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System requirements for Office 2013

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Applies to: Office 2013, Office 365 ProPlus

Summary:  Provides information about the standard system requirements for Office 2013 and the additional requirements of some Office 2013 applications.

Audience: IT Professionals

This article outlines the system requirements for all versions of Office 2013, whether on-premises, Microsoft cloud hosted, or a hybrid of the two. If you are upgrading from earlier versions of Microsoft Office to Microsoft 2010, refer to the article System Requirements for Office 2010.

You may have to upgrade your hardware or operating system, or both, before you can use Office 2013. This article will help you determine whether you do have to do that before purchasing Office for your organization.

Office 2013 is built for the desktop, but your business can extend the Office experience to employees who are using iPads or mobile devices.

Note

Office 2013 is supported for both 32-bit (recommended) and 64-bit client applications. For more information, see 64-bit editions of Office 2013. You may also want to read Choose the 32- or 64-bit version of Microsoft Office, which will help you decide which version of Office to install.
We recommend that you install Silverlight together with Office 2013 to improve the online experience.

Important

MSI and Click-to-Run installations of Office 2013 require that Task Scheduler be enabled on the client computers. If you have set up Group Policy to disable Task Scheduler, or if a single client computer has Task Scheduler disabled, attempts to install Office 2013 will fail.

In this article:

  • Office 2013 for personal computers – standard system requirements

  • Office 2013 applications – specific requirements

Office 2013 for personal computers – standard system requirements

Refer to the following table for a snapshot of the overall system requirements for Office 2013. The following suites are included:

  • Office Home and Student 2013

  • Office Professional Plus 2013

  • Office Standard 2013

  • Office Home and Business 2013

  • Office 365

  • Office 365 ProPlus

  • Office 365 Home

  • Office 365 University

The information that follows this table outlines any additional requirements for specific components of Office 2013, including add-ons and tools.

When you choose a product suite or individual program to deploy, evaluate the computers before you deploy any software to make sure that they meet the minimum operating system requirements.

Standard system requirements for Office 2013

Component Office 2013 requirements

Computer and processor

1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster x86- or x64-bit processor with SSE2 instruction set

Memory (RAM)

1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit); 2 gigabytes (GB) RAM (64-bit)

Hard Disk

3.0 gigabytes (GB) available

Display

Graphics hardware acceleration requires a DirectX10 graphics card and a 1024 x 576 or higher resolution monitor

Operating System

Office 2013 runs on 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Microsoft Windows operating systems. When you run Office 2013 32-bit on a 64-bit version of a Windows operating system, the program runs in the 32-bit layer of the Windows operating system. For more information, see 64-bit editions of Office 2013. Here are supported Windows operating systems on which you can run Office 2013 32-bit and 64-bit programs.

Office 2013 32-bit products are supported on the following Windows operating systems:

  • Windows 10 (32-bit or 64-bit)

  • Windows 8.1 (32-bit or 64-bit)

  • Windows 8 (32-bit or 64-bit)

  • Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit)

  • Windows Server 2012 R2 (64-bit)*

  • Windows Server 2012 (64-bit)*

  • Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit)*

Office 2013 64-bit products are only supported on the following Windows operating systems:

  • Windows 10 (64-bit)

  • Windows 8.1 (64-bit)

  • Windows 8 (64-bit)

  • Windows 7 (64-bit)

  • Windows Server 2012 R2 (64-bit)*

  • Windows Server 2012 (64-bit)*

  • Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit)*

*Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Server 2008 R2 are available only in 64-bit architecture.

Note

No support is provided for side-by-side installations of 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Office. For example, there is no support for side-by-side installations of Office 2010 32-bit with Office 2013 64-bit, or for Excel 2010 64-bit and Visio 2013 32-bit.
Lync Server 2013 is available only in a 64-bit edition, which requires hardware and a 64-bit edition of the Windows Server operating system. A 32-bit edition of Lync Server 2013 is not available with this release.

Browser

Internet Explorer 8, 9, 10, or 11; Mozilla Firefox 10.x or a later version; Apple Safari 5; or Google Chrome 17.x.

.NET version

3.5, 4.0, or 4.5

Multi-touch

A touch-enabled device is required to use any multi-touch functionality. But, all features and functionality are always available by using a keyboard, mouse, or other standard or accessible input device. Note that new touch features are optimized for use with Windows 8.

Additional requirements and considerations

Some functionality may vary, based on the system configuration. Some features may require additional or advanced hardware or server connectivity.

Note

System requirements are rounded up to the nearest 0.5 GB, to be conservative. For example, if we measure an application’s required hard disk space to be 1.99 GB, we recommend 2.5 GB of disk space. Our hard disk system requirements are intentionally larger than the actual disk space usage of the software.
A graphics processor helps increase the performance of certain features, such as drawing tables in Excel 2013 or transitions, animations, and video integration in PowerPoint 2013. Use of a graphics processor with Office 2013 requires a Microsoft DirectX 10-compliant graphics processor that has 64 MB of video memory. These processors were widely available in 2007. Most computers that are available today include a graphics processor that meets or exceeds this standard. But, if you or your users do not have a graphics processor, you can still run Office 2013.

Office 2013 applications – specific requirements

The standard Office 2013 system requirements that are listed in the Office 2013 for Personal Computers--standard system requirements table apply to each Office 2013 application. The following Office 2013 programs have some additional requirements:

  • Microsoft Access 2013

  • Microsoft Excel 2013

  • Microsoft InfoPath 2013

  • Microsoft Lync Client 2013

  • Microsoft Lync Web App 2013

  • Microsoft Office Solution Management (Office Telemetry Dashboard) 2013

  • Microsoft OneNote 2013

  • Microsoft Outlook 2013

  • Microsoft Project Professional 2013

  • Microsoft Word 2013

If you’re looking for information about Visio or SharePoint system requirements, those are covered in separate articles.

Access 2013

The information in this table outlines additional requirements for specific components of Access 2013.

Specific Access 2013 requirements

Component Requirement

Internet

  • Access 2013 Internet functionality requires an Internet connection and either Internet Explorer 8 or Internet Explorer 9.

  • Instant Search functionality requires Windows Search 4.0.

Database Compare

To use Database Compare, you must have both Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0 (or greater) and Microsoft Report Viewer 2008 Redistributable/Runtime (or greater) installed. The Report Viewer is available from the Microsoft Download Center.

Excel 2013

The information in this table outlines additional requirements for specific components of Excel 2013.

Specific Excel 2013 requirements

Component Requirement

Internet

  • Excel 2013 Internet functionality requires an Internet connection and either Internet Explorer 8 or Internet Explorer 9.

  • Instant Search functionality requires Windows Search 4.0.

PowerPivot

To use Power Pivot, you must have .NET 3.5 or .NET 4.0 and at least 2 gigabytes (GB) of RAM.

PowerView add-in

To use Excel 2013 with the PowerView add-in, you must have Silverlight 5.0 installed and at least 2 gigabytes (GB) of RAM.

Inquire add-in

To use Excel 2013 with the Inquire add-in, you must have Microsoft .NET 4.0 or 4.5 installed.

Spreadsheet Compare

To use Excel 2013 with Spreadsheet Compare, you must have Microsoft .NET 4.0 (or greater) installed.

InfoPath 2013

The information in this table outlines additional requirements for specific components of InfoPath 2013.

Specific InfoPath 2013 requirements

Component Requirement

Internet

  • InfoPath 2013 Internet functionality requires an Internet connection and either Internet Explorer 8 or Internet Explorer 9.

  • Instant Search functionality requires Windows Search 4.0.

Programmability

Programmability scenarios require .NET 4.0.

Lync 2013

Lync 2013 has different hardware requirements from those that are listed in the system requirements Standard system requirements for Office 2013 table above. Refer to the following table for personal computer system requirements or recommendations that are specific to Lync 2013.

Specific Lync 2013 requirements

Component Requirement

Computer/ processor

Intel Pentium 4, AMD Athlon 64, or equivalent

Memory (RAM)

2 gigabytes (GB) RAM

Operating System

Windows 7 or Windows 8

Data and voice

Minimum 1.6 gigahertz (GHz) or faster processor. We recommend 2.0 gigahertz (32-bit or 64-bit).

Video

For VGA: Dual core 1.9 gigahertz (GHz) processor, or faster

For High Definition: Qual core 2.0 gigahertz (GHz) processor, or faster

Display resolution: 1024 x 768

Conferencing

  • Polycom CX5000 HD (Microsoft RoundTable) conferencing device

  • Minimum 2.0 gigahertz (GHz) or faster processor

Graphics Hardware

  • Support for Microsoft DirectX 9 application programming interface (API).

  • Minimum of 128 megabytes (MB) graphics memory

  • Windows Display Driver Model driver

  • 32 bits per pixel capable format

Telephony

Microphone and speakers, headset with microphone, or equivalent device(s). Recommended devices:

Video source

USB 2.0 video camera or Polycom CX5000 HD device (Microsoft RoundTable)

Lync Server 2013

The information in this table outlines additional requirements for specific components of Lync Server 2013.

Specific Lync Server 2013 requirements

Component Requirement

Computer/ processor

Intel Pentium 4, AMD Athlon 64, or equivalent

Memory (RAM)

32 gigabytes (GB) RAM

Operating System

Lync Server 2013 is available only in a 64-bit edition, which requires 64-bit hardware and a 64-bit edition of the Windows Server operating system. A 32-bit edition of Lync Server 2013 isn't available with this release.

Supports 64-bit editions of the following operating systems:

  • Windows Server 2008 R2 with Service Pack 1 (SP1) Standard operating system (required)

  • Windows Server 2008 R2 with Service Pack 1 (SP1) Enterprise operating system (required)

  • Windows Server 2008 R2 with Service Pack 1 (SP1) Datacenter operating system (required)

  • Windows Server 2012 Standard operating system

  • Windows Server 2012 Datacenter operating system

Does not support the following:

  • The Server Core installation option of Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows Server 2012

  • The Windows Web Server 2008 R2 operating system or Windows Web Server 2012 operating system

  • Windows Server 2008 R2 HPC Edition or Windows Server 2012 HPC Edition

Video

Display with 1024 x 768 resolution

Graphics Hardware

  • Support for Microsoft DirectX 9 API

  • Minimum of 128 megabytes (MB) graphics memory

  • Windows Display Driver Model driver

  • 32 bits per pixel capable format

Office Solution Management (Telemetry Dashboard)

Telemetry Dashboard is installed with Office Professional Plus 2013 and Office 365 ProPlus editions of Office 2013. The information in this table outlines additional requirements for specific components of Office Solution Management Telemetry Dashboard server.

Specific requirements for Telemetry Dashboard

Component Telemetry Dashboard Server Requirement

Database

SQL Server 2005, SQL Server 2008, or SQL Server 2012

Shared folders

For every 10,000+ users, 11 gigabytes of disk space to act as a temporary store for telemetry data.

OneNote 2013

The information in this table outlines additional requirements for specific components of OneNote 2013.

Specific requirements for OneNote 2013

Component Requirement

Internet

  • OneNote 2013 Internet functionality requires an Internet connection and Internet Explorer 8 or Internet Explorer 9.

  • Instant Search functionality requires Windows Search 4.0.

Outlook 2013

The information in this table outlines additional requirements for specific components of Outlook 2013.

Specific requirements for Outlook 2013

Component Requirement

Internet

  • Outlook 2013 Internet functionality requires an Internet connection and Internet Explorer 8 or Internet Explorer 9.

  • Instant Search requires Windows Search 4.0.

For integration with Exchange

Be sure to connect Outlook 2013 to the supported versions of Exchange: Exchange 2007, Exchange 2010, or Exchange Server 2013. Outlook 2013 is not supported on Exchange 2003.

For integration with Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 and Lync Server 2013 (optional)

Some features require Exchange Server 2013 and Lync Server 2013.

For a list of some new Outlook 2013 features that are enabled with Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 see What's new in Outlook 2013.

For integration with Microsoft Lync (optional)

Office Communicator 2007 R2, Microsoft Lync 2010 and Lync 2013 are supported with Outlook 2013. Office Communicator 2005 and Office Communicator 2007 are not supported.

Inking features

Certain inking features require Windows 7 or Windows 8.

Speech recognition

Speech recognition functionality requires a close-talk microphone and audio output device

IRM

Information Rights Management features require access to a computer that runs Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, or Windows Server 2012 and Windows Rights Management Services.

Dynamic Calendars

Dynamic calendars require server connectivity.

Advanced

Certain advanced functionality requires connectivity to Exchange Server 2010 or Exchange Server 2007, SharePoint Server 2007, SharePoint Server 2010, or Windows Server 2003 with SP1 running Windows SharePoint Services.

Microsoft ID

Certain features require a Microsoft ID (Microsoft ID).

Project Professional 2013

The information in this table outlines additional requirements for specific components of Project Professional 2013.

Specific requirements for Project Professional 2013

Component Requirement

Visual Reports

To use the Visual Reports feature one of the following versions of Excel must be installed on the computer:

  • Office Excel 2007

  • Excel 2010

  • Excel 2013

and one of the following versions of Microsoft Office Visio:

  • Visio Professional 2007

  • Visio 2010

  • Visio 2013

Import Outlook Tasks feature

To use the Import Outlook Tasks feature, one of the following versions of Outlook must be installed on the computer:

  • Outlook 2007

  • Office Outlook 2010

  • Outlook 2013

OneDrive integration

Users must have a Microsoft ID.

Project Professional in an Enterprise

  • To enable enterprise Project, portfolio, and resource management capabilities, Project Server 2013 is required.

  • To import tasks to the Outlook calendar or Outlook Tasks list, Project Web App and Exchange Server 2013 are required.

  • To synchronize Project Server 2013 with a SharePoint Server 2013 or SharePoint Server 2010 task list, you must install either Access 2010 or Visio 2010.

  • To create a Project Site from Project Server 2013 you must use SharePoint Server 2013.

  • To use Lync integration, you must have Lync 2010.

Word 2013

The information in this table outlines additional requirements for specific components of Word 2013.

Specific requirements for Word 2013

Component Requirement

Co-authoring

Co-authoring requires SharePoint Foundation 2013 and a Microsoft ID account for OneDrive. It might also require more memory than the amount listed in the Standard system requirements for Office 2013 table above.