Microsoft has fixed an embarrassing bug that caused Microsoft 365 applications and Outlook (classic) to crash on Windows Server 2016 and Windows Server 2019 systems.
The problem stemmed from a recent Office update that integrated the React Native framework to support certain Microsoft 365 apps’ features. The impact was limited to Microsoft 365 users who updated their classic Outlook and Microsoft 365 apps to Version 2412 (Build 18324.20168).
The company confirmed the issue on Tuesday 14th January 2025 after numerous customers reported that their Outlook email client and Office 365 apps, such as Excel, Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint, crashed within 15 seconds of launch.
Two days later, Microsoft released an update that fixes the bug causing app crashes on Windows Server systems.
“If your Microsoft 365 Apps clients are configured to automatically update from the Office Content Delivery Network (CDN), then no action is required. If you manage updates directly, you can now download this latest update and begin deployment,” stated a new message added to the Microsoft 365 admin center today.
No word on how such an obvious bug could have passed through the testing that’s supposed to happen before Office updates are pushed out to the paying customers.
Workaround Available
If you can’t apply the new update, you can manually roll back to Version 2411 (Build 18227.20162) which was the last ‘known good’ release.
TIP: ‘Roll back’ of Microsoft 365 to an earlier version is a good trick to keep in mind for whenever Microsoft messes up an update.
- Open a Command Prompt as Administrator
- Enter these commands:
cd %programfiles%\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\ClickToRun
officec2rclient.exe /update user updatetoversion=16.0.18227.20152
- Stop Office from updating back to the latest build, turn off updates by clicking File | Office Account | Update Options | Disable Updates. But remember to enable updates later.