How to install Microsoft Office 365 on a Remote Desktop Server 2019 - IT Support Service

Actually, having filmed this video, we did a bit of testing and proved that a generic script would actually work in any scenario. It is NOT necessary to share any folders on your server. Simply follow the instructions below.

Please note: These instructions, as with any others, come without warranty. Make sure you understand what the scripts do, and run these procedures at your own risk.

Download the Office 365 Deployment Tool

The URL for downloading the Office 2019 deployment tool is: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/deployoffice/office2019/deploy

For the script below to work, please extract the files to a new folder “C:\365” on your remote desktop server / terminal services server.

Create a custom Office 365 deployment configuration file

This script assumes you’ve put the configuration deployment file in C:\365. Copy the script below and paste it into notepad, and then save it as C:\365\config.xml

<Configuration>
  <Add SourcePath="\\127.0.0.1\c$\365" OfficeClientEdition="64" Channel="Broad" >
    <Product ID="O365ProPlusRetail">
      <Language ID="en-us" />
    </Product>
  </Add>
<Updates Enabled="TRUE" />
<Display Level="FULL" AcceptEULA="True" /> 
<Logging Level="Standard" Path="%temp%" />
<Property Name="SharedComputerLicensing" Value="1"/>
</Configuration>

Download the Office 365 Apps install files

Then, open an elevated command prompt and run this command to download the install files:

\\127.0.0.1\c$\365\setup.exe /download \\127.0.0.1\c$\365\config.xml

Install the Office 365 apps on your RDS Server

Then, once the files have downloaded, run this command to install the Microsoft Office 365 apps:

\\127.0.0.1\c$\365\setup.exe /configure \\127.0.0.1\c$\365\config.xml

You should get the splash screen to indicate that Office 365 is installing. Once it’s finished, you’ll be able to run an Office app like Word, Excel or Outlook.

How to licence Office 365 on a Remote Desktop Server

Each user that logs in to your server will need to activate the software if they need to use it. To activate it, a user will need to have at least an Office 365 E3 licence. Microsoft 365 Business Standard is NOT sufficient to activate Office 365 on a remote desktop server.