Support for Office 2016 and Office 2019 will end October 14, 2025: Upgrade recommended

Support for Office 2016 and Office 2019 will end one year from today, on October 14, 2025. After that date, no further updates, security fixes, or technical support will be available for these versions of Office. While the applications may continue to function, using unsupported software could lead to potential security risks and other issues. Because migrations can take time, we recommend starting to upgrade any remaining devices your organization has running Office 2016 or Office 2019 to a supported version as soon as possible.

What you need to do to prepare

To mitigate these risks and ensure your organization remains secure and compliant, we recommend upgrading devices running Office 2016 or Office 2019 to Microsoft 365 E3, which includes Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise plus core device management, security, and compliance capabilities. Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise provides the latest versions of desktop apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint with regular updates and continuous support under the Modern Lifecycle Policy and is eligible for the Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on.

For scenarios that require a fully disconnected solution, we recommend upgrading to Office LTSC 2024. Office LTSC 2024 includes a subset of the value in Microsoft 365 Apps and will be supported for five years under the Fixed Lifecycle Policy.

Resources to help you prepare for this transition:

• Read the upgrade guidance for an overview of how to move from Office 2016 or Office 2019 to Microsoft 365 Apps.
• Consider engaging Microsoft FastTrack, a Microsoft support service for moving to Microsoft 365 E3.
• Visit our Office End of Support Tech Community for more information and resources about the end of support for Office.

Planning ahead will help you avoid potential disruptions and keep your organization’s software environment secure and up to date.