Resolve the Microsoft Office Run-time Error 53 on Mac

When installed on macOS computers, Adobe Acrobat Professional 2020 includes add-ins for the Office Suite named the following: linkCreation.dotm, SaveAsAdobePDF.xlam, SaveAsAdobePDF.ppam

The add-ins are 32-bit and incompatible with the 64-bit Office suite resulting in a Run-time error (shown below) when certain Microsoft Office apps are launched. Since these add-ins aren't compatible, removing them doesn't affect any functionality and saving files within the Office Suite as .pdf still works. It isn't clear why Adobe includes these when Acrobat is installed.



Removing the add-ins:


1. Quit all Microsoft Office applications. 

2. Launch the UT Self Service app from the Applications folder.

Finder, opened to the Applications folder, is shown with the UT Self Service app circled.

3. Use the search bar in the top left of the application windows to search for "Acrobat/Office error 53 Resolution", then click Run.


5. Open PowerPoint, Excel, and Word to verify the Run-time error no longer appears.


If you receive an error when launching PowerPoint or Word such as this:

ex. PowerPoint error indicating inability to load add-in


You will need to take these additional steps:


1. Open PowerPoint or Word (whichever app had the error). From the Menu Bar to the right of the Apple Menu , open either of the following menus:

In PowerPoint, select Tools then PowerPoint Add-ins...

In Word, select Templates then Add-ins...

PowerPoint Tools menu selected with the Add-ins menu highlighted

2. Click on SaveAsAdobePDF.xlam or linkCreation.dotm, click the minus (-) to remove, then click OK.

Available Add-ins window shows the add-in selected. The minus button in the bottom left corner of the window is circled.

3. Quit PowerPoint or Word and relaunch. All errors should now be gone! 


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