Microsoft 365 Apps Won't Update? Why Update Options Is Greyed Out or Missing

You go to update your Office apps and the update never applies — or the Update Options menu is greyed out, shows only an About button, or isn’t there at all.

Why: How Office updates depends on how it was installed. A normal Click-to-Run install of Microsoft 365 updates itself from File > Account; a volume-licensed or IT-managed install hides those controls on purpose, and a half-broken install won’t update until it’s repaired. The right move is to figure out which situation you’re in from what the menu shows you.

Fix 1: Update normally from File > Account

For a standard Microsoft 365 install this is all you need.

1. Open any Office app (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and create or open a document.
2. Go to File > Account (it’s Office Account in classic Outlook).
3. Under Product Information, choose Update Options > Update Now.
4. Let it download and install, then close the “You’re up to date” window.

Fix 2: Only see an “About” button? Turn updates back on

If Update Options shows About but no Update Now, automatic updates were switched off.

1. In File > Account, select Update Options.
2. Click Enable Updates (accept the prompt if asked).
3. Then choose Update Options > Update Now to pull the latest build immediately.

Fix 3: “Update Options” missing entirely — it’s a managed install

If there’s no Update Options button at all, you almost certainly have a volume-license install or your organization controls updates through Group Policy or the cloud.

1. You can’t self-update these — updates arrive on the schedule IT sets, or via Microsoft Update (Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options > Receive updates for other Microsoft products).
2. On a work PC, contact your IT help desk — they push the update or change the update channel centrally.
3. If you genuinely need a specific patch on a managed device, IT can deliver it from the Office Updates catalog.

Fix 4: Updates won’t apply, or apps won’t open — repair Office

If the update keeps failing, or you can’t even open an Office app to reach the menu, repair the installation.

1. Close all Office apps and open Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
2. Find your Microsoft 365 (or Office) entry, click the … menu, and choose Modify.
3. Run Quick Repair first (fast, offline). If updates still won’t apply, run Online Repair, which reinstalls and freshens the whole install — then update again via Fix 1.

FAQ

How do I tell if mine is a managed install? Look at File > Account. A self-updating Microsoft 365 shows Update Options; a volume/managed install shows only About (or nothing), which is the tell in Fix 3.

Will updating delete my settings or documents? No. Office updates and even Online Repair leave your documents and most settings intact — repair reinstalls the program files, not your data.

My Office is stuck on an old version after updating. Make sure you’re not on a deferred update channel managed by IT, and that the PC stays online long enough to finish. If a normal install simply won’t move, an Online Repair (Fix 4) resets it to the current build.

Sources: Microsoft Support — How to update Microsoft 365 or Office for Windows · Microsoft Support — Update Office with Microsoft Update