Removing Microsoft Office on macOS completely
How to fully uninstall Microsoft Office from your Mac to fix issues or prepare for reinstallation.
Applicable to: Fort Collins, Pueblo, Spur, System
Affiliation: Students, Faculty, Staff
Prerequisites
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Close all Office apps before starting.
- You must have administrator access on your Mac.
- This process applies to Office for Microsoft 365, Office 2019, Office 2016, and Office 2011.
Uninstall Office apps
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Open the Finder.
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Go to the Applications folder.
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Command + clickto select the following apps, if present:
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft OneNote
- Microsoft Teams
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Right-click one of the selected apps and choose Move to Trash.
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Empty the Trash to fully remove the apps.
Remove Office-related files from your user Library
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Open Finder.
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Press Command + Shift + G to open the Go to Folder dialog.
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Type
~/Library and click Go.
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Deletethe following folders if they exist:
Containers/com.microsoft.errorreportingContainers/com.microsoft.ExcelContainers/com.microsoft.netlib.shipassertprocessContainers/com.microsoft.Office365ServiceV2Containers/com.microsoft.OutlookContainers/com.microsoft.PowerpointContainers/com.microsoft.RMS-XPCServiceContainers/com.microsoft.WordContainers/com.microsoft.onenote.macGroup Containers/UBF8T346G9.msGroup Containers/UBF8T346G9.OfficeGroup Containers/UBF8T346G9.OfficeOsfWebHost
Note: It is safe to delete only the folders you find — not all may exist on your system.
Remove Office credentials from Keychain (optional)
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Open the Keychain Access app.
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Search for "Microsoft".
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Right-click any Office-related credentials and select Delete.
Remove Office icons from the Dock
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Right-click each Office app icon in the Dock.
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Select Options > Remove from Dock.
Outcome
Microsoft Office is now completely removed from your Mac. This process helps resolve installation or app issues and prepares your system for a clean reinstall if needed.
Suggested Tags: Office,Mac,Uninstall