Office 2021 for Mac: after 16.114

WhistlePig 0 Reputation points
2026-11-10T22:28:43.46+00:00

Forgive me if this is a stupid question - after the panic of the update that caused the Office apps on my Mac to stop working, and recovering via Time Machine, then seeing that 16.114.3 states resolved that problem, has anyone tried the 16.115 updates? I've turned off automatic updates, but the Updater is still pinging me to update the apps.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Other
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  1. Norah-L 13,570 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-11-11T04:27:30.2166667+00:00

    Good day WhistlePig,

    Your concern is completely understandable, especially after the disruption caused by the previous update. Microsoft confirmed that the Office 2021 licensing problem was corrected in version 16.114.3 but there are not yet enough user reports to confirm that version 16.115 is working without problems.

    If 16.114.3 is working normally, it would be reasonable to wait a little longer before installing 16.115. In the meantime, keep a current Time Machine backup so you have a recovery option if needed.

    Turning off automatic updates does not always stop the reminder notifications. If they become distracting, open System Settings > Notifications, select Microsoft Update Assistant (if available), and turn off Allow Notifications. You can still check for Office updates manually whenever you are ready.

    You could also monitor Microsoft’s Office for Mac release notes for new reports before deciding. The update reminder itself does not mean you must install it immediately.

    Thank you so much for your patience!

    Best regards.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-11-10T22:28:56.89+00:00

    There is no supported information here confirming whether 16.115 is safe for Office 2021 for Mac after the 16.114 licensing issue.

    What is supported:

    1. The accepted resolutions for the Office 2021 licensing problem consistently point to reinstalling an earlier 16.114 build or 16.113, then turning off automatic updates in Microsoft AutoUpdate.
    2. Microsoft AutoUpdate can still prompt for updates unless automatic updating is disabled in MAU.
    3. If Office was installed from microsoft.com, updates are managed through Microsoft AutoUpdate. If it was installed from the Mac App Store, updates are managed through the Mac App Store.
    4. Office apps on older macOS versions can continue to work, but may stop receiving updates if the macOS version is no longer supported for current Office updates.

    To stop the update prompts for a microsoft.com installation:

    1. Open Word, Excel, or another Office app.
    2. Select Help > Check for Updates.
    3. In Microsoft AutoUpdate, clear Automatically keep Microsoft apps up to date.
    4. Confirm by selecting Turn Off.

    For an admin-managed Mac, MAU can also be set to manual checking with:

    defaults write com.microsoft.autoupdate2 HowToCheck -string 'Manual'

    Note: changing update behavior can leave Office without future security fixes.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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