After the April 8, 2025 release of Microsoft Office 2016 security update KB5002700 (MSI installation), users experienced severe negative impacts: Excel, Outlook, and Word 2016 began crashing or freezing on launch or during use. These disruptions affected productivity across organizations, with many reporting that even standard troubleshooting steps—reboot, repair, Safe Mode, or full reinstall—failed to resolve the issue.
The root cause was traced to the KB5002700 update, which was intended to patch several critical vulnerabilities (CVE-2025-29791, CVE-2025-29792, CVE-2025-29816, CVE-2025-27745, CVE-2025-27748, CVE-2025-27749, CVE-2025-27752). Workarounds (such as disabling Outlook weather integration or removing suspect add-ins) provided only partial relief.
Microsoft responded rapidly by releasing an out-of-band hotfix, KB5002623, on April 10, 2025. This update specifically addresses the crashes introduced by KB5002700. Initially, KB5002623 was only available for manual download, making deployment cumbersome for larger environments. As of April 15, 2025, Microsoft made KB5002623 available through WSUS (Windows Server Update Services), streamlining deployment for enterprise environments.
Table of Contents
Key Points
- Both KB5002700 and KB5002623 must be installed to fully restore Office 2016 stability. Removing KB5002700 alone is not recommended, as it leaves systems vulnerable.
- Order of installation does not matter; both updates simply need to be present.
- Applies only to MSI-based Office 2016 installations (not Click-to-Run/Office 365).
Step-by-Step Resolution
Step 1: Verify Both Updates Are Installed
Ensure that both KB5002700 and KB5002623 are installed on all affected systems. If KB5002700 was previously uninstalled, reinstall it before or after applying KB5002623.
Step 2: Deploy KB5002623 via WSUS
As of April 15, 2025, KB5002623 is available for deployment through WSUS, allowing for automated and large-scale rollout. For manual installations, the update can also be downloaded from the Microsoft Download Center.
Step 3: Restart the System
After installing both updates, restart the affected computers to ensure all changes take effect.
Step 4: Confirm Office Functionality
Open Word, Excel, and Outlook to verify that crashes and freezes are resolved.
Note: If you are still experiencing issues after both updates, check for third-party add-ins (especially PDF plugins) or try disabling Outlook’s weather integration as a temporary workaround.
By promptly deploying both KB5002700 and KB5002623, you can swiftly restore stability and security to your Office 2016 environment, ending the frustration of application crashes and workflow disruptions. The availability of KB5002623 via WSUS as of April 15, 2025, ensures a smooth and scalable resolution for enterprise administrators.