You are using Word on a friend’s computer and you have noticed that he is using a newer version of the program than you are, so you would like to fix it but you don’t know how to proceed? Don’t worry: if you want to know how to update Word, give me a few minutes of your free time and I’ll explain everything you need to know about the subject.
First, I’ll show you the update options available to you based on the version of Office installed on your PC (the program, in fact, as I’m sure you know, is part of Microsoft’s Office package), after which I’ll explain how to proceed with the update of Word on Windows and macOS, for what concerns the desktop environment, and Android and iOS, for what concerns, instead, the mobile environment.
Regardless of the device in your possession and the edition of Word installed on it, I assure you that you’ll easily succeed. I would say, therefore, that we should not waste any more time in chatting and get straight to action: you’ll find all the information you need right here below. Happy reading and… happy updating!
Preliminary information
Before getting to the heart of this tutorial and explaining to you how to update Word, I would like to clarify a few things about the update procedures for the various Office editions.
As you probably already know, Office (the productivity suite that includes Word) is distributed in two different ways: a standard one, which requires the purchase of a license for a specific version of the software (e.g. Office 2019), and a subscription one, called Office 365, which instead requires the subscription of a monthly plan including all the applications of the Office package (to be used both on the computer and on mobile devices), online storage space on OneDrive and minutes of calls on Skype.
Well: know that, if you have purchased the standard version of Office for Windows or macOS, you are entitled to free updates only for the edition of the suite for which you have obtained the license (e.g. Office 2019) and you will not be able to make a free upgrade to the next major release (to move, for example, from Office 2016 to Office 2019, you will therefore have to buy a new license).
If, on the other hand, you’ve subscribed to the Office 365 service or purchased the stand-alone version of Word from the Microsoft Store, you can enjoy free updates even for subsequent major releases of the program (so, for example, you can go from Word 2016 to Word 2019 without shelling out an extra euro).
As far as smartphones and tablets are concerned, you can update the Word app for Android and iOS free of charge via Play Store and App Store, regardless of the version installed on your device. In addition, on devices with a size of 10.1″ or less, using the app is totally free.
For more information on how to download Word and how to purchase the program on all supported platforms, read the in-depth article I dedicated to the topic: it will surely come in handy.
How to update Word on Windows
If you want to update Word on a Windows-equipped PC, there are several ways to do so, all of which are explained below.
Office update function
The most immediate solution to update Word on Windows is to take advantage of the update function included in Office. To do this, start Word, using its icon in the Start menu, and click on the File button, located at the top left.
On the screen that pops up, select the Account item from the left sidebar, click the Update Options button and choose the Update Now option, to check for updates and install them on your PC.
The download of the updates will take place in the background, so you can also continue working with your computer while the process is running. When the process is finished, the installation of the updates will start and you will see the message Updates have been installed.
Through the Update Options menu, you can also disable updates (which is not recommended), view available updates (via the Microsoft website), and view information about updates. If the “Update now” option is not displayed, you may need to click Enable updates.
The procedure just explained concerns the most recent versions of Office, namely 2019, 2016 and 2013. If you are still using Office 2010, you can check for updates for Word by opening the program and going to File > ? > Check for updates (top).
Microsoft Update
If you have not been able to update Word via the built-in Office feature, perhaps because the “Update Options” option is not available and only the “Information” button is in its place, Office may have been installed with a multi-license agreement or perhaps restrictions on updates have been applied by the system administrator.
In this case, you can try updating Word via Microsoft Update, the system that allows you to download and install Windows updates. To activate the download of Office (and therefore Word) updates via Microsoft Update, click on the Start button (the flag icon located in the lower left corner of the screen) and press the gear icon in the on-screen menu (on the left).
The Windows 10 Settings panel will open: to proceed, go to Update and Security, then Advanced Options and enable the Get updates for other Microsoft products during Windows Update toggle. From this moment on, Microsoft Update should also download and install updates for Office.
Microsoft Store
If you have downloaded Word from the Microsoft Store, you can update the program directly from the Store: to do so, press the … button at the top right of the screen and select Downloads and Updates from the menu that opens.
On the next screen, click the Get Updates button, then the Update All button (or the arrow icon corresponding to Word, to update only the software in question), and you’re done!
To enable automatic app updating (which should already be active by default), click again on the … button at the top right, select Settings from the menu that pops up and move the Automatically update apps to ON.
Manual upgrade
If you use a perpetually licensed version of Office installed via Windows Installer (MSI) package, e.g. Office Professional Plus 2016 with multi-license agreement, you can also download the .msi or .exe packages of the updates and install them “manually” on your PC.
To see the complete list of updates available in the form of .msi or .exe packages, go to this page on Microsoft’s website and find the update that interests you. Select it and click on the link to download it.
Then select Italian from the drop-down menu for language selection (or select the language corresponding to the version of Office installed on your PC), click on the Download button to start downloading the update and wait for the completion of the procedure.
Once the download is complete, open the .msi or .exe package and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation: generally, this involves checking the box for the license conditions and clicking the Continue button.
How to update Word on Mac
Do you use a Mac and would like to know how to update Word on it? No problem, even the macOS version of Word offers different solutions for downloading updates: here are the ones.
If you have installed Word via Office 365 or standard installation media, you can update the entire suite by taking advantage of the special feature present in it. To access it, launch Word, click on the menu located in the upper right corner and select the item Check for updates from the latter.
In the window that opens, choose whether to check for updates manually or automatically, or whether to download and install updates automatically by checking one of the available boxes; then click on the Check for updates button, located at the bottom right, to start searching for and installing any available updates for Word and other Office applications.
Mac App Store
If you have downloaded the stand-alone version of Word through the Mac App Store, you can update the program directly from the latter: to do so, launch the Mac App Store, select the item Updates from the left sidebar and, if available, start the Word update download by clicking on the appropriate icon next to the program name.
If you want to enable the automatic download feature for app updates on your Mac (which should be on by default), go to System Preferences (the gear icon located on the Dock bar), go to Software Update, then Advanced and check the Install app updates from the App Store box. More info here.
How to update Word on Android
Are you using an Android terminal and would like to know how to update the Word app to the latest version available? Nothing could be easier.
First, launch the Play Store by clicking on the colored ?? icon on the home screen or in the drawer (the screen with the list of all the apps installed on your device), then open the Word tab in the store and, if available, click on the Update button to start downloading the latest version of the app.
Alternatively, tap on the ? button at the top left, select My Apps and Games from the menu that pops up to see a list of all the apps that need updating, and press the Update All button to update all of them or the Update Word button to update just the Word app.
To enable automatic updating of apps downloaded from the Play Store (which should be enabled by default), tap on the ? button at the top left, select Settings from the menu that pops up, then the Automatically update apps option and check the Only via Wi-Fi box (so as not to consume Giga on the data network).
For more information on this, I invite you to check out my guide on how to update apps on Android.
How to update Word on iOS
Even the iOS version of Word can be updated in a very simple way. All you have to do is open the App Store (the stylized “A” on a blue background that you find in the home screen), access the application’s tab in the App Store and press the Update button, if available (if there is an “Open” button in its place, it means that the app is already updated to the latest version available).
Alternatively, you can select the App Store Updates tab (below), to see a list of all apps that need updates, and hit the Update All button, to update all of them, or the Update Related to Word button, to update just the Word app.
To enable automatic updating of apps downloaded from the App Store (which should be active by default), go to the Settings > iTunes Store and App Store menu and move the Updates switch to ON. How much easier could it be?
For more information on this, I invite you to check out my guide on how to update apps.