On 14 October 2025 Microsoft ended support for Office 2016 and Office 2019, and Office 2021 follows on 13 October 2026. If you're still on Office 2007, 2010 or 2013, those ended years ago. So — do you need to panic and upgrade? Not necessarily. Let's look at what really changes.
Does old Office stop working?
No. Word, Excel and PowerPoint open and save files exactly as before. What stops is security patches. The danger is specific: malicious Word/Excel attachments. Attackers love unpatched Office because one infected invoice.xlsx in your inbox is enough.
So the risk depends on how you use it:
- Low risk: you type your own documents, rarely open files from strangers.
- Higher risk: you receive Excel/Word files from clients, vendors or job applicants every day — typical for offices, CAs and HR.
Office support dates at a glance
| Version | Support ended / ends |
|---|---|
| Office 2007 | October 2017 |
| Office 2010 | October 2020 |
| Office 2013 | April 2023 |
| Office 2016 | 14 October 2025 |
| Office 2019 | 14 October 2025 |
| Office 2021 | 13 October 2026 |
| Office 2024 | 9 October 2029 |
The cheapest sensible upgrade
If you're upgrading anyway, jump to Office 2024 — it's supported until 2029, so you won't be doing this again in a year:
{product:office-2024-professional-plus}On a tight budget, Office 2021 is still a big step up from 2013/2016 and costs very little:
{product:office-2021-professional-plus}When an older Office still makes sense
Old PCs with 4 GB RAM and Windows 7/8.1, offline machines, or software that integrates only with a particular Office version. That's why we still stock them:
{product:office-2019-professional-plus} {product:office-2016-professional-plus} {product:office-professional-2013} {product:office-professional-2010} {product:office-enterprise-2007}How to upgrade without losing anything
- Your documents are just files — they're not touched by uninstalling Office.
- In Outlook, note your email settings (or export a .pst backup) before uninstalling.
- Uninstall the old Office from Settings → Apps, restart.
- Install the new version and activate — see how to activate Microsoft Office.
Frequently asked questions
Can I still use Office 2016 after end of support?
Yes. It continues to work; it just no longer gets security updates. Be careful with attachments from unknown senders.
Will Office 2019 activation stop working?
No. End of support doesn't affect activation of a genuine key.
Which is better, Office 2021 or Office 2024?
Office 2024, mainly because it's supported until October 2029. Office 2021's support ends on 13 October 2026.