Only 6 months until Office LTSC 2021 end of support – are you ready?

Continuing to use software after end of support can leave your devices vulnerable to potential security threats, productivity losses, and compliance issues. That’s why it’s important to know that in just six months, on October 13, 2026, support will end for Office LTSC 2021 suites and standalone applications (see the full list of impacted products below). After that date, Microsoft will no longer provide security fixes, bug fixes, or technical support for these products. 

For small and medium businesses—and for enterprises that haven’t done so already—now is the time to start moving all remaining devices running Office LTSC 2021 to a supported version. Read on 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 for their data, applications, and people.  

Enterprises should look to migrate to: 

• Microsoft 365 E3 

• Office 365 E3 

• Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise 

These offerings provide always‑supported versions of Office apps, along with enterprise‑grade security, compliance, and management capabilities designed for larger organizations. 

Organizations with fewer than 300 users should look to: 

• Microsoft 365 Business Premium 

• Microsoft 365 Business Standard 

• Microsoft 365 Apps for business 

These plans combine 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.  

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 wherever they choose to work. Updates are applied automatically on a cadence you set, so you avoid disruptive rip-and-replace version upgrades. And because it’s always up to date, Microsoft 365 Apps never goes out of 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.  

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 no-cost assistance to help those apps continue to work 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 can’t accept feature updates or connect to the internet. Office LTSC 2024 is available alongside new on-premises versions of Project and Visio.  

Prepare to make your move 

As Office LTSC 2021 approaches end of support, Microsoft is committed to helping you prepare. Use the resources below to help you get started today: 

• Bookmark the Microsoft Lifecycle page to stay informed about future events. 

• Read the upgrade guidance for an overview of how to move from Office LTSC 2021 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!