Do you want Microsoft Office 2024 completely free without paying any subscription or buying a license, and want to avoid cracked versions that may contain viruses or malware? You have come to the right place. This beginner-friendly guide shows you how to download MS Office 2024 LTSC directly from Microsoft servers using official tools, and how to activate it using the open-source Ohook method with no cracks and no patchers. The files come from Microsoft and the whole process is clean and transparent. Just follow each step exactly as written and within 20 minutes you will have a fully working MS Office on your Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC.
Free MS Office 2024 LTSC Download: Complete Step-by-Step Guide
Cracked versions often hide bitcoin miners, spyware, or backdoors. This method downloads original files directly from Microsoft which are 100% clean. You can uninstall, repair, or update Office normally without breaking anything. No need to disable Windows Defender or antivirus.
1. Which MS Office Suite to Choose
Microsoft offers different editions of Office 2024. Using the method in this guide, you can get Office LTSC Professional Plus 2024 for free – this edition includes all apps and works for a lifetime without any subscription. Here are the options:
- Office Home 2024 – Word, Excel, PowerPoint (personal use only).
- Office Home & Business 2024 – Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook (commercial license allowed).
- Office Professional Plus 2024 (LTSC) – Everything: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, Publisher, and more. This is the best choice and it is free using this guide – lifetime license.
I recommend you select Office LTSC Professional Plus 2024 when we reach the configuration tool. It gives you all apps without any extra cost.
2. Clean Previous MS Office Installation (Must Do First)
Important: If you already have any version of Microsoft Office installed on your PC (even a trial or old version), you must remove it completely before installing the new one. Otherwise you will see errors like "cannot install" or "setup failed". Follow these beginner-friendly steps carefully – do not skip any:
- Step 1 – Check Program Files folders: Open
C:\Program Filesand alsoC:\Program Files (x86). Look for a folder named "Microsoft Office". If you see it, right-click and delete it. If it asks for permission, click Yes. - Step 2 – Show hidden files and check ProgramData: Open
C:\drive. At the top, click the View menu and tick "Hidden items". Then open theProgramDatafolder. Find any folder named "Microsoft Office" and delete it. - Step 3 – Delete temporary files: Press Windows + R keys together. Type
%temp%and press Enter. A folder opens. Select all files and folders (Ctrl+A) and press Delete. Some files may be in use – just skip them. This cleans up installation clutter. - Step 4 – Use Microsoft's official removal tool (if anything remains): Open your browser and search for "SetupProd_OffScrub.exe" – download it from Microsoft's official website. Run the file as Administrator. This tool automatically scans and removes every leftover Office file, registry entry, and cached installer. After it finishes, restart your computer.
- Step 5 – DO NOT delete these important components: Go to Control Panel → Programs and Features. Look for entries like Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable and Microsoft Windows Desktop Runtime. Never delete these – they are needed by Office and many other programs. Leave them untouched.
- Step 6 – Final verification in Windows Settings: Open Settings (Windows + I) → Apps → Installed apps. In the search box, type "Office". If you see any "Microsoft Office" entry, click the three dots and uninstall it. Make sure the list shows no Office leftovers.
Once you have completed all six steps above, your PC is clean and ready for the new free MS Office 2024 LTSC installation.
3. Office Configuration Tool: Create Settings File (Step by Step)
The Office Configuration Tool is a free web tool from Microsoft. It helps us create a small XML file that tells the Office installer exactly which apps to download, which language, and which architecture. Follow each instruction exactly:
- Open Google and search: Type "Office Customization Tool" and press Enter. Click the first link that says "office.com" (Microsoft official page).
- Select Product: On the tool page, under "Products", click the dropdown and choose Office LTSC Professional Plus 2024.
- Select Suite: In the next dropdown, choose Office LTSC Professional Plus 2024 – Volume License.
- Choose Architecture: Select 64-bit if your Windows is 64-bit (most modern PCs). If your PC is very old (10+ years), choose 32-bit. When unsure, select 64-bit.
- Select Apps (save disk space): Scroll down to the "Apps" section. You will see a list of applications. Remove the checkmark from apps you never use – for example: OneNote, Publisher, Skype for Business, Teams. Keeping only Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access saves space and speeds up installation.
- Update settings: Find "Update Channel" and set it to PerpetualVL2024. Then set "Auto Update" to Disable (you can manually check for security updates later).
- Licensing & Activation: Under "Licensing", choose KMS Client. Make sure "AutoActivate" is set to Enable.
- Download source: Keep "Microsoft CDN" selected – this means the files will be downloaded directly from Microsoft's free servers.
- Installation location: Leave as default (no need to change).
- Export the XML file: Scroll to the very bottom of the page and click the Export button. A popup appears – choose Office Open XML format (.xml). Save the file as configuration.xml on your Desktop (or any place you can easily find).
Great! You now have a configuration file that we will use in the next step. Keep it on your Desktop.
4. Office Deployment Tool: Download and Install MS Office
The Office Deployment Tool (ODT) is the official Microsoft command-line tool that reads your configuration.xml file and downloads/installs Office directly from Microsoft's servers. Follow these simple steps:
- Download ODT: Open Google and search for "Office Deployment Tool". Click the first result (microsoft.com). Download the file named
officedeploymenttool_xxxx.exe(the numbers may vary). - Create a folder on C drive: Open File Explorer. Go to
C:\drive. Right-click and create a new folder. Name it ODT (so the full path isC:\ODT). - Extract the two files into C:\ODT: Run the downloaded
officedeploymenttool_xxxx.exefile. It will ask for an extraction location. Click "Browse" and selectC:\ODTfolder, then click OK. It will extract two main files: setup.exe and a sample XML file. Now your C:\ODT folder contains the ODT tool. - Copy your configuration.xml: Go to your Desktop (where you saved configuration.xml). Copy that file. Then go to
C:\ODTfolder and paste it there. If there is any existing sample XML file, you can delete it or leave it – our file is the important one. - Open Command Prompt as Administrator: Press Windows + X on your keyboard. From the menu, select Terminal (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin). If a User Account Control window appears, click Yes.
- Navigate to your ODT folder: In the black command window, type the following command and press Enter:
cd C:\ODT - Download MS Office from Microsoft servers (free): Now type this command and press Enter:
The tool will start downloading the Office files from Microsoft. You will see a blinking cursor – no progress bar. This is normal. Depending on your internet speed, it may take 5–15 minutes. When the download finishes, the cursor returns and you can type again.setup.exe /download configuration.xml - Install MS Office: After the download is complete, type this command and press Enter:
A green installation window will appear. Office will install silently. Wait until you see "Installation successful" message. Close the command window.setup.exe /configure configuration.xml - Verify installation: Click the Start menu and type "Word". You should see Microsoft Word installed. Open it – the app will open without any activation prompt yet.
5. Activation Method
After installation, your Office will be in "unactivated" mode. You can still use it for a few days, but to unlock full features forever, we will use the open-source Microsoft Activation Script (MAS) with the Ohook method. This is completely safe and does not modify any system files. Follow step by step:
- Open PowerShell or Terminal as Administrator: Press Windows + X and select Terminal (Admin) or PowerShell (Admin).
- Copy and paste the activation command: In the blue or black window, carefully copy the line below and press Enter:
Note: Make sure the word "get" is exactly as shown. This command loads a script from a trusted open-source repository.irm https://get.activated.win | iex - Wait for the blue menu to appear: After a few seconds, a blue-colored menu with several options will show up.
- Select the Ohook method: Press the number 2 on your keyboard. This selects "Ohook" – the best activation method for Office that works permanently and looks genuine.
- Wait for completion: The script will automatically activate your Office. Within 10–20 seconds you will see a message: "Product activated successfully" or "Successful".
- Close the window and open any Office app, for example Microsoft Word.
- Verify activation: In Word, click on File → Account. On the right side, under "Product Information", you should see "Product Activated" and "Microsoft Office 2024 LTSC".
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The Office Deployment Tool downloads files directly from Microsoft servers. The files are the same ones used by organizations and enterprises worldwide. For commercial or business use, always purchase a valid license from Microsoft or an authorized reseller.
The installation files from the Office Deployment Tool are original Microsoft files and are completely clean. Some antivirus programs may show a warning during the activation step. If that happens, you can temporarily pause real-time protection and resume it immediately after the process is complete.
Yes. Office 2024 LTSC receives security updates for 5 years. You can enable automatic updates by going to File, then Account, then Update Options, and selecting Enable Updates. New feature updates will not be included as LTSC is a stable long-term servicing channel.
Yes. Both Windows 10 and Windows 11 are fully supported. The installation steps are exactly the same on both operating systems.
Make sure the configuration.xml file is placed inside the C:\ODT folder and that the file name is exactly configuration.xml without any extra extension like .txt. Also confirm that you opened Command Prompt as Administrator and typed cd C:\ODT before running the setup commands.
Yes. As shown in Section 2, you must completely remove any previous MS Office installation before installing the new one. Skipping this step can cause conflicts and installation errors.
If you followed every step in this guide from cleaning old Office to running the ODT commands, your Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other apps are now ready to use. Share this guide with anyone who needs help setting up MS Office on their PC.
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