VMware tools upgrade breaks Office 2019

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

After applying VMware Tools 12.5.x the Microsoft Office 2019 Installer version 16.0.10417.20007 fails to load in Windows. 

Cause

There is a issue in the office 2019 version 16.0.10417.20007 which prevents it from installing on Windows system with updated  visual C++ Redistributable. Either the version included with VMware Tools 12.5.x or the latest release from Microsoft will cause this issue

Resolution

Contact Microsoft for workaround or resolution. Using a newer office installer solves the issue.