Which Microsoft Office Versions Are Still Supported?

This article began life as advice about leaving Office 2010 behind, and the advice has aged well because the pattern repeats: every version of Microsoft Office has a fixed end-of-support date, and businesses tend to notice it only when Outlook stops connecting or an auditor asks. Two dates matter right now. Office 2016 and Office 2019 reached the end of support on October 14, 2025, the same day as Windows 10. Office 2021 follows on October 13, 2026. Here is the complete list, what actually stops, how to check what you have and what to move to.

End-of-support dates for every version

The Mac products follow the same shape: Office 2019 for Mac ended in October 2023, Office LTSC 2021 for Mac ends in October 2026 and Office LTSC 2024 for Mac is supported until October 2029. On-premises Exchange Server 2016 and 2019 also ended in October 2025, replaced by Exchange Server Subscription Edition, which is a separate conversation for the few businesses still running their own mail server; see should we migrate to Microsoft 365.

What “end of support” changes

The programs do not stop working on the date. Three things change. Security fixes stop, so every file-handling and macro flaw discovered afterwards stays open on that computer, and Office files remain one of the most common ways malware arrives. Microsoft no longer supports connecting the old version to Microsoft 365 services, so Outlook 2016 or 2019 talking to an Exchange Online mailbox is an unsupported combination that can stop at any time without a fix. And compliance frameworks and cyber-insurance applications treat unsupported software the same way they treat an unsupported operating system: as a finding. Our article on the end of Windows 10 support covers that side in detail, and many businesses are dealing with both at once because Office 2016 and Windows 10 were bought together.

How to check which version you have

Open Word or Excel, click File, then Account. The right-hand side shows the product name. “Microsoft 365 Apps for business” or “for enterprise” means a subscription that updates itself. “Office Home & Business 2019” or “Office Standard 2016” means a perpetual licence with a date in the table above. Under a managed IT plan this inventory exists for every computer already, which is how we knew which clients had Office 2016 or 2019 in the months before October 2025.

Your two choices: Office 2024 or Microsoft 365

Office 2024 is the current one-time purchase. Home & Business 2024 covers a single PC or Mac with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote, and Office LTSC 2024 is the volume-licensing equivalent for businesses. You pay once, you own that version, it is supported until October 2029, and then this conversation happens again. It does not include email, Teams, OneDrive or any cloud service, and it cannot be moved between computers freely.

Microsoft 365 is the subscription. Business Standard and Business Premium include the same desktop apps for up to five computers per person plus Exchange Online email, Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint and continuous updates, and Business Premium adds the security and device-management layer. Business Basic includes the web and mobile apps only. The per-user monthly fee is the trade for never facing an end-of-support date again. Our Microsoft 365 plan picker sorts out which plan each type of employee needs, and our guide to what Microsoft 365 Business Premium includes explains the top tier.

For most businesses with more than a handful of people, the subscription wins because email and file sharing are already there. A perpetual licence still makes sense for a standalone computer that runs a machine, a reception PC that only needs Word, or an organisation that budgets capital rather than subscriptions.

Things that break during the move

• Add-ins and integrations. Accounting, CRM and industry software often hook into Outlook and Excel. Check the vendor’s supported Office versions and whether they need the 32-bit or 64-bit edition; QuickBooks Desktop is the classic example.
• Macros and old file formats. VBA macros generally carry over, but security settings in newer Office block macros from internet-downloaded files by default, which is the right behaviour and confuses people the first week.
• Mixed versions. One person on Office 2016 sharing files with colleagues on Microsoft 365 hits formatting and feature differences. Move a whole team at once.
• Licences. Perpetual licences are tied to the computer; subscriptions follow the person. Offboarding changes accordingly, as our employee offboarding checklist explains.

How we handle this for clients

For managed clients, Office versions are part of the monthly inventory, and the move to Microsoft 365 Apps or Office 2024 is scheduled per computer before the date arrives, with the add-ins tested first. If you are not a client and have Office 2016, 2019 or 2021 on your computers, we will tell you what you have and quote the move as a fixed price. The monthly cost of keeping everything current afterwards is in the pricing calculator.

Common questions

Will Office 2016 or 2019 stop opening files?

No. The programs keep running. What ended in October 2025 is security fixes, and with them Microsoft’s support for connecting those versions to Microsoft 365 services such as Exchange Online. Outlook 2016 or 2019 may keep connecting to a Microsoft 365 mailbox for a while, but when it stops, there is no fix coming.

Do we have to move to a subscription?

No. Office Home & Business 2024 and Office LTSC 2024 are one-time purchases supported until October 2029. A subscription to Microsoft 365 is usually the better fit for a business because it includes email, Teams, OneDrive and continuous updates, but a perpetual licence is still a legitimate choice for a computer that does not need any of that.

What happens to Office 2021 in October 2026?

It reaches the end of support on October 13, 2026, five years after release. After that it receives no security updates and is no longer supported for connecting to Microsoft 365 services. Plan its replacement now if you have it.

How do I check which version of Office we have?

Open Word or Excel, choose File and then Account. The product name and version number appear on the right. Microsoft 365 Apps show a subscription name; Office 2016, 2019, 2021 and 2024 show the year.

Why does old Office matter if we already use Microsoft 365 email?

Because the desktop Outlook, Word and Excel on each computer are separate from the cloud services. A Microsoft 365 mailbox accessed through Outlook 2016 is an unsupported combination, and old Office is also a common route for malware, since the security fixes for macro and file-handling flaws no longer arrive.

Does this apply to Macs?

Yes, with slightly different products. Office 2019 for Mac ended in October 2023, Office LTSC 2021 for Mac ends in October 2026, and Office LTSC 2024 for Mac runs to October 2029. Microsoft 365 Apps for Mac are continuously updated.

Talk to us

If you are unsure which Office versions are on your computers, or whether your accounting software will survive the move, we will check and give you a plan before October 13. Call 952-548-5558 or contact us; the first conversation is free and there is no long-term contract.