Uninstall & Reinstall Issues

How to Remove Office 2019 from an External Hard Drive

Jason Miller Oct 13, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user needs to remove an old Office 2019 installation from a non-boot external drive and free up the license activation for a new computer.

How to Remove Office 2019 from an External Hard Drive

Product: Microsoft Office 2019
Device & OS: Windows
Scenario: Transferring a one-time purchase Office license to a new drive after the original boot drive was converted into an external storage drive.
Observed behavior: Office cannot be activated on the new drive because the license limit is reached, and the software cannot be conventionally uninstalled from the old non-boot drive.

Before you start

Ensure your external hard drive is securely connected to your computer and that you have administrator privileges to view hidden items and delete system folders.

Solution 1Recommended

Manually Delete Office Folders and Reset Activation

Since the standard uninstaller does not work on non-boot drives, you must manually delete the program files and contact Microsoft Support to release your activation limit.

Uninstalling or deleting files from an old, non-boot drive does not automatically communicate with Microsoft servers to reset the activation count for a one-time purchase like Office 2019. You will need to manually remove the residual files to prevent the software from running, then request an activation reset.

Delete Program Files

Open File Explorer, navigate to your external hard drive, open the 'Program Files' and 'Program Files (x86)' folders, and permanently delete the 'Microsoft Office' folders.

Delete AppData Folders

Navigate to the 'Users' folder on the external drive, select your old username, and open the 'AppData' directory. Delete any Office-related folders found inside the 'Local' and 'Roaming' subfolders.

Contact Microsoft Support

Visit the Microsoft Office Activation Support page, use the Activation Wizard section, and contact Microsoft through chat to request an activation count reset for your new setup.

Manually Delete Office Folders and Reset Activation

Activation Server: Just deleting the folders stops the program from running locally but will not automatically release your license on the Microsoft activation server.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Switch to WPS Office to Avoid Activation Headaches

Tired of dealing with strict activation limits and complex uninstalls? WPS Office provides a lightweight, free alternative that is highly compatible with Microsoft Office formats, offering a seamless user experience without the restrictive licensing.

1. Download WPS Office: Visit the official WPS website and download the free installer.
2. Install the Software: Run the installer and follow the simple on-screen instructions to set up WPS Office on your active drive.
3. Open Your Files: Launch WPS Office and directly open your existing DOCX, XLSX, and PPTX files with full compatibility.

Free to download and use with no complex hardware activation limits.Fully compatible with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint formats.Lightweight installation that doesn't bog down your system or external drives.Familiar user interface makes migrating files and workflows effortless.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why isn't my Office 2019 activation resetting after deleting the files?

For one-time purchase versions of Office, simply deleting files from an old drive does not communicate with the activation server. You must contact Microsoft Support to manually release the license from the old hardware.

Can I use the standard Windows uninstaller to remove Office from an external drive?

No, if the external drive is no longer the active boot drive for Windows, the standard 'Add or Remove Programs' feature cannot target or uninstall software located on that specific drive.

Where are the AppData folders located on my external drive?

You can find them by navigating to the external drive's letter, opening the 'Users' folder, selecting your old username, and opening 'AppData'. This folder is hidden by default, so you must enable 'Hidden items' in the File Explorer View tab.

Installation & Activation