Problem: MS Project Professional 2024 (perpetual key) refuses to install alongside MS365 Family subscription with error message: "We can't install. To install this product, first uninstall the following product(s) and try again. Microsoft 365 - en - us"
Solution - full procedure:
- Prepare ISO file
- Extract ISO file with 7-Zip or WinRAR to a folder (e.g. C:ProjectISO)
- Navigate to the unpacked folder with subfolders: package, start.bat
- Stop Office services Open Command Prompt as Administrator and execute:
net stop ClickToRunSvc sc config ClickToRunSvc start= disabled
- End Office processes
taskkill /f /im winword.exe taskkill /f /im excel.exe taskkill /f /im outlook.exe taskkill /f /im powerpnt.exe taskkill /f /im msaccess.exe taskkill /f /im OfficeClickToRun.exe
(Note: Some processes give "not found" - this is normal)
- Registry changes
reg add "HKLMSOFTWAREMicrosoftOfficeClickToRunConfiguration" /v BypassO365Check /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f reg add "HKLMSOFTWAREMicrosoftOfficeClickToRunConfiguration" /v ProductReleaseIds /t REG_SZ /d "ProjectPro2024Volume" /f
- Create configuration file
- Go to folder: package
- Create a brand brand new file: minimal-config.xml with contents:
xml
<Configuration> <Add OfficeClientEdition="64″ Channel="Current"> <Product ID="ProjectPro2024Volume"> <Language ID="en-US" /> </Product> </Add> </Configuration>
- Perform installation
- In the same Command Prompt (as Administrator)
- Navigate to package directory: cd "pathtopackage"
- Run: setup.exe /configure minimal-config.xml
- Restore services (AFTER successful installation)
sc config ClickToRunSvc start= auto net start ClickToRunSvc
Critical success factors:
- Channel="Current" (not "PerpetualVL2024")
- Registry bypass for O365 conflict detection
- Disable services temporarily
- Minimal configuration without additional parameters
- Administrator rights throughout the process
Result: Project Professional 2024 successfully installs alongside MS365 Family without deinstalling existing Office suite.