How to Restore Office 2013 After Installing the New OneNote for Windows

A Windows 10 system that had been using OneNote for Windows 10 received prompts to move to the newer OneNote for Windows because support for the older app is expected to end in late 2025.

What changed after the OneNote switch

After accepting that change, Office 2013 appeared to be removed as well. The result was immediate loss of access to long-standing Office documents, while Windows began pushing Microsoft 365 app access instead of restoring the older perpetual Office installation.

• The reported trigger was the migration from OneNote for Windows 10 to OneNote for Windows.
• The main impact was losing access to Office 2013 desktop apps needed to open older documents.
• The system then suggested a Microsoft 365 subscription for Office apps.

What the system showed afterward

Missing from Programs and Features

Office 2013 no longer appeared in the installed programs list, so a normal repair path was no longer available.

Office15 folder stripped down

Inside C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office15, only a few files remained and no executable files were present.

Not found at office.com

Checking office.com/myaccount did not show Office 2013 in the account area.

Both OneNote apps remained

The newer OneNote for Windows installed successfully, and OneNote for Windows 10 was still present at the same time.

Checks that were suggested first

These checks do not change Microsoft account or licensing state, but they help confirm whether Office 2013 is still installed enough to repair or launch.

Look for a linked Office 2013 license

Open office.com/myaccount and review the account sections for any Office 2013 listing. the documented behavior shows this check was suggested, but it also shows Office 2013 may not appear there.

Expected result: if the license is linked, you may see an install or account record. If it is absent, that does not prove the license is invalid; older perpetual purchases are not always surfaced there.

Search Windows for Word or Excel

Restart the PC, then use Windows Search to look for Word, Excel, or other Office 2013 apps. If an app still appears, open it and pin it to the taskbar to confirm whether the executable still works.

Verification: if the app launches, Office may still be partially callable. If no apps appear and the Office15 folder lacks .exe files, the installation is effectively gone.

Use Apps & Features or Programs and Features

If Office 2013 is still listed, select the installed Office entry and choose Modify or Repair, starting with Quick Repair. This path depends on the product still being registered as installed.

Limitation: in the reported case, Office 2013 was no longer listed, so repair was not supported from the existing setup.

Why Office 2013 may have been removed

The explanation offered in the source is a setup conflict: Office 2013 uses an MSI-based installation, while the newer OneNote for Windows and Microsoft 365 stack use Click-to-Run (C2R). In this scenario, those installation types were described as incompatible.

That means the OneNote migration may have included or triggered removal of Office 2013, even though the user expected only a OneNote replacement.

What remained possible afterward

Reinstall from original media

The practical path left in the thread was reinstalling Office 2013 from the original DVD-ROM, assuming the license remains valid.

Use Office on the web temporarily

A temporary workaround mentioned in the source was the free web version of Office 365 for browser-based access.

Do not expect repair if unregistered

If Office 2013 is gone from Programs and Features and its executables are missing, repair is not a supported recovery route.

Office 2013 likely vanished because the newer OneNote path conflicted with its older MSI install

If Office 2013 is missing from Programs and Features and the Office15 executables are gone, repair is no longer available from the existing install. The source-backed next step is reinstalling from original media with a valid license, while understanding the newer OneNote setup may not coexist cleanly.

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This issue appears to be an installation-model conflict, not a OneNote notebook setting or a Microsoft account toggle that can be reversed from the web. The supported entry points mentioned in the source are account review at office.com/myaccount, app presence checks in Windows, and OneNote download information at onenote.com/download.

Verification is straightforward: if Office 2013 is absent from Programs and Features and C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office15 no longer contains the app executables, the old installation is no longer usable in place. In that state, the source-backed recovery path is reinstalling Office 2013 from original media with a valid license, while recognizing that the newer OneNote setup may conflict with it again.

A realistic fallback for local work

WPS cannot repair Microsoft-side licensing, account records, subscription prompts, or the OneNote and Office installation conflict described here. If you only need to keep working with local DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, and PDF files while sorting out Microsoft’s setup, WPS Office is a lightweight option with a familiar ribbon-style UI, PDF tools, and WPS AI features for summarizing, rewriting, and drafting content. Compatibility is generally good, but complex macros, legacy add-ins, and some advanced Microsoft-specific formatting may not match perfectly.

Restore Office 2013 After Installing the New OneNote for Windows FAQs

Why would OneNote for Windows affect a separately purchased Office 2013 copy?

The explanation preserved from the source is an MSI versus Click-to-Run compatibility conflict. Office 2013 uses MSI, while the newer OneNote and Microsoft 365 stack use a different deployment model that may force removal or break coexistence.

If both OneNote for Windows and OneNote for Windows 10 are installed, does that mean Office 2013 is still recoverable by repair?

No. The deciding checks are whether Office 2013 still appears in Programs and Features and whether the Office15 folder still contains the app executables. If those are gone, repair is not available from the existing installation.

What can I use while Microsoft-side app and licensing issues are unresolved?

WPS cannot repair Microsoft-side accounts, billing, licensing, tenants, or OneNote controls. For local DOCX, XLSX, PPTX and PDF work, WPS Office is a free lightweight alternative with a familiar UI, PDF tools, and WPS AI features, though exact Microsoft Office compatibility, advanced macros, and some formatting may differ.

Can I use Modify or Repair to bring Office 2013 back?

Only if Office 2013 still appears as an installed product in Windows. In the reported case it was gone from Programs and Features, so repair was not available.