According to Microsoft, yesterday’s Patch Tuesday was the last time the two older Microsoft Office versions will receive security updates. You can also throw in no more technical support or bug fixes. End of support means MacOS users need to be running Office 2019 to receive future updates. That does not mean users of the older Microsoft Office builds must upgrade. It is possible to still use Office 2010 and Office 2016, albeit without the safety net of support from Microsoft: “This means that we’ll no longer provide technical support, bug fixes, or security updates for these products, and organizations that continue to use them may face increased security risks and compliance issues over time.” Also in its announcement, Microsoft continued to urge non-Mac users to either choose Office 2016, Office 2019, or Office 365. While customers on older Microsoft Office versions, including 2010 can continue to use them, the company will not send feature updates to those legacy builds. Office 2010 end of support is coming before the end of this year.
Important Dates
Microsoft also details some other important dates in the Office cycle:
Office 2010 Service Pack 2 end of support is October 13, 2020. Office 2010 Personal, Professional, Professional Plus and Professional Academic and Home and Business end of support on October 13, 2020 Microsoft Office 2013 on Windows will stop being supported on April 11, 2023. Office 365 Pro Plus (Microsoft 365 Apps) on Windows 8.1 will stop support on January 2023.
Microsoft is increasingly pushing customers towards Office 365/Microsoft 365. While Office 2019 remains an on-premises solution, the company prefers the cloud approach of 365.
