In the Microsoft Office system, the Setup.exe command line is used for very few operations, and almost all of these are for IT administrators only. However, you might want to use the /config switch if your administrator has created a config.xml file and told you where to locate that file.In this article

How to use a Setup command-line switch

  1. Do one of the following:
    • Microsoft Windows Vista
      • Click the Windows Start button button image, point to All Programs, click Accessories, and then click Run.
    • Microsoft Windows XP or Microsoft Windows Server 2003
      • Click the Windows Start button, and then click Run.
  2. In the Run dialog box, type Setup.exe followed by a space and a forward slash (/).
  3. Type the name of the switch.
  4. If necessary, add another space followed by one or more specific instructions called parameters, which give the program further information about how to execute the command.

    The switch reference table in the next section contains several examples.

Available switches and parameters

In the Office release Setup recognizes the following command-line options.

Switch or parameter

Description

/admin

Runs the Office Customization Tool to create a Setup customization file (MSP file).

Example

\\server\share\Office12\setup.exe /admin

/adminfile [path]

Applies the specified Setup customization file to the installation. You can specify a path to a particular customization file (MSP file) or to the folder where you store customization files.

The recommended location for customization files is the Updates folder at the root of the network installation point. In this case, you do not need to specify the file on the command line; Setup automatically finds the customization file that matches the product being installed and applies it during the installation.

If you store more than one customization file per product in the Updates folder, Setup applies all of them to the installation. If you want to create unique configurations for different groups of users, you must store the customization files in a separate folder and specify the customization file you want on the command line.

Example

\\server\share\Office12\setup.exe /adminfile \\server\share\MyUpdates\Engineering.msp

where Office12 is the root of the network installation point.

/config [path]

Specifies the Config.xml file that Setup uses during the installation. By default, the Config.xml file stored in the core product folder directs Setup to install that product. For example, the Config.xml file in the Pro.WW folder installs Microsoft Office Professional. You can edit Config.xml to make additional customizations to the installation, including specifying one or more language versions to install.

Use /config on the Setup command line to point to the location of the default Config.xml file for a particular product or to point to a custom Config.xml file.

Example

\\server\share\Office12\setup.exe /config \\server\share\Office12\Pro.WW\Config.xml

where Office12 is the root of the network installation point.

Note You must use a fully qualified path. Setup does not recognize relative paths with /config.

/modify [ProductID]

Used with a modified Config.xml file to run Setup in maintenance mode and make changes to an existing Office installation, such as adding or removing features. Look up the value of [ProductID] in the Setup.xml file for the product you want to modify. The Setup.xml file is located in the core product folder on the network installation point. In Setup.xml, [ProductID] is equal to the value of the Id attribute of the Setup element. For example:

- <Setup id="pro" type="product" productcode="{30120000-0011-0000-0000-1000000ff1ce}">

Example

\\server\share\Office12\setup.exe /modify Pro /config \\server\share\Office12\AddOutlookConfig.xml

/repair [ProductID]

Runs Setup to repair the specified product. Look up the value of [ProductID] in the Setup.xml file for the product you want to modify.

Example

\\server\share\Office12\setup.exe /repair Pro

where Office12 is the root of the network installation point.

/uninstall [ProductID]

Removes the specified product from the user's computer. Look up the value of [ProductID] in the Setup.xml file for the product you want to modify.

Example

\\server\share\Office12\setup.exe /uninstall Pro

where Office12 is the root of the network installation point.

More information in the Office Resource Kit

The Microsoft Office Resource Kit is an online deployment guide for administrators where you can find more information about Setup command-line options and properties.