: Run the downloaded executable to extract the setup.exe and sample configuration files to a folder on your PC.
: Users select the desired version, architecture, and language from the main interface.
The option is favored by power users, IT technicians, and those looking to save disk space and system resources.
Go to Microsoft ODT Download Center . Extract the ODT to a folder (e.g., C:\ODT ).
A lite install should have no MSACCESS.EXE , MSPUB.EXE , or ONENOTE.EXE . Use PowerShell:
Example Configuration Snippet:
: Before installing a newer version (like Office 2019), it is highly recommended to uninstall any previous versions
Choose the version of Office you want to install (e.g., Office 2019 Pro Plus). Customize Components: Uncheck applications you do not need.
My job is simple: maintain the legacy network for Sterling & Reed, a finance firm trapped in a time warp. They refuse to upgrade past the 2013-2019 C2R (Click-to-Run) hybrid era. Every day, I build "Lite" installs—stripped-down versions of Microsoft Office that remove the bloat (Teams, Publisher, the cloud nagware) and leave just the bones: Word, Excel, Outlook. The partners want speed, not features.
You see, in 2013, a rogue team inside Redmond realized the cloud was a cage. They built a hidden protocol inside the C2R framework—a way to run the entire Microsoft backbone offline, without telemetry, without updates, without permission . They called it "Prometheus." It could edit any file, on any system, anywhere, because it used the Office grammar as a skeleton key.
: Obtain the official Office Deployment Tool directly from the Microsoft Download Center.
