Best practices for automating Office 2016 updates?

MAU 4.0 was released.

https://www.jamf.com/jamf-nation/third-party-products/384/microsoft-autoupdate?view=info

Has anyone disabled the automatic functions and set it to manual? If so, care to share?

@rkovelman Check out (https://github.com/pbowden-msft/msupdatehelper) for @pbowden's Jamf Pro helper script for controlling Office and Skype updates. There's a link on that page for a video tutorial on msupdate which shows how to disable the automatic updates by deploying a configuration profile.

Juser wondering - are all admins always downloaded the latest office version ?. For years we have always been running 1-2 versions behind and updating 3-4 times a year, but never to the newest, as there always is a risk that the newest tuff is buggy and not fully tested ?` - but maybe this is not the way to think?

I update mine about once a month and I use the auto update script from mac.admins site.

@kericson Thanks for input. So you are using the msupdate script to update ? -

Yes the one from Mac.admins site.

@jameson , biggest issue with not updating monthly is that for the Mac version of Office, Microsoft doesn't have a separate channel for security/critical updates. So each month's updates on the Office 365/2019 are feature, security, and critical patches all in the same update. For Office 2016, they are now security only.

I wish Microsoft would bring their Mac development cycle in sync with Windows, where there are semi-annual channels that are supported for 18 months with security updates, in addition to the monthly update channel. In fact, on Windows the default channel for Office 365 Pro Plus is semi-annual.

Personally, I run about 1 month behind what is current. Usually a show-stopping bug will get publicized during that time-frame.

@taugust04 Thanks for the input. We are on office365 and did not know that that that microsoft did handle Mac this way. For windows I knew the way as been in contact with our Microsoft guys in Company, so actually did think more of a manual way of upgrading semi annual way. But if security updates also are part of it, it should be quite often. So think the way you do it with once a month and not right away push new out could be a way to go.

If automatic download and install are checked in MAU. Will this eventually install? Or does the user have to click update?

@PCSysops the user will still have to click install but you will get NC notifications to do so. It will auto download in the background and prep the app for updates though. So, it should only appear when the download is completed. Been using this method via Config Profile for the past year at my current job. The most difficult part is convincing people to 1) click the update button or 2) quit their apps so they will auto update next launch

Hi All, Has anybody figured out a way to update the apps automatically even if an end users doesn't use them?
i have the configuration profile set up to download and install.
-Peter

I found this, has anybody tried setting this key as well?

https://github.com/pbowden-msft/Payloads/blob/master/MAU_AppArray.plist

Application Key for the Configuration Profile

Register applications that MAU should update. If this is not managed MAU might have issues finding updates for applications that a user has never opened.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>Applications</key>
    <dict>
        <key>/Applications/Microsoft Excel.app</key>
        <dict>
            <key>Application ID</key>
            <string>XCEL15</string>
            <key>LCID</key>
            <integer>1033</integer>
        </dict>
        <key>/Applications/Microsoft OneNote.app</key>
        <dict>
            <key>Application ID</key>
            <string>ONMC15</string>
            <key>LCID</key>
            <string>1033</string>
        </dict>
        <key>/Applications/Microsoft Outlook.app</key>
        <dict>
            <key>Application ID</key>
            <string>OPIM15</string>
            <key>LCID</key>
            <integer>1033</integer>
        </dict>
        <key>/Applications/Microsoft PowerPoint.app</key>
        <dict>
            <key>Application ID</key>
            <string>PPT315</string>
            <key>LCID</key>
            <integer>1033</integer>
        </dict>
        <key>/Applications/Microsoft Word.app</key>
        <dict>
            <key>Application ID</key>
            <string>MSWD15</string>
            <key>LCID</key>
            <integer>1033</integer>
        </dict>
        <key>/Applications/Skype for Business.app</key>
        <dict>
            <key>Application ID</key>
            <string>MSFB16</string>
            <key>LCID</key>
            <integer>1033</integer>
        </dict>
        <key>/Applications/Microsoft Remote Desktop.app</key>
        <dict>
            <key>Application ID</key>
            <string>MSRD10</string>
            <key>LCID</key>
            <integer>1033</integer>
        </dict>
        <key>/Applications/Company Portal.app</key>
        <dict>
            <key>Application ID</key>
            <string>IMCP01</string>
            <key>LCID</key>
            <integer>1033</integer>
        </dict>
        <key>/Library/Application Support/Microsoft/MAU2.0/Microsoft AutoUpdate.app</key>
        <dict>
            <key>Application ID</key>
            <string>MSau04</string>
            <key>LCID</key>
            <integer>1033</integer>
        </dict>
    </dict>
</dict>
</plist>

-Peter