Microsoft has just released patch updates for Microsoft Office 2016, amongst other products including Microsoft Access 2016, Outlook 2016, and Project 2016. These updates are the first of 2021 as part of Office Patch Tuesday, the first Tuesday of every month.
This is a non-security update designed only for Microsoft Office 2016 that has been installed using MSI files, and not through Office 365. Let’s discuss what the new update has to offer, and whether it’s worth installing right away.
Table of Contents
Microsoft Office 2016 Update KB4493157 for January 2021
Improvement and fixes
This release was made primarily to enhance the user experience for Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). VBA is a programming language that was once derived from Visual Basic 6 which is primarily used by developers for building user-defined functions and automation purposes.
Download and install Microsoft Office 2016 update KB4493157
The update for Office 2016 KB4493157 released in January 2021 and can be installed by 2 means: through the Windows Updates and manually from the Microsoft Catalog.
You will need to have Microsoft Office 2016 installed on the machine when installing the standalone update. Moreover, you might have to reboot the computer once it is installed.
- Method 1: Installing through Windows Update
Navigate to the following:Start Menu -> Settings -> <a href="https://itechtics.com/enable-windows-security-updates-over-metered-connections/">Update and Security -> Windows</a> update - Click on Check for updates on the right. Note that you will require an active internet connection at this stage. The computer will then search for any pending updates.
- Updates will now automatically download and install. Once done, reboot the computer.
- Method 2: Installing from Microsoft Catalog
Download the respective updates:- Microsoft Office 2016 Update KB4493157 x64 [248.0 MB]
- Microsoft Office 2016 Update KB4493157 x86 [126.5 MB]
- Once the download is complete, extract the files and run the MSI file.
- Go through with the installation wizard. Once the installation is complete, reboot the computer.
Other non-security updates for January 2021
As we mentioned earlier, other updates alongside Office 2016 have also been released by Microsoft. The updates include the following:
Update for Microsoft Access 2016 KB4484509
This update applies to Microsoft Access 2016, and can only be updated if it is preinstalled on your PC. The method to update is the same as Office 2016 stated above.
The update fixes an issue where the code running within the form in the main Access window is often not visible when the application is halted at a Stop statement or a VBA breakpoint. Moreover, it also improves the VBA experience by increasing its reliability.
Update for Microsoft Outlook 2016 KB4493166
This update fixes several important issues that the users have experienced for some time. It fixes an issue that causes Microsoft Outlook 2016 to often crash without a prompt. It also addresses the problem of users being unable to provide justification text when overriding a policy.
Another important feature it adds is a dedicated Key in the Windows Registry by the name “IncludeFileTimesInDataObject.” Setting its value to 1 would enable users to include file time for attachments, while setting it to 0 would disable the option to do so. This registry could be found on the following path within the Registry Editor:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER \SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\Attachments
Update for Microsoft Project 2016 KB4493159
This update addresses a single yet considerable issue in Project. The long pauses which the users experienced while editing texts within a project that had many tasks will no longer exist. Installing this update will enable users to view the text update on their screen while they are typing it.
Closing words
In our opinion, these updates are not significant and users can do fine just as well, especially since these are non-security updates. However, if they do get installed automatically through Windows Update, no harm is done. In fact, it is better to keep your PC and all of its applications up to date.
