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[Solved] “Incompatible Office products are installed on…” Error when open Office Document from OneDrive or SharePoint

Problem: Error “Sorry, we can’t perform this action. Incompatible Office products are installed on your machine. If you have an administrator, please contact them for help.” prompt when open Microsoft Office document such as Excel, Word, Powerpoint from OneDrive for Business or SharePoint site.

Incompatible Office Products are Installed on Your Machine Error

Content Summary

Solution 1: Uninstall SkyDrive or stand-alone Microsoft OneDrive for Business 2013 sync client
Solution 2: Uninstall stand-alone version of OneNote 2013
Solution 3: Resolve Conflict between Office 2013 Pro Plus and Office 365
Solution 4: Uninstall Update KB3085509
Reference

Solution 1: Uninstall SkyDrive or stand-alone Microsoft OneDrive for Business 2013 sync client

The stand-alone Microsoft OneDrive for Business 2013 sync client (groove.exe) come with February 10, 2015 update for Office 2013 (KB2920798) update is only meant to be installed with Office 2010.

Step 1: Right click on the OneDrive icon in the system tray and select Stop synching files.

Step 2: Press Windows + R to open Run dialog box, type appwiz.cpl and press Enter to open up Programs and Features.

Step 3: Locate Microsoft OneDrive for Business 2013 or Microsoft OneDrive in the list of installed programs.

Step 4: Right-click on Microsoft OneDrive 2013 and choose Uninstall.

Step 5: Select View installed updates, scroll down the Office updates and uninstall the latest update for OneDrive for Business.

Step 6: Delete any remaining folders for SkyDrive or OneDrive under your user profile such as This PC > Local Disk (C:) > Users > Yourname > SkyDrive.

Step 7: Restart computer.

Solution 2: Uninstall stand-alone version of OneNote 2013

Step 1: Press Windows + R to open Run dialog box, type appwiz.cpl and press Enter to open up Programs and Features.

Step 2: Locate Microsoft OneNote in the list of installed programs.

Step 3: Right-click on Microsoft OneNote and choose Uninstall.

Step 4: Restart computer.

Note: In case you need OneNote 2013, choose Change instead of Uninstall in the Programs and Files screen, make sure that Microsoft OneNote and all its subfolders are set to Run from My computer in the Installation options.

Solution 3: Resolve Conflict between Office 2013 Pro Plus and Office 365

Step 1: Press Windows + R to open Run dialog box, type appwiz.cpl and press Enter to open up Programs and Features.

Step 2: Locate Office 2013 Pro Plus and Office 365 installations and uninstall both by right click on their entries and choosing Uninstall.

Step 3: Restart computer after uninstallation complete.

Step 4: Reinstall Office 365 from the supplied link or from the installation media.

Solution 4: Uninstall Update KB3085509

Step 1: Press Windows + S, type cmd in the dialogue box, right-click on the application and select Run as administrator.

Step 2: Execute the following command:
C:\Windows\System32\wusa.exe /uninstall /kb:3085509 /quiet /norestart

Reference

Microsoft Office Support: “Sorry, we can’t perform this action” error when you try to open a document from a OneDrive for Business
superuser: “Incompatible Office products are installed on your machine” when opening Office documents or browsing OneDrive or SharePoint Site

Alex Lim is a certified IT Technical Support Architect with over 15 years of experience in designing, implementing, and troubleshooting complex IT systems and networks. He has worked for leading IT companies, such as Microsoft, IBM, and Cisco, providing technical support and solutions to clients across various industries and sectors. Alex has a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the National University of Singapore and a master’s degree in information security from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is also the author of several best-selling books on IT technical support, such as The IT Technical Support Handbook and Troubleshooting IT Systems and Networks. Alex lives in Bandar, Johore, Malaysia with his wife and two chilrdren. You can reach him at [email protected] or follow him on Website | Twitter | Facebook

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