Office 2016/2019 Support Ends Today — Prepare for Office LTSC 2021 End of Support Next Year

Today marks the end of support for Office 2016 and Office 2019 suites, standalone applications, and servers. Microsoft will no longer provide security fixes, bug fixes, or technical support for these products (see the full list of impacted products below). It’s also time to look ahead: Office LTSC 2021 support ends in one year on October 13, 2026.

Continuing to use software after end of support exposes your organization to security risks, productivity losses, and compliance issues. If you’re still running any of these versions, now is the time to plan your transition to a supported solution. Accelerate your migration to Microsoft 365 or Office LTSC 2024 now to stay protected and productive.

Read more here for recommended upgrade paths and resources to help you get started today.

Recommended path: Migrate to the cloud with Microsoft 365

Businesses that migrate to Microsoft 365 can support the dynamic, anytime-anywhere nature of modern work more easily—and provide stronger security, through consistent security updates, for their data, applications, and people. Organizations with fewer than 300 users should look to Microsoft 365 Business Standard. It pairs cloud-backed versions of familiar apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams with the services your business needs to stay connected and productive, including Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, and OneDrive for Business.

Microsoft 365 is also AI ready, so you can use Microsoft 365 Copilot to assist with tasks large and small—something you can’t do with any on-premises version of Office.

Upgrading also brings flexibility without sacrificing continuity. Microsoft 365 Apps—the core suite of desktop and mobile apps included in many Microsoft 365 suites—offers several advantages over on-premises versions of Office. The apps can be installed on up to five PCs, five tablets, and five phones per user, so your team can be productive where they choose to work. Updates are applied automatically on a cadence you set, so you avoid disruptive rip-and-replace version upgrades. And because Microsoft 365 Apps are on the Modern Lifecycle Policy, you can count on ongoing support. Microsoft 365 also offers licensing options to support kiosks and shared devices, as well as users who need to stay offline for extended periods of time. And for organizations with over 150 seats that use custom line-of-business apps that depend on Office to function, Microsoft’s FastTrack App Assure service offers assistance at no additional cost to help those apps continue to work with Microsoft 365. with Microsoft 365.

We know there is no “one-size-fits-all" approach for managing end of support—and we encourage you to explore our business and enterprise plans to find the right fit for your organization.

Fallback for disconnected scenarios: Upgrade to Office LTSC 2024

For customers and devices that cannot—or cannot yet—move to the cloud, we recommend upgrading to the most recent supported on-premises version of Office for commercial customers, Office LTSC 2024. The Office Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) is designed for devices that cannot accept feature updates or connect to the internet. Office LTSC 2024 was released last year along with new on-premises versions of Project and Visio.

Prepare to make your move

As support for Office 2016 and Office 2019 ends, Microsoft is committed to helping you prepare. Use the resources below to help you get started today:

• Learn about other Microsoft products reaching end of support in 2025, and bookmark the Microsoft Lifecycle page to stay informed about future events.
• Check out Ignite 2024: Are you ready for Office 2016/2019 end of support?, a blog post and video that explore the best upgrade paths, how to make a smooth transition to Microsoft 365, and where to turn if you need more help.
• Read the upgrade guidance for an overview of how to move from Office 2016 or Office 2019 to Microsoft 365 Apps.
• For companies with over 150 licenses, consider engaging Microsoft FastTrack for support with moving to Microsoft 365.

Visit our Office End of Support Tech Community for more information and resources about the end of support for Office. Or fill out this form to get in touch and have a specialist demonstrate how Microsoft 365 can benefit your organization.

Thank you for being a Microsoft customer!