Enterprise version of Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant

Note

This article is for Microsoft 365 administrators only. For help to diagnose and fix issues that affect Microsoft Office, Microsoft 365, or Microsoft Outlook on your computer, see About the Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant.

The Enterprise version of Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant is a self-contained, enterprise-ready diagnostic tool that you can use to troubleshoot specific client issues that affect Microsoft 365 apps, such as Microsoft Teams and Outlook. This version of the Assistant runs at a command line or through a script such as PowerShell. Administrators will find this version of the Assistant useful if they have to run it on computers in their organization remotely.

To resolve issues on a single computer, we recommend that you use the full version of the Assistant. If multiple devices are affected, use the Enterprise version of the Assistant.

Supported scenarios

You can use the Enterprise version of the Assistant to resolve issues for the following scenarios. Select a scenario for details about how to run it.

Note

The Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant isn't applicable to new Outlook for Windows and new Teams.

Scenario Description <Scenarioname>
Outlook Scan Scans Outlook for known issues and generates a comprehensive configuration report for Outlook, Office, and Windows. A full or offline scan can be run. ExpertExperienceAdminTask
Office Uninstall Scrubs any version of Office from a device. Use when you can't fully remove Office through Control Panel. OfficeScrubScenario
Office Activation Automated checks and recoveries to reset activation-related settings so you can successfully activate a subscription version of Office. OfficeActivationScenario
Office Shared Computer Activation Automated checks and recoveries to either enable or disable Office Shared Computer Activation. OfficeSharedComputerScenario
Outlook Calendar Scan Scans your Outlook calendar by using the Calendar Checking tool (CalCheck) for dozens of known problems. OutlookCalendarCheckTask
Teams Meeting Add-in for Outlook Automated checks and recoveries to help you get the Teams Meeting Add-in for Outlook running. TeamsAddinScenario
Reset Office Activation Clear any previous activations of Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise to remove related licenses and cached Office account information. This resets Office applications to a clean state. Then, you can activate the applications by using a different Office account or change to a different license mode. ResetOfficeActivation

Download and run the Enterprise version of the Assistant

  1. Download the Assistant by selecting the following button.

  2. In the downloaded .zip file, extract the files to a folder that you can access from the user's computer on which you'll run the Assistant.

  3. On the user's computer, select Start, enter cmd, and then press Enter to open a Command Prompt window.

    Note: If the scenario that you want to run requires an elevated Command Prompt window, select Start, enter cmd, right-click Command Prompt in the results, and then select Run as administrator.

  4. At the command prompt, navigate to the folder in which you extracted the files from step 2.

  5. Run the Assistant by using the appropriate switches for the scenario.

Important

Updates to the Enterprise version of the Assistant are released on a regular basis. To make sure that you're using the latest version that has the most features and highest stability, each build of the application will stop working 90 days after the Created date that's listed for the SaRAcmd.exe file. Use the link that's provided in step 1 to always download the latest available version.

Script the Enterprise version of the Assistant

Because the Enterprise version of the Assistant is a command-line executable, you can script it to simplify the experience and add functionality. The following sample scripts can help you get started. These scripts provide different capabilities.

Note: Detailed instructions for each script are provided in the included comments.

Both sample scripts perform the following basic tasks:

  1. Copy Assistant Enterprise files to the client from the location that's specified in the script.

    The default download location that's referenced in the script is https://aka.ms/SaRA_EnterpriseVersionFiles. This is the internet download location for the Assistant. However, you can modify the script to use either a path to the .zip file for the Assistant download or a folder location that contains the files that are extracted from the Assistant download.

  2. Gather log files that are generated when a scenario is run.

    The script collects all the log files that are generated by the Assistant.

  3. Create a consolidated .zip file that includes all the logs.

    All the log files that are generated by the Assistant are compressed into a .zip file. The name of this .zip file is customizable.

Sample 1: Script to run a non-interactive session

Download the script for a non-interactive session

This script provides the following additional capability:

  • Start SaraCmd.exe to run the specified scenario by using the switches and parameters that are provided.

    You have to update the script to include the switches and parameters that are required to run the desired scenario. The script contains examples for each scenario.

Sample 2: Script to run an interactive session

Download the script for an interactive session

This script provides the following additional capabilities:

  • Prompt for the scenario to be run by the Assistant.

    By default, you don't have to modify the script by using any switches or parameters. When the script is run, you're prompted to enter the name of the scenario that you want the script to run.

  • Start SaraCmd.exe to run the specified scenario by using the specified switches and parameters.

    After the scenario name is entered at the prompt, the script runs the scenario by using the minimum required switches and parameters. However, you can modify the script to use optional switches and parameters based on your requirements.

  • Create a draft email message for unsuccessful sessions.

    If the Assistant can't successfully complete a scenario, a draft email message is created that includes a .zip file attachment that contains all the session logs.

    Note: To use this capability, you have to update the script to include an email address, message subject, and message body.

Sample 3: Script to run two scenarios back-to-back

Download the script for back-to-back sessions

This script provides the following additional capabilities:

  • Allow the specification of two scenarios to be run

    Note: The script contains the list of supported scenario pairs.

  • Start SaraCmd.exe to run the first scenario.

  • When the first scenario is finished, run a second scenario if the result code from the first scenario indicates a successful completion.

Switches available for all scenarios

The following switches are available for the Enterprise version of the Assistant. They aren't case-sensitive. Unless noted as optional, the switches are required to run the scenario. You can use more than one optional switch.

Switch <parameter> Details Required/Optional Applicable scenarios
-? Use the -? switch to display the functions of all the switches that are available for SaRAcmd.exe. If you use the -? switch together with other switches, it will override the other switches. Optional All
-Help The -Help switch displays a link to online content for more information. If you use the -Help switch together with other switches, it will override all the others except the -? switch. Optional All
-DisplayEULA <file path> Use the -DisplayEULA switch to display the End User License Agreement (EULA). You can save the EULA text to a file by specifying a path to the file by using the switch. If you use the -DisplayEULA switch together with other switches, it will override the other switches. Optional All
-S <scenarioname> Use the -S switch to specify the scenario that you want to run. Required All
-AcceptEula Use the -AcceptEula switch to accept the EULA. This is required before a scenario can be run. Required All
-LogFolder <Output Path> Use the -LogFolder switch to force SaraCmd.exe to output scenario-specific logs to the folder that's specified by <Output Path>. Optional ExpertExperienceAdminTask
OutlookCalendarCheckTask
-HideProgress By default, the Assistant always displays the progress of the scenario. Use -HideProgress switch to hide the progress display for the listed scenarios. Optional ExpertExperienceAdminTask
OutlookCalendarCheckTask
-OfflineScan Use the -OfflineScan switch to specify an offline scan of Outlook while the Outlook application is running. Optional ExpertExperienceAdminTask
-OfficeVersion Use the -OfficeVersion switch to remove only the Office version that's specified by the <version> parameter. If you use All as a parameter, all Office versions will be removed from the computer. Optional OfficeScrubScenario
-RemoveSCA Use the -RemoveSCA switch to remove Shared Computer Activation (SCA) and to configure non-SCA activation for Office. Optional OfficeActivationScenario
OfficeSharedComputerScenario
-CloseOffice Use the -CloseOffice switch to close all Office apps that are open. Required OfficeActivationScenario
OfficeSharedComputerScenario
ResetOfficeActivation
-CloseOutlook Use the -CloseOutlook switch to close Outlook if it's open. Required TeamsAddinScenario
-P <profile name> Use the -P switch together with the <Profile name> parameter to specify the Outlook profile that you want the OutlookCalendarCheckTask scenario to scan. Optional OutlookCalendarCheckTask

Version history of the Enterprise version of the Assistant

A new build of the Enterprise version of the Assistant is released multiple times a year. (See Download and run the Enterprise version of the Assistant). Because each build stops working after 90 days, we recommend that you keep the Assistant updated by replacing your existing files with the latest version files.

The following table provides the versions of the Enterprise version of the Assistant that were made available on the specified dates.

Release date Version
February 20, 2024 17.01.1440.000
November 15, 2023 17.01.0987.011
September 5, 2023 17.01.0495.021
June 6, 2023 17.01.0268.003
April 19, 2023 17.01.0040.005
March 27, 2023 17.00.9941.009
February 09, 2023 17.00.9663.009
February 06, 2023 17.00.9663.003
December 16, 2022 17.00.9467.006
October 28, 2022 17.00.9246.000
September 13, 2022 17.00.9001.001
July 8, 2022 17.00.8713.001
May 18, 2022 17.00.8433.005
April 7, 2022 17.00.8256.000
February 8, 2022 17.00.7971.000
November 9, 2021 17.00.7513.000
May 26, 2021 17.00.6665.000