Microsoft Office, Visio, and Project Compatibility
This doc lists potential compatibility issues with Microsoft Office, Visio, and Project as they pertain to the centrally-distributed Windows software at UW-Madison.
Compatibility notes for one machine
- You cannot mix bitness. Office, Visio, and Project must all be either 32- or 64-bit.
- You cannot mix Office software installed with different types of installers. All must be Click to Run or all must be Windows (MSI) Installer.
- These use only the Click to Run Installer:
- Microsoft 365, Office 2019/2021, Visio 2019/2021, and Project 2019/2021.
- Office 2013 and 2016 installed from the Microsoft 365 portal.
- These use only the Windows (MSI) Installer:
- Visio and Project versions 2013 and earlier.
- Office 2013 and 2016 downloaded as ISOs from the Campus Software Library.
- These use either Click to Run or Windows (MSI) installers:
- Visio 2016 and Project 2016
- These use only the Click to Run Installer:
- You cannot mix different year versions (2013, 2016, 2019, etc.). Office, Visio, and Project must all be the same year version, with the exception for Microsoft 365 noted below.
- Any Microsoft software installed with a Click to Run installer can be installed alongside Microsoft 365. That would include Visio 2019 or later, Project 2019 or later, and the Click to Run versions of Visio 2016 and Project 2016. If you have both Project and Visio installed, their versions must be the same as each other.
- If you are running Office LTSC Professional Plus 2021, you must run the LTSC version of Visio or Project as well.
Further Office, Visio, and Project assistance
- Office, Visio, and Project operating system requirements from Microsoft: https://products.office.com/en-us/office-system-requirements
- Determine what version of Office you're using: Microsoft 365 - What version of Microsoft Office/Outlook am I using?
- Instructions for downloading and installing Office: Microsoft 365 - Download/Install Microsoft 365
- Buying Visio at UW-Madison: Buying Microsoft Visio at UW-Madison
- Buying Project at UW-Madison: Buying Microsoft Project at UW-Madison
- Buy Visio or Project licenses at UW-Madison: https://it.wisc.edu/netid-protected/software-order-form/