Microsoft Office. The end of support for two versions has been announced

Microsoft has already planned the end of support for packages Microsoft Office 2016 and Microsoft Office 2019. Both versions will receive the last update on the same day: October 14, 2025. This applies to: Word, Excel, Outlook and Exchange Server, OneNote, Access, PowerPoint, Publisher, Visio, Project, Skype for Business and Skype for Business Server. The accompanying server services, still used in many companies, will retire together with the package.

The applications will not stop working overnight and license holders will be able to continue to use them – at their own risk. This involves some risk. After October 14, 2025 no security patches will be released, so if cybercriminals launch attacks using the newly discovered vulnerability, users will be vulnerable. Companies will also not be able to count on technical support and no reported bugs will be fixed.

What to do when support for an office suite expires? Many individual users have no reason to worry. Individuals are unlikely to be a tasty target for criminals, especially if they do not exchange documents via the Internet. In such cases, you can often stick with older software.

For companies, Microsoft, of course, recommends a Microsoft 365 subscription, along with the cloud. If computers must be offline and subscribing to the cloud package is not an option, you can use software with extended support from a separate “channel” (LTSC licenses, i.e. long term support channel). This way, you can gain an additional year of peace of mind and use of Microsoft Office 2021. Its support expires on October 13, 2026.

By then, we will certainly know the maintenance calendar for the new version of the package with extended support. Office 2024 is to be maintained until 2029. We should know the details in the fall.

By the way, it is worth recalling that Microsoft Publisher will be removed from the office suite in October 2026.