Microsoft has prepared its latest update to Office for Mac, as well as recently released its very first sneak peek. We determined to provide it a try and wanted uninstall Office 2011 to stay clear of any kind of problems. Much to our surprise, uninstalling Office 2011 for Mac is an awfully difficult event.
Update: There’s no demand to uninstall an old variation of Office for Mac prior to installing a new one. Leave the old variation installed and also set up the brand-new one. The new variation of Microsoft Outlook will certainly import your e-mail from the old variation, but it can just do so if you’ve left the old version installed.
It’s no wonderful mystery why we ‘d want to uninstall Office 2011. It’s simply never felt like an actual OS X application, or even a suitable version of Office. Yes, it finishes the job however the interface is a mess and downright awful.
The new variation of Office by contrast is clean as well as much more Office-looking.
Speaking of Windows, uninstalling Office on it is a basic matter of opening up Programs & Features from the Control Panel and removing the application there. It takes a couple of minutes and is entirely automated.
Eliminating Office 2011 on Mac however, can be finest called a labyrinthine procedure. Microsoft lays the procedure out in this support paper, yet it’s a little hard to adhere to.
It won’t harm your Mac to just drag the application folder to the trash and move on from there, however the Office installment (which is automated) positions data around your Mac, so if you truly desire all of it gone, you have to root around your hard drive and delete every little thing by hand.
Step Zero: Quit Everything
The initial point you need to do before you can get rid of Office 2011 is to ensure none of its applications are running. The easiest method to do this is to just utilize “Command + Tab” to switch over between running applications.
If any type of are running, just use “Command + Q” to stop them.
Remove the Office Folder and Dock Icons
Open your Applications folder and situate the “Microsoft Office 2011 folder. Click and drag it to the garbage.
While you’re at it, you can also eliminate the Office symbols from your Dock (if you have actually any pinned there). The most basic means to do this is to click and drag them out of the Dock.
Microsoft splits this right into 2 actions. You could merely stop right here Office would certainly be basically uninstalled, but as we stated previously, there’s a lot of little documents that Office composes throughout you drive. If you want it all gone, roll up your sleeves as well as obtain to it.
Removing the Preferences, Subscription File, and also License
As soon as you remove the application documents, it’s time to start getting rid of all the little files spread throughout your system. One of the very best means to navigate your way via the Finder, is to utilize the Go food selection.
To get rid of the choices, open up the Library in your Home folder. Click “Go,” hold the “Option” trick, and also click “Library.”
Navigate to the “Preferences” and arrange every little thing by Name. It’s probably an excellent suggestion to alter your sight in Finder to a listing.
Select all the data (you can hold “Shift” to select a variety of files) that begin with “com.microsoft” and also drag them to the garbage.
Keep in mind, these choice files consist of customizations you’ve produced points like toolbars, key-board faster ways, as well as custom-made dictionaries. If you eliminate them and later reinstall Office 2011, you will require to renovate your personalizations.
While you’re in this folder, you can remove the subscriptions documents. Open the “ByHost” folder, prepare everything by Name and drag anything starting with “com.microsoft” to the Trash.
When you install Office and you input your permit info, it develops a data. Open up “Computer” from the Go food selection (you can utilize “Shift + Command + C”), double-click to open your system drive (it might be “Macintosh HD” unless you’ve relabelled it), then open “Library -> > Preferences” and also drag “com.microsoft.office.licensing.plist” to the Trash.
Microsoft suggests you reactivate your computer system at this point to get rid of any kind of files that are cached in memory. This will be essential before you can remove every little thing in the Trash.
Getting Rid Of the Application Support Folder and also Receipts
With your computer system reactivated, open “Computer” once more from the Go menu, then your system drive, and also “Library -> > Application Support.”
Drag the “Microsoft” folder to the Trash; you will certainly need to enter your system password to complete this activity.
Next, while you’re still because Library folder, open up the “Receipts” folder and also see if there are any files that begin with “Office2011 _” (there possibly will not be) as well as drag them to the Trash too.
If you’re making use of making use of OS X Snow Leopard (10.6) or OS Lion (10.7 ), after that you will require to head to(“Shift + Command + G”) the Finder folder “/ private/var/db/ receipts.”
Organize the files in this folder by Name and drag each that starts with “com.microsoft.office” to the Trash.
Eliminating Custom Templates as well as Fonts
We’re almost done, there are just a couple of steps extra to go. The next point we’ll need to do is remove any custom-made layouts you may have created. If you wish to conserve these after that you can simply move them to a secure place.
Open the “Library” folder from the Go menu again by holding back the “Option” trick.
Browse to “Application Support -> > Microsoft “and drag the “Office”folder to the Trash. Next off, you’re mosting likely to once more reopen the “Computer” area, click you system drive (Macintosh HD by default), and afterwards “Library -> >
Fonts. “Drag the” Microsoft” folder to the Trash. Now, you can empty the Trash, unless you want to delete your Microsoft User Data folder in the next step.
Moving or Deleting Your Microsoft User Data
Erasing your Microsoft User Data folder is optional. If you eliminate this folder and you will lose all your Outlook information, among other points.
This user data folder can be discovered in your Documents.
It is recommend that if you intend to keep this data folder, you drag it to a secure location such as the Desktop or archive it to a cloud folder.
No matter, upon completing this last step, reboot your computer system one more time and also you’re done eliminating Office 2011 from your Mac.
We really hope that Microsoft includes some type of capacity in Office 2016 for Mac that will enable you to uninstall or upgrade from the previous installment. Now however, to totally eliminate Office 2011, this is your best, albeit annoying, course of action.
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