Microsoft pauses KB5002907 update after it deactivates Office licenses

Microsoft has paused the rollout of the KB5002907 Microsoft 365 update after users reported that it deactivated, and in some cases completely removed, perpetually licensed installations of Office 2016 and Office 2019.

The update, titled "Optional update for out-of-date Microsoft 365 Apps installations," was aimed at PCs where Microsoft 365 Apps were more than 90 days out of date and running on the Current Channel or Monthly Enterprise Channel. It was meant to help those installations resume updating and return to a current build. Microsoft stressed that it was an optional update delivered through Windows Update and not installed automatically.

What went wrong

Shortly after release, Christian Van Hautte, who runs a Belgian MSP, told BleepingComputer that several of his customers suddenly saw their perpetual Office installs flagged as an "Unlicensed Product." On September 24, five unrelated customers contacted his firm within roughly ten minutes, with dozens of PCs affected in total. Every affected install was Office 2016 or Office 2019 Home & Business with a one-time (perpetual) license.

Re-entering the original product key restored activation. Van Hautte also noted that, despite being labeled optional, the update installed itself. He later found that KB5002907 effectively removes and reinstalls, or migrates, the existing Office copy. On machines with components of different architectures — say a 32-bit Office 2016 or 2019 alongside a 64-bit Microsoft Access Runtime — the reinstall can fail, because the Office installer will not mix 32-bit and 64-bit products. In those cases the old suite is removed but the new one never lands, leaving the PC with no Office at all. Microsoft has not confirmed that mixed bitness is the cause.

Similar reports surfaced elsewhere. One Reddit user said multiple Office 2019 installs had been deactivated and that re-entering keys fixed at least some; the user later added that the problem was not limited to Office 2019, and that some systems required signing into a Microsoft account and selecting the license. Another administrator said several unrelated customers had Office uninstalled completely. Comparable complaints appeared on Microsoft's own forums.

Microsoft's response

After BleepingComputer reached out, the company confirmed it had paused the update while investigating, and promised further guidance through appropriate channels. It updated the KB5002907 support bulletin to acknowledge the problem and said it had halted the rollout to prevent additional devices from being affected.

Microsoft describes two scenarios. Where Office appears unlicensed, it recommends reactivating the purchased product. In what it calls "rare cases," where Office has been removed entirely, users are told to download and reinstall their purchased copy of Office 2016 or Office 2019.

Source: Bleeping Computer