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Ryan Schultz edited this page Apr 8, 2025 · 1 revision

Getting Started with M365 Apps Deployment Toolkit

This guide will walk you through the basics of using the Microsoft 365 Apps Deployment Toolkit to deploy Microsoft 365 Apps in your environment.

Prerequisites

Before using the toolkit, ensure you have:

  • Windows 10 1809 or later (64-bit) on the deployment target
  • Administrator privileges on the target machine
  • Internet connectivity for downloading Office files
  • At least 4GB of free disk space on the target machine
  • PowerShell 5.1 or later (included by default in Windows 10)
  • Proper Microsoft 365 licensing for the applications you plan to deploy

Quick Start Guide

Step 1: Download the Toolkit

  1. Download the latest release from the GitHub releases page
  2. Extract the ZIP file to a location of your choice (e.g., C:\M365-Apps-Deployment-Toolkit)

Alternatively, clone the repository using Git:

git clone https://github.com/sargeschultz11/M365-Apps-Deployment-Toolkit.git

Step 2: Choose Your Deployment Method

The toolkit can be deployed in several ways:

Choose the method that best fits your environment.

Step 3: Customize Configuration (Optional)

The toolkit includes ready-to-use XML configuration files in the config folder:

  • install-office365.xml - Standard Microsoft 365 Apps installation
  • install-visio.xml - Microsoft Visio installation
  • install-project.xml - Microsoft Project installation

You can customize these files to:

  • Change the update channel
  • Adjust language settings
  • Exclude specific applications
  • Modify other deployment options

See the Configuration Guide for detailed information.

Step 4: Basic Installation Commands

Here are the most common installation commands:

Standard Installation

.\Install-Microsoft365Apps.ps1 -ConfigXMLPath "config\install-office365.xml"

Remove Pre-installed Consumer Office First

.\Install-Microsoft365Apps.ps1 -ConfigXMLPath "config\install-office365.xml" -RemoveConsumerOffice

Force Installation (Even if Office is Already Installed)

.\Install-Microsoft365Apps.ps1 -ConfigXMLPath "config\install-office365.xml" -Force

Uninstall Existing Office Products First

.\Install-Microsoft365Apps.ps1 -ConfigXMLPath "config\install-office365.xml" -UninstallExisting

Visio or Project Installation

.\Install-Microsoft365Apps.ps1 -ConfigXMLPath "config\install-visio.xml"
.\Install-Microsoft365Apps.ps1 -ConfigXMLPath "config\install-project.xml"

What Happens During Installation?

When you run the toolkit, it performs these steps automatically:

  1. Checks for existing Office installations (unless -Force is specified)
  2. Removes consumer versions (if -RemoveConsumerOffice is specified)
  3. Downloads the Office Deployment Tool from Microsoft
  4. Extracts the tool to a temporary directory
  5. Downloads the necessary Office installation files based on your XML configuration
  6. Installs Microsoft 365 Apps with your specified settings
  7. Verifies the installation was successful
  8. Cleans up temporary files

The entire process is logged to %TEMP%\Microsoft365Install_*.log for troubleshooting.

Script Parameters Reference

The script supports multiple parameters that control its behavior:

Parameter Description
-ConfigXMLPath Path to the XML configuration file (default: config\install-office365.xml)
-RemoveConsumerOffice Detects and removes pre-installed consumer Office versions
-Force Forces installation even if Office is already detected
-UninstallExisting Uninstalls existing Office products before installation
-SkipIfInstalled Skips installation if Office is already installed
-DetectOnly Only detects Office products without installing
-Uninstall Uninstalls Office products using the specified XML
-Restart Restarts the computer after successful installation
-OfficeInstallDownloadPath Specifies a custom download location for temporary files

For a complete reference, see the Script Parameters page.

Next Steps

After successful installation, you might want to:

  1. Verify the installation by checking installed applications
  2. Configure update policies through Group Policy or Intune
  3. Activate Microsoft 365 Apps using your organization's licensing method
  4. Configure default application settings as needed

Common Issues and Solutions

If you encounter problems during deployment, check these common issues:

  • Script execution fails: Ensure you're running PowerShell as Administrator
  • Installation timeout: Ensure stable internet connectivity
  • Existing Office conflicts: Use -RemoveConsumerOffice or -UninstallExisting
  • Detection issues: Check the logs for details on what the script detected

For more detailed troubleshooting help, see the Troubleshooting Guide.

Logging

The toolkit creates detailed logs in the Windows temp directory:

  • Main log: %TEMP%\Microsoft365Install_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.log
  • Office Deployment Tool logs: %TEMP%\SaraOfficeClickToRun_*.log

Review these logs if you encounter any issues with the installation.

Where to Get Help

If you need assistance:

  1. Check the Troubleshooting Guide
  2. Review the Issues page on GitHub
  3. Open a new issue if your problem hasn't been addressed
  4. Consider contributing to the project if you develop a solution

Contributing

The M365 Apps Deployment Toolkit is an open-source project that welcomes contributions. See the Contributing Guidelines for information on how to help improve the toolkit.

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