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Can I use old Office with Windows 10 or 11?

Is it possible to use very old versions of Microsoft Office like Office 2000, Office XP (2002) or Office 2003 on Windows 10 or Windows 11.  Should you even try?

Office Watcher, Clyde R asks:

“What is the oldest version of Office which would be loadable on Windows 10 Pro, and be safe to use? I still have Office XP which I purchased with a Dell computer (it was not installed on the computer, thus I was able to reinstall it on two successful computers later).”

Office XP (2002) is now 19 years old it was released when George H. W. Bush and Tony Blair ruled on either side of the Atlantic.  In computer tech terms, 19 years is the equivalent of 100 human years.

It might be possible to use Office XP on Windows 10 or 11 but it’s not a good idea.

Clyde asks if Office XP ‘be safe to use’ and that’s the important point. Not so much compatibility with Windows.

Even if Office XP works on modern Windows (doubtful), the software is very out of date and a considerable security concern.  The risk of being infected by a hacked document is much higher with older versions of Office.

Office XP doesn’t fully support the ‘new’ safer and better document formats introduced in Office 2007. (Yes, there is a ‘compatibility pack’ for Office 2000, XP and 2003). That alone is a reason to move to a newer, safer Office.

For safety reasons, stick with versions of Office that are still in their support lifetime.  That means Office 2016 or later. 

Office 2013 ends support on 11 April 2023 or about 11 months ago Office 2013 expires in a few months – what you must do

Office 2010 and earlier versions don’t receive any security updates and become an increasing risk the longer they are unpatched.

“ And are there any tutorials for using the “cloud” versions of current Office? The old ways of operating Office XP don’t work most of the time. “

The ‘cloud’ versions of Office (assuming he means Microsoft Office 365) aren’t that different from their ribboned predecessors.

Likely the problem is that Office XP (2002) has the old menu/toolbar interface which was replaced with the ribbon in Office 2007.  Switching to a very different interface was a big step for everyone back in the late ‘oughts. It might take a little while, but the ribbon is much better despite any changeover pain.

Any supported Office released has the ribbon interface so there’s no avoiding the changeover I’m afraid.

In Word, Excel and PowerPoint the old keyboard shortcuts (based on menus) still work in Office 2007 and later. When Outlook got the ribbon in a later release, it did NOT have shortcut compatibility, it seems the dev. team missed a memo <sigh>

Look around for a matching beginners book for the version of Office you decide on.  Ebay or an Amazon third-party seller will have second-hand books to match your need and Office release.

If you’re determined to use an older Office, our general advice would be to get a perpetual licence Office 2016, assuming you can find a legal second-hand copy. That will include security patches until October 2025. Office 2013 is the oldest, still supported, version of Office but not for long and is NOT supported on Windows 11.

Or ‘bite the bullet’ and get the latest Microsoft Office. Either Office 2021 perpetual licence or a Microsoft 365 ‘subscription’.

Why Old Office documents should be banned
Office docs to avoid at all costs, the old formats

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