Microsoft Office for Windows or Mac — What You Need to Know in 2026
If you're still running Office 2016 or Office 2019, the situation has changed significantly. Microsoft ended all support for both versions on October 14, 2025 — meaning no further security patches, no bug fixes, and no technical support of any kind. The apps may still open on your machine, but running unsupported software exposes you to security vulnerabilities that will never be fixed. For most users, staying put is no longer a sensible option.
The connectivity picture is even starker. Office 2016 and Office 2019 for Windows lost the ability to connect reliably to Microsoft 365 services — including Exchange Online, OneDrive, and SharePoint — back in October 2023. If you've noticed Outlook behaving oddly, files failing to sync, or authentication errors, this is almost certainly why. Those issues won't be resolved by reinstalling or repairing your existing Office installation. The version itself is the problem.
Mac users face an additional deadline. From July 13, 2026, Office 2019 for Mac — along with Office 2021 for Mac — will enter a reduced functionality mode on devices running macOS. In practice, that means the apps will open and print existing files but will no longer let you edit, save, or create documents. Office 2019 for Mac reached end of support on October 10, 2023, so there is no update path available — the only resolution is to move to a newer release entirely.
After October 14, 2025, Microsoft no longer provides technical support, bug fixes, or security fixes for Office 2016 and Office 2019.
What are your options?
The two realistic paths forward are a Microsoft 365 subscription or a one-time purchase of a perpetual licence. Microsoft naturally pushes the subscription route — Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise or the consumer Microsoft 365 Personal and Family plans — and for users who want the latest features, AI integrations, and guaranteed compatibility with Microsoft's cloud services, that's a reasonable choice.
That said, subscriptions aren't for everyone. If you'd rather make a single purchase and own your software outright, Office LTSC 2024 is the current perpetual release for Windows and Mac. It receives mainstream support through October 9, 2029, and — crucially — it's supported for connecting to Microsoft 365 services for the same period. Office LTSC 2021 is still available but its connectivity support window closes in October 2026, so it's a short runway for a new purchase.
For home and small business users, the consumer equivalent of the perpetual licence is Microsoft Office 2024 (Home & Student or Home & Business editions), available as a one-time purchase from Microsoft or authorised retailers. It installs on one PC or Mac, carries no recurring fee, and is fully supported through 2029. If the subscription model has always felt like renting something you've already paid for several times over, this remains a legitimate and cost-effective alternative — just make sure you're buying from an authorised source.
Key dates at a glance
- October 13, 2020 — Office 2016 for Mac reached end of support
- October 10, 2023 — Office 2019 for Mac reached end of support; Office 2016 and 2019 for Windows lost Microsoft 365 service connectivity support
- October 14, 2025 — Office 2016 and Office 2019 for Windows reached full end of support
- July 13, 2026 — Office 2019 and Office 2021 for Mac enter reduced functionality mode on older macOS versions (editing and saving disabled)
- October 13, 2026 — Office LTSC 2021 connectivity support for Microsoft 365 services ends
- October 9, 2029 — Office LTSC 2024 / Office 2024 end of support
Do you need to act immediately?
If you're on Windows and using Office purely offline — no Exchange, no OneDrive, no SharePoint — your apps will continue to function for now. The risk is cumulative: without security updates, any vulnerability discovered from October 2025 onwards will remain permanently unpatched. For anything involving sensitive data or regular internet connectivity, that's a meaningful exposure.
If you're on a Mac running Office 2019, the July 2026 reduced functionality deadline makes the decision more urgent. Once that mode kicks in, the software becomes effectively read-only — and because Office 2019 for Mac can no longer receive updates, there is no fix short of upgrading to a current release. Waiting until July to act will leave you scrambling.
The minimum macOS version required to update Office sucessfully is macOS 12 Monterey. If your Mac can run Monterey or later and you upgrade your Office version to a currently supported release, you'll be clear of the July 2026 cutoff.
