(Updated) Please update Microsoft 365 Office apps to a version higher than 16.0.18827.20202

Updated December 12, 2025: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.

To ensure continued high-quality performance of the Read Aloud, Transcription, and Dictation features in Microsoft 365 Office apps, we’re upgrading the backend service that powers these capabilities. As a result, these features will no longer function on Office clients running versions earlier than 16.0.18827.20202 after September 2026.

We are extending the supporting period for customers to prepare and upgrade to the supported version. Here is the updated timeline:

• General Availability (Worldwide): End of September 2026 (previously end of January)
• General Availability (GCC, GCC High, DoD): End of November 2026 (previously end of March)

How this affects your organization

If your organization is using Microsoft 365 Office apps with version numbers lower than 16.0.18827.20202, users will lose access to Read Aloud, Transcription, and Dictation features after the dates listed above. There is no change to the user experience for clients on supported versions.

What you can do to prepare

To avoid service disruption, ensure that all Office clients are updated to version 16.0.18827.20202 or later before the applicable deadline.

You can learn more about these features using the following resources:

• Listen to your Word documents
• Transcribe your recordings
• Dictate your documents in Word

Compliance considerations

No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.