How to install Office 2008 for Mac

Article ID: 2400260 - View products that this article applies to.
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SUMMARY

This article describes how to install Office 2008 for Mac on your computer. 

Prerequisites check 

The following requirements must be met before you follow any of the methods in this article.  
  • You must quit all programs and close all windows. 
  • You must be logged on as an administrator. If this is your personal computer, you are likely already logged on with an administrator account. If this is a computer that is part of a network at work, you might have to ask the system administrator for help. 
  • The product key location is different based on what kind of product you purchased. If you purchased a boxed product, the 25-character product key is located inside the disc case or on the back of the disc sleeve on a rectangular orange label that was included with the installation media, as shown in the following graphic. If you purchased the product through a website, the product key is sent to you in email with the title "Microsoft Office for Mac - Order Confirmation." 
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If you do not have DVD (Example, if you have Apple Macbook Air) drive to install the product, you have a few options: 
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1. Connect an external DVD drive to your Mac and use the DVD to install, or
2. Use the Remote Disc feature built into OS X. This option is also available using a Windows-based computer. See here
(http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1777)
for details.


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MORE INFORMATION

Step 1: Quit all programs and close all windows

You must quit all programs before you begin Office 2008 for Mac installation. To close a program, select the program on the toolbar (top), and then select Quit. If you cannot quit a program or do not know how, hold down the Command and Option keys, and then press Esc on your keyboard. Select the program in the "Force Quit Application" window, and then select Force Quit. Click Force Quit to quit the program.

Note You cannot quit Finder.

When you are finished, click the red button in the upper-left corner. 

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Step 2: Install Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac

To install Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac, follow these steps: 

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1. Insert the DVD into the disk drive. If you downloaded the product, the setup icon should be available on your Desktop.  
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2.Double-click the disk or setup icon on your Desktop. 
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3.Double-click Office installer.mpkg.
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4.Read the introduction screen, and then click Continue.
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5.Click Continue again.
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6.Read the Software License Agreement, and then click Continue.
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7.Click Agree to accept the terms of the software license agreement.
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8.In the Name: (required) box, type your name. Leave the Company name box blank. In the Product Key: (required) box, type the product key. 

Note You must have your product key in hand before you can continue with installation. The product key location depend on what kind of product you purchased. If you purchased a boxed product, the 25-character product key is located inside the disc case or on the back of the disc sleeve on a rectangular orange label that came with the installation media. If you purchased the product through a website, the product key is sent to you in an email message that has the subject "Microsoft Office for Mac US - Order Confirmation."

If for any reason, you are not prompted for a key you can still click Continue. If you must enter a new key, you can remove Office 2008 files that remember your previous product key. To do this, follow steps in the article:  

2411916
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2411916)
Not prompted for Product Key during install of Office 2008 for Mac
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Image of product key:

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9.Note your product ID, and then click Continue. 
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10. Click Continue Installation.
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11. Select the location where you want to install or click the Macintosh HD icon, and then click Continue.
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12. Click Install to continue through the installation (recommended).

Click Change Install Location to select another drive to install the product.

Click Customize to select or to remove optional installation components. For example, click Customize if you want to install only Entourage and no other components. 



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13. Enter your Mac user name and password, and then click OK.
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14.Installation will begin.
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15.A progress indicator will appear.
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16. Click Continue. Setup will search for existing Office applications, such as Office for Mac 2004 and ask if you want to remove them. If you click to select the check box for a version, that version will be removed. Do not select the box if you want to continue using any components of that version of the product. 
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17.Click Continue. 
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18. The installation is complete when you receive this message. Click Close.
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19.On this screen, enter your First name, Last name, Email address, Phone number, and Address.

Note Only First name and Last name are required. The other boxes can be left blank. 

When you are finished, click Continue.
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20.The Setup Assistant will analyze your hard drive. When this process is complete, the Continue button will become active. Click Continue. 
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21.If you want to participate in the Customer Experience Improvement Program, click to select Yes, I am willing to participate. Click Continue. 
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22. The Microsoft AutoUpdatedialog box will open. Click Check for Updates.
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23.Click Install. The download will begin. The updates are for Office 2008 for Mac. We recommend that you install them. You may be prompted to enter your user name and your password. There might be several updates, and you might have to click Install repeatedly. Please be patient and wait while the updates are installed. 
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24. Next, you will be prompted to install the Office 2008 SP1 Update. Click Continue.

a. Click Continue again when you see the Welcome to the Office 2008 SP1 screen.

b. Click Continue on the Important Information screen.

c. Click Continue when the Software Supplemental License terms screen is displayed. 

d. Click Macintosh HD or the location where you want to save the installation. Enter your user name and your password if you are prompted. 

e. Click Install. The installation will begin.
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25.Note If you are prompted to quit applications, go back to Step 1 in this article and quit all running applications except for Installer and Finder.

When the installation is complete, the "The installation was successful" dialog box will be displayed. Click Close.
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26.All Office 2008 applications will be displayed on your taskbar (at the bottom of the screen). 
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(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/ 2411916/[anySimpleType]/ )

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REFERENCES

New Mac User

If you are new to Mac, visit the following "Mac 101" Apple support website: 

http://www.apple.com/support/mac101/
(http://www.apple.com/support/mac101/)


Problems Activating

If you are having problems activating a downloaded copy of Office for Mac from a website, you must contact Microsoft Online ESD Support. You will have to give to the agent the order number or the email address that you used when you purchased the product. This information is available in the email receipt from Digital River.  

U.S. and Canadian customers: (877) 250-1548 (press option 4).

Alternatively, complete and submit the online form
(https://try.officeformac.com/servlet/ControllerServlet?Action=DisplayContactFormPage&Env=BASE&Locale=en_US&SiteID=msmactus)
.

Lost or missing product key

For information how to obtain a new key, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

2279109
(2279109)
Obtain a new product key for Office 2008


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Properties

Article ID: 2400260 - Last Review: April 5, 2012 - Revision: 22.0
APPLIES TO
  • Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Business Edition
  • Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Home and Student Edition
Keywords: 
dftsdahomeportal kbinstallation KB2400260
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