Is Microsoft Office 2008 compatible with OS X Yosemite?

Question

Is Microsoft Office 2008 compatible with OS X Yosemite? My Word, Excel and PowerPoint files won't open since updating my OS.

Answer 1

Your Office installation sounds corrupted. I would reinstall Office, but you must first do a complete removal of it. I did not write this note, but it should apply to Office 2008. You will just need to locate the version equivalents at the MS site. You might also check inside the Office 2008 folder for an uninstaller.
Your MS Office 2011 may have become corrupted.  Reinstalling Office 2011 can address problems that you may be experiencing.
First - find your Office 2011 install disc with the product key # - and only then remove Office according to MS instructions
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2398768.
Or go here to DianefromOregon's site for help removing Office 2011: http://www.officeformachelp.com/2012/12/office-for-mac-2011-remove-office/.
Then Reinstall from DVD
Then enter your Product #
After successfully reinstalling Office 2011, update your Office product using the Software update within Office called Microsoft Update or going to the Help menu within Word or Excel or PowerPoint and select Update.
It may take a few times before you get to final upgrade to current Office version.
It should be 14.4.8 as of current date.
How to locate product keys: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2279109 or here on locating product keys http://office.about.com/od/MicrosoftOfficeMac/a/Best-3-Ways-To-Find-Microsoft-Of fice-For-Mac-Key-Codes.htm.
Note is updated as of February 25, 2015
Or you can do all of this manually:
Uninstalling Software: The Basics
Most OS X applications are completely self-contained "packages" that can be uninstalled by simply dragging the application to the Trash.  Applications may create preference files that are stored in the /Home/Library/Preferences/ folder.  Although they do nothing once you delete the associated application, they do take up some disk space.  If you want you can look for them in the above location and delete them, too.
Some applications may install an uninstaller program that can be used to remove the application.  In some cases the uninstaller may be part of the application's installer, and is invoked by clicking on a Customize button that will appear during the install process.
Some applications may install components in the /Home/Library/Applications Support/ folder.  You can also check there to see if the application has created a folder.  You can also delete the folder that's in the Applications Support folder.  Again, they don't do anything but take up disk space once the application is trashed.
Some applications may install a startupitem or a Log In item.  Startupitems are usually installed in the /Library/StartupItems/ folder and less often in the /Home/Library/StartupItems/ folder.  Log In Items are set in the Accounts preferences.  Open System Preferences, click on the Accounts icon, then click on the LogIn Items tab.  Locate the item in the list for the application you want to remove and click on the "-" button to delete it from the list.
Some software use startup daemons or agents that are a new feature of the OS.  Look for them in /Library/LaunchAgents/ and /Library/LaunchDaemons/ or in /Home/Library/LaunchAgents/.
If an application installs any other files the best way to track them down is to do a Finder search using the application name or the developer name as the search term.  Unfortunately Spotlight will not look in certain folders by default.  You can modify Spotlight's behavior or use a third-party search utility, EasyFind, instead.
Some applications install a receipt in the /Library/Receipts/ folder.  Usually with the same name as the program or the developer.  The item generally has a ".pkg" extension.  Be sure you also delete this item as some programs use it to determine if it's already installed.
There are many utilities that can uninstall applications.  Here is a selection:
    1. AppZapper
    2. AppDelete
    3. Automaton
    4. Hazel
    5. AppCleaner
    6. CleanApp
    7. iTrash
    8. Amnesia
    9. Uninstaller
  10. Spring Cleaning
For more information visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on removing software.