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Configure user settings for Office 2013

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Applies to: Office 2013

Summary: Explains how to use the Office Customization Tool (OCT) to configure user and computer default settings before you deploy Office 2013.

Audience: IT Professionals

The Office Customization Tool lets you create a Setup customization file (.msp file) to configure user settings to customize the user's environment before you deploy Office 2013.

For example, you can use the OCT to configure the default settings for several AutoCorrect options in Word 2013. When you configure a user setting, that setting is in place when the user first runs an Office application.

Note

Configuring a user setting in this manner is not necessarily permanent. It merely establishes the initial default value for the setting. The user can change most settings after Office is installed. If you have to enforce user settings and prevent users from changing the settings, use Group Policy.
For information about how to use Group Policy, see Overview of Group Policy for Office 2013 and Group Policy Administrative Template files (ADMX, ADML) and Office Customization Tool (OCT) files for Office 2013. For information about how to configure Group Policy for Office, see Use Group Policy to enforce Office 2010 settings. Although the article is for Office 2010, the Administrative Templates information also applies to Office 2013.

In Office 2013 and Office 2010, two architecture-specific versions of the Office Customization Tool are available: one for 32-bit Office 2013 and one for 64-bit Office 2013. The 64-bit version of the OCT supports 64-bit client editions of Office 2013, and provides the same user interface, capabilities, and configurable settings as the 32-bit version. You use the same command to run the 32-bit or 64-bit version of the OCT. For more information about 64-bit Office 2013, see 64-bit editions of Office 2013.

For the latest information about OCT settings, please refer to the updated Excel 2013 workbook, Office2013GroupPolicyAndOCTSettings.xls, which is available in the Office 2013 Administrative Template files (ADMX/ADML) and Office Customization Tool download page. The OCT settings are listed in the OPAX worksheet.

Configure user settings

Use the following procedure to configure user settings for Office 2013.

Note

You can complete tasks in all Office 2013 suites by using a mouse, keyboard shortcuts, or touch. For information about how to use keyboard shortcuts and touch with Office products and services, see Keyboard shortcuts and Office Touch Guide.

The following instructions assume that you have already created a network installation point to store all source files from the Office 2013 installation media to a shared location on the network. For more information, see Create a network installation point in Use the OCT to customize Office 2013.

Note

As noted earlier, there are two versions of the OCT in Office 2013 and Office 2010. If you want to run the 32-bit OCT, run the setup.exe /admin command line from the x86 (32-bit) folder as shown in the following example:
\server\share\Office15\x86\setup.exe /admin
To run the 64-bit OCT, run the setup.exe /admin command line from the x64 (64-bit) folder as shown in the following example:
\server\share\Office15\x64\setup.exe /admin

To configure user settings

  1. To start the OCT, from the root of the network installation point, type the following at the command prompt: setup.exe /admin.

  2. In the Select Product dialog box, select the product that you want to configure, and then choose OK.

  3. In the navigation pane, locate Features, and then choose Modify user settings.

  4. In the details pane, expand the tree, and then choose the product for which you want to configure settings.

  5. In the Settings column, choose the user setting that you want to configure. A Properties dialog box appears.

  6. Select one of the following options, and then choose OK.

    • Not Configured   The setting remains as it is.

    • Enabled   The setting is changed based on your choices in the Properties dialog box. If values are available for the setting, select the value that you want to use.

    • Disabled   The setting is disabled. Note that disabling an option may differ from not configuring the option. See the description of the specific option for more information.

      Note

      If you choose Enabled to view the options for a setting and then choose OK, Previous Setting, or Next Setting, the status changes to configured, even if you do not change the setting. If you unintentionally configure the setting by using an empty hyperlink, path, or file name, an error might result. If you selected Enabled and you want to ignore your changes or avoid configuring the setting, choose Cancel in the Properties dialog box for the setting. You can also return a setting to the Not Configured state by double-clicking the setting, selecting Not Configured, and choosing OK.

    For example, to specify the default format in which you want users to save Word 2013 files, in the navigation pane expand Microsoft Word 2013, expand Word Options, and then choose Save. In the list pane, in the Setting column, select Default file format. The Default file format properties dialog box appears. Select Enabled, and in the Save Word files as drop-down list, choose the file format that you want to specify, and then choose OK.

  7. If you want to preserve user settings from earlier versions of Office, select the Migrate user settings check box.

    Note

    If you change user settings and also select the Migrate user settings check box, Setup first applies the modified settings and then migrates the user's existing custom settings, overwriting any conflicting settings.

  8. On the File menu, choose Save As.

  9. Specify a path and file name for the Setup customization file, and then choose Save.

  10. On the File menu, choose Exit.

  11. Copy the Setup customization file to the Updates folder in the network installation point.

When you run Setup to install Office 2013, Setup uses the Setup customization file (.msp file) in the Updates folder and configures user settings.

See also

Deploy Office 2013 from a network installation point
Use the OCT to customize Office 2013
Overview of Setup architecture for Office 2013
Office Customization Tool (OCT) reference for Office 2013