Many people who use a Windows computer also use the Office suite from Microsoft. However, although it is easy to spot what Windows version you are using just by looking at what your desktop looks like, knowing what version of Office you use can be a bit trickier. If you need this information, in this tutorial we show you four different ways in which to discover the exact version of Office that you are using:

1. Find what version of Office you have installed by looking at the menus

For this method to work, the first thing to do is open one of the applications that are part the Microsoft Office suite. It does not matter which app you open: you can launch Word, Excel, PowerPoint or any other. Then, look at the left side of the top menu, the one that is also called the ribbon interface. Depending on what the File button looks like, you can identify the version of Office you have. If the File button is rectangular, its edges are sharp, and it uses title case, then you are using Microsoft Office 2016 or Office 365, which is the same thing but on a subscription.

If the File button is rectangular, its edges are sharp, and it uses uppercase, then you are using Microsoft Office 2013.

If the File button is rectangular, its corners are round, and it uses title case, then you are using Microsoft Office 2010.

If there is no File button on the top-left corner of the window, and instead you see an Office icon, then you are using Microsoft Office 2007.

If you do not see a ribbon interface at the top of the window, then you are using Microsoft Office 2003 or earlier.

This is the fastest and easiest method of finding what version of Office you have. However, it has the disadvantage of not showing whether you are using a 64-bit or a 32-bit version Office. If you also need that information, follow one of the next methods in this guide.

2. Find what version of Office you have installed by checking the Help or About information

Open one of the Office applications installed on your Windows device. We use Microsoft Word as an example. Once you launch it, open the File menu by clicking or tapping on the File or Office button that is found at the top-left corner of the window.

In the File or Office menu that opens, look for an entry called Account. Click or tap on it.

If you have Microsoft Office 2016 or Microsoft Office 2013, you can see what edition you use on the right side of the Account page, just like in the image below.

Furthermore, if you also need to know whether you have the 32-bit or the 64-bit version of Office, click or tap on About Word or About followed by the name of the app that you have opened.

A new window is opened, in which you can see the version number and architecture of your Microsoft Office.

If you have Microsoft Office 2010, instead of an Account entry in the File menu, you should see a Help option. Click or tap on it, and the exact version and architecture (64-bit or 32-bit) of the suite is displayed on the right side of the menu.

If you want even more detailed information about the version of Microsoft Office that you use, click or tap on Additional Version and Copyright Information and you get to see the About Microsoft Word window.

If you have Microsoft Office 2007, in the Office menu, click or tap on the Word Options button.

Select Resources on the left and you can see the exact version of Microsoft Office that you use on the right side, in the about Microsoft Office 2007 section.

If you click the About button, the information you get is even more detailed.

If you use an even older version of Microsoft Office, such as 2003, on the top menu, you have a Help button. Click on it, and then click on About Microsoft Office Word.

The About Microsoft Office Word window tells the exact version of the Office suite that you are using.

3. Find what version of Office you have installed by checking the Control Panel or the Settings app

Another method is to use the Control Panel. Open it and navigate to Programs and then to Programs and features. Wait for the list of programs installed on your device to load, and then scroll until you find a program whose name starts with Microsoft Office.

The part that comes after is the edition and version of the Microsoft Office suite you use. If you click or tap on it, you can also see the exact version number displayed on the bottom of the Control Panel window.

If you use Windows 10, you can get the same information from the Settings app also. Open it and navigate to Apps and then to Apps & features. In the list of installed apps, you find an entry for Microsoft Office. The part of its name that comes after Microsoft Office is the edition and version. If you click or tap on it, you can also see the exact version number of the Microsoft Office suite that you have.

Unfortunately, this method does not tell you whether you use Microsoft Office 64-bit or 32-bit.

4. Find what version of Office you have installed by checking the Windows Registry with the help of Command Prompt

One method that geeks will probably love involves the use of the Command Prompt. Launch the Command Prompt and type this command: reg query “HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Word.Application\CurVer”. Press Enter on your keyboard and look at the output displayed. It should be something similar to this:

The number that comes after “Word.Application” tells you the version of the Microsoft Office suite that you have:

• 16.0 means that you have Microsoft Office 2016
• 15.0 means that you have Microsoft Office 2013
• 14.0 means that you have Microsoft Office 2010
• 12.0 means that you have Microsoft Office 2007
• 11.0 means that you have Microsoft Office 2003

Apparently, there was no version 13.0 for fear of the number 13. Who knew that Microsoft is a superstitious company? Maybe that is why they did not release a Windows 9 also? :)

Conclusion

These are the four ways we know for finding out what version of Microsoft Office you have installed on a Windows computer or device. We hope that you like at least one of them and that our tutorial has helped you find the information you needed. If you know other methods or if you have something to add to our guide, don’t hesitate to use the comments form below.