fresh installation. After reinstalling sign in with the same Microsoft account to reactivate your apps.

Could you confirm if you have Full Disk Access enabled for Microsoft AutoUpdate and Office apps before trying this step?

I hope this answer is helpful if you have further questions feel free to reply back

Regards,

Marcelo

Hi Tim,

Thank you for the update, you’ve taken the right steps by granting Full Disk Access and restarting your Mac. The message “AutoUpdate cannot connect to the update server” usually indicates a network or permissions issue rather than a problem with Office itself.

First make sure your Mac is connected to the internet and that no firewall or security software is blocking Microsoft AutoUpdate. If you are using a VPN try disabling it temporarily, since you’ve already granted Full Disk Access to Microsoft AutoUpdate, that part is correct and it’s normal that there is no option for Office apps themselves.

If AutoUpdate continues to fail, you can download the latest Microsoft AutoUpdate installer directly from Microsoft’s official site, install it and then run AutoUpdate again. Sometimes the update server issue is temporary so waiting and trying again later often resolves it.

If the problem persists even after reinstalling Office let me know and we can look into clearing the AutoUpdate cache or using manual update packages.

Best regards,

Marcelo

Hi Tim,

Thank you for getting back for the update, Microsoft doesn't have a single Office Removal Tool for Macs like it does for Windows. Instead you can use the License Removal Tool or uninstall everything yourself. The License Removal Tool wipes your Office license which can help with fixing activation problems. Get it from Microsoft's website. Just open the .pkg file. If you see an unidentified developer warning, Control-click the file and choose Open follow the steps hit Install and enter your password. After it's done open any Office program and log in then trash the tool.

To totally get rid of Office Microsoft says to manually uninstall. This means dragging Office apps from the Applications folder to the Trash, deleting some folders in the Library and restarting your Mac. You can find instructions on Microsoft's site. There's also a script on GitHub that some people use to remove everything but Microsoft doesn't support it.

Full Disk Access lets apps access all your files you can check which apps have it in System Settings (Ventura/Sonoma) or System Preferences (older macOS versions) under Privacy & Security.

Basically there's no all-in-one removal tool for Mac. Use the License Removal Tool for license trouble or manually uninstall Office for a complete clean-up. Check Full Disk Access in System Settings or Preferences.

Best regards,

Marcelo