Office 2021 support ends this month – you have 5 options
Microsoft is ending support and updates for Office 2021 on October 13. What does that mean, and what are your alternatives?
Microsoft has announced that it will cease support for Office 2021 starting October 13. This means that the software will no longer receive technical support, updates, bug fixes, or security patches. Consequently, users will lose access to online help and support pages. While they can continue using the software indefinitely, they won't have access to the usual support and updates.
Microsoft typically ends support for desktop products over time. For instance, Windows support ended for version 10 in 2025, just ten years after its release. However, Microsoft has provided a lifeline for those still using Windows 10 through its Extended Security Updates program, which will provide security updates until October 12, 2027.
Office 2021 is an exception to the rule, as it has a relatively short support period of five years. Support for previous versions of Office, such as 2010 and 2013, ended much sooner. Microsoft appears to be pushing users towards its subscription-based Microsoft 365 product by making it more difficult to maintain support for one-time license versions.
If you are still using Office 2021, you have five options.
Written by urgent.news from ZDNet's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
