Upgrading to Office 2013

I’d like to think I’m the type of person who likes to be using the latest technology (hardware or software). The truth of the matter is that I don’t seem to have the time or desire to always jump on the newest thing.

Case in point is Office 2013. It was released for general availability at the end of January 2013. However, here it is in August and I’m just now getting around to installing it on my Windows 7 desktop computer, where I have been using Office 2010.

This upgrade was very simple and painless. So let’s get to it.

Step 1 – Uninstall Office 2010

  1. As always, if you have not already done so, stop and make a full image backup of your workstation before proceeding.
  2. Now the reality is that, except for Outlook, you can indeed run Office 2010 and 2013 side by side on the same computer. But not Outlook. Only one version of Outlook will function on a workstation.
  3. As I was not interested in running both versions, I proceeded to uninstall Office 2010 completely..
  4. Here’s the good news: when you uninstall Office 2010, it leaves intact all your settings, including Outlook.
  5. After uninstalling Microsoft Office, you will be required to reboot your computer.
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  6. Please note: there may be several Office-related programs that you may want to uninstall, such as Microsoft Outlook Connector or Microsoft Publisher.

Step 2 – Install Office 2013

  1. After your system has rebooted, insert your Office 2013 DVD and start up your installation.
  2. After accepting the License Terms, take a close look at the next screen where you will select the installation you want.
    – If the top button says ‘Install Now’, go ahead and click it.
    – However, if the top button says ‘Upgrade Now’, you still have some matching Office 2010 programs that need to be uninstalled. If so, cancel out of this installation, and uninstall any remaining Office 2010 related programs. Then repeat this section.
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  3. Installation will take about 15 minutes, and you will be required to reboot your computer.

Step 3 – Activate your Product

  1. This section will vary depending on how you purchased or obtained your copy of Microsoft Office 2013.
  2. By default, they will expect you to enter an email address associated with a Microsoft Live account that was used to order Office 2013.
  3. However, in my case, I was installing a copy from my Microsoft Action Pack, so I clicked on the “enter a product key instead’ option, and typed in my 25 character product key.
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That’s it!

Open up Outlook, and there’s nothing you need to do (generally speaking). All of your email accounts – whether Exchange, POP3 or IMAP – will show up automatically. All of your settings, such as your signature file, will load immediately.

By default, any add-ins that are not compatible with Office 2013 will be automatically disabled. You will be informaed as to which add-in modules are causing issues. Here’s an example:

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