
Microsoft has confirmed that Classic Outlook and Microsoft 365 applications are experiencing crashes on Windows Server 2016 and 2019 systems. The issue, affecting applications like Excel, Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint, causes crashes within 15 seconds of launch.
The problem stems from a recent Office update incorporating the React Native framework in Version 2412 (Build 18324.20168). Microsoft has implemented a fix for Windows Server 2016 users by reverting to Version 2411, which remains stable.
Temporary Solution:
Users experiencing crashes can manually revert to Version 2411 (Build 18227.20162) by:
1. Opening Command Prompt as Administrator
2. Executing:
– cd %programfiles%\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\ClickToRun
– officec2rclient.exe /update user updatetoversion=16.0.18227.20152
To prevent automatic updates to the problematic version:
– Navigate to File > Office Account > Update Options
– Select “Disable Updates”
– Remember to re-enable updates by February 11th
Microsoft is currently working on a solution for Windows Server 2019 users and continues to monitor the situation. This issue follows recent challenges including an MFA outage affecting Microsoft 365 access and “Product Deactivated” errors in Office applications.