Here’s what you need to know now there’s only a year left for Office 2016 and Office 2019 before their official support ends.
End of Support
On 14 October 2025, Microsoft will stop making security and bug fixes for Office 2019 and Office 2016 for both Windows and Mac.
Office 2019 only has five years of support which ends on 14 October 2025.
Office 2016 ended mainstream support in 2020, it’s now in what Microsoft calls ‘extended support’ that lasts until 14 October 2025.
Not the end of the software
Microsoft does its best to imply that people have to buy another version of Office but that’s their corporate self-interest talking.
The software will keep working after 14 October 2025 though the risk of a security breach will increase from then on.
The reality is that you can keep using Office 2019 or Office 2016 for a least the next year and safely for, say, six or twelve months beyond that.
The best time to change is whenever you need to or when you see a good deal on a replacement. Among Microsoft products there are two choices:
Office 2024 – the current ‘perpetual license’ version of Microsoft Office and the successor to Office 2019.
Microsoft 365 – a Personal or Family ‘subscription’ or annual payment plan.
