If you're a volume licensing customer, the process might slightly differ:

Best for: Home/retail copies of Office 2016/2019.

“Error codes. A waterfall of them. And the label printer just spat out a recipe for banana bread.”

To summarize, you successfully download and install Microsoft Office on Windows Server 2012 R2, provided you use the correct channel (VLSC or ODT) and prepare the server with the Desktop Experience and necessary frameworks.

setup.exe /configure configuration.xml

Best for: Microsoft 365 Business Premium/E3/E5 subscribers.