Office Professional 2016 can be replaced with Microsoft 365 without deleting your saved documents. First confirm a subscription with desktop apps, then install from its account. The Update Now button won't convert your Office 2016 license.
For a personal Windows PC, check the subscription account first, protect any local Outlook archives, and download the new installer. A company-managed Professional Plus installation needs your IT team's deployment route instead.
In this guide
Check the license before changing the apps
Open Word 2016 and choose File > Account. Write down the product name shown under Product Information. Professional 2016 and Professional Plus 2016 aren't the same licensing situation, even though their app names look familiar.
For a home purchase, confirm that the Microsoft account you intend to use has an active subscription with installed Office apps. An Office 2016 product key belongs to that purchase; it isn't a Microsoft 365 subscription key.
When another household member owns Family, accept their subscription share before choosing the account for installation.
Check the included apps before paying, especially if an Access database or Outlook is part of your work. The Microsoft 365 plan comparison explains why a storage plan such as Basic doesn't supply desktop Word.
If this PC belongs to an employer, ask IT whether your assigned license includes desktop apps and whether they deploy them. Don't replace a managed Professional Plus copy with a personal installer just because an account can sign in.
Protect documents and local Outlook data
Back up your documents, then quit the Office apps. Microsoft says uninstalling Office keeps your saved documents. Removal affects the apps; your documents and workbooks stay.
Outlook deserves a separate check. A local archive can contain mail that isn't stored in your online mailbox. The upgrade instructions recommend backing up Outlook data files when removing an Office edition that includes Outlook.
I'd settle the mailbox and archive backup before starting setup. Being able to open webmail tells you about the online mailbox; it doesn't account for a separate archive kept only on this computer.
List your add-ins and any separate Project or Visio installation. Changing the suite doesn't provide a license for those products. If your work depends on them, confirm their replacement with IT before removal.
Download the installer from the licensed account
Visit m365.cloud.microsoft/apps and enter the account details associated with your new subscription. A personal Microsoft account and an employer's work account can have different installation rights.
For a personal account, select Install apps, then Install if another choice appears. With an employer or school login, choose Install apps > Microsoft 365 apps. Some layouts first require Apps in the left navigation.
If the install choice is missing, stop at the account check. Confirm the signed-in email address and included desktop-app license. For a work account, ask the administrator to check your assignment and installation permission.
There is no need to buy another subscription just because the first account lacks that button. A purchase associated with a different email address won't appear simply because both accounts belong to you.
Let the installer download fully to this PC. The support page linked earlier leads to the full PC setup guide if your account presents different choices.
Let setup handle the old version, then remove it if asked
Open the installer you downloaded. When Windows requests permission to change the PC, approve it to begin setup. On many PCs, setup removes the earlier Office version as part of installing the replacement.
If setup instead asks you to uninstall Office 2016, close it and follow that request. Open Start, search for Control Panel, then choose Programs > Programs and Features. Select the Office 2016 suite and choose Uninstall.
Follow the removal prompts and restart if requested. Then run the Microsoft 365 installer again. The Office uninstall guide covers a missing entry or a removal that fails.
Use the suite entry rather than deleting Word's desktop shortcut. A shortcut can remain after an app is removed, so its presence isn't a reliable check of the installed product.
The installer normally selects 64-bit Office unless it detects an existing 32-bit Office product, including a separate app such as Visio or Project. In that case it installs the 32-bit version instead.
Switching between 32-bit and 64-bit requires removing the existing Office apps, including separate products that affect that choice. If an older add-in is essential, check its supported version before making that switch.
Confirm activation and open your existing files
Wait for setup to report that Office is installed, then close the installer. Open Start, type Word, and launch the search result. An old pinned icon may still point to the previous installation.
Accept the license agreement and complete any activation prompts. Use the subscription account if asked to sign in. In File > Account, check that Product Information identifies Microsoft 365 rather than the old Office 2016 license.
Open a saved document and a workbook you recognize. Check an important layout, formula or add-in you rely on before returning to normal work. For Outlook, check both the mailbox and any local archive you backed up.
If activation still shows Office 2016 or an unlicensed product, give Microsoft Support the product name from File > Account, the subscription account and the exact message. For an employer-managed copy, your IT team needs those details.
Use the installation guide's Need help? section for a missing install option or setup failure. Report whether the failure happened during download, removal, installation or activation, to direct support to the part that actually stopped.
The Short Version
Confirm a desktop-app subscription, back up local Outlook data, then install from the licensed account. Let setup remove Office 2016 or follow its removal request. Finish by checking activation and opening your existing files.
Checked November 13, 2026.
