Microsoft will stop issuing security updates for Office 2021 on October 13, 2026, roughly five months from now, and there is no paid extension available. After that date, any newly discovered vulnerabilities in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook will go permanently unpatched, leaving home users and businesses increasingly exposed to hackers. You do not need to do anything today, but understanding all five of your options now, not just the ones Microsoft promotes, puts you in control before the deadline arrives.
Support for Office 2021 ends on October 13, 2026, and Microsoft has confirmed there will be no extension and no extended security updates. That date isabout 5 months from today.
Start planning. You do not need to act today, but you should be aware of your all your choices, not just Microsoft’s sales pitch. We have five suggestions below.
October 2026 is also when Microsoft Publisher Ends.
What Actually Happens on October 13
Office 2021 apps will continue to work. However, over time the software will be exposed to serious and potentially harmful security risks.
Specifically, after October 13:
- Microsoft will no longer provide technical support, bug fixes, or security fixes for Office 2021 vulnerabilities that are reported or discovered. This includes security updates that protect your PC from viruses, spyware, and other malicious software.
- Microsoft Update will no longer deliver Office 2021 updates, and Microsoft also excludes telephone or chat support. The online help will also not be maintained.
This isn’t a theoretical risk. Hackers and criminals take advantage of people and organizations that run older, outdated versions of Office and Windows.
There’s no paid reprieve either. Unlike Windows 10, Microsoft is explicitly not providing an Extended Security Updates program where users could purchase additional years of support.
What This Means for You
If you use Office 2021 at home, you face a growing security risk over time. Hackers actively look for and exploit known vulnerabilities in unsupported software. Your Word, Excel, PowerPoint files become a potential entry point.
If you use Office 2021 at work, the stakes are higher. Continuing to use unsupported software can expose your organization to security and compliance risks and may impact service reliability and performance. Many data protection regulations require you to run supported software, so this could become a legal and insurance issue too.
Five Choices for Office 2021 users
Office 2021 customers have four choices while staying within the Microsoft Office world.
Switch to Microsoft 365 (subscription)
You’ll be astonished to learn that Microsoft suggests Office 2021 customers switch to Microsoft 365 annual subscription <g>.
Microsoft 365 Personal costs US$100+ per year and Microsoft 365 Family costs $130+ per year. You get continuous updates, some Copilot AI features, and 1TB of OneDrive storage per person.
Over three years, that is roughly $300 for Personal or $390 for Family, compared to a one-time $180 to $250 for a perpetual license. We chose a three-year comparison because that’s how long Office 2024 support will last, until October 2029.
The subscription costs more long-term, but you always have the latest features and you are never left on an unsupported version.
Change to Office 2024 (one-time purchase)
This is the best choice if you dislike subscriptions and want to own your software outright.
Office Home 2024 costs $149.99 and includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote for one PC or Mac. Office Home and Business 2024 adds Outlook and commercial use rights for another $100.
Office 2024 will only be supported until October 2029. That buys you three more years of official support.
Wait for Office 2027
It’s likely but not confirmed that there’ll be a new Microsoft Office perpetual license released in 2027 or 2028.
Office 2021 customers could choose to wait until that new Office is released. Not only will it have a few new features, but it should have the full five years of support (compared to only three years remaining with Office 2024).
Use Free Microsoft Office
Another option is to forget about the Office desktop apps and use the free online versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
The browser-based Office apps are quite powerful and are enough for modest needs.
Email can also be managed using a browser, depending on the mailbox you have. Windows 11 users also have the choice of Outlook (new).
Do nothing
You can keep running Office 2021 past October 13. It will not stop working on October 14. But every month you wait after that date, the security risk grows. Newly discovered vulnerabilities in Word or Excel will go unpatched permanently.
This is a calculated gamble that gets riskier over time.
Microsoft Office Support End Dates: Are You Prepared?
Microsoft Publisher Ends in October 2026: Key Dates, Alternatives and How to Keep .pub Files
All About Office 2021 for Windows and Mac
Microsoft 365 Plans Overview: Pricing and Features
Microsoft 365 on Windows 10: Support Extended But Only for Security Updates
