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Can I uninstall individual Office apps and reinstall them later?

Mandresy — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 07:29:22 GMT

Hello everyone,

My C: drive is running out of space, and I've noticed that installed Office applications take up a lot of storage.

I don't use Access, Publisher and OneNote for now, so I'd like to know if it's possible to uninstall these apps separately to free up space.

I have an authentic perpetual Office Professionnel Plus 2016 license that came with my Lenovo laptop when I bought it.

Will uninstalling these apps cause any issues with the license?

And will I be able to reinstall them later if I need them?

Thanks for your feedback.

Office 2016 Product Key Redeemed But License Not Showing in Account

igoronx — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 16:51:16 GMT

Hello,

I purchased Office 2016 and I'm facing an unusual issue with my product key activation.

**The Problem:**

When I try to activate Office 2016 with my product key, the system tells me the key was redeemed by the email address c****email address removed for privacy reasons. I have access to this email account, so I tried logging into office.com to check, but surprisingly there is NO Office license associated with this account.

**What I've Done:**

1. I contacted Microsoft support. The first agent confirmed no Office was linked to that email address.

2. After a few minutes, the same agent then confirmed that the product key WAS indeed activated on that email account - but they said they couldn't help much because Office 2016 is already end-of-life.

3. When I try to sign into Office apps (Word, Excel, etc.) with that email, it says the account has no Office license.

4. However, when I use the product key, it says it's been redeemed on that email account.

**The Contradiction:**

There's a clear disconnect: the product key system says it's redeemed on my email, but the Office account management system says there's no license on that same email.

**My Question:**

How can I proceed to use my Office 2016 license? Is there a way to recover or re-link the license, or migrate it despite Office 2016 being end-of-life?

Thank you for any guidance.

Deactivate Office Product Key

TBK — Sun, 04 Jan 2026 23:42:37 GMT

I recently got a new laptop and moved Office Home and Student 2013 with Publisher to the new laptop.

I deleted it from the old laptop, but when I opened Powerpoint on the new laptop I got a message saying that the Product Key cannot be activated because it has already been activated the maximum number of times allowed by the license. What can I do to enable activation of the Product Key on my new laptop so I can use all the apps on the new laptop? Thanks.

Why Microsoft doesn't get back when refund is involved?

Babak150 — Mon, 29 Dec 2025 15:11:44 GMT

This has been going on for well over a year.

My Office Personal account was opened with email address removed for privacy reasons as the primary email. I also paid for PDFX but at some stage probably when Office became MS 365 my membership registration got corrupted. This meant that I couldn't update and when I changed my device I couldn't use it. Before you redirected registration to redirect to support it used to give me an error. I spent 7 hours on the chat and when the trouble was found I was told that it would be corrected the next day. But it wasn't and the judgment on the case was that I had already installed it on another machine. But, that was discussed during the Chat and was found to be mixed up with a new device. The old device has been decommissioned, running Linux with no office. I wrote to PDFX who checked their servers and found out that I had not logged in since the new subscription in October 2023. So they refunded my subscription but to Microsoft because the payment took place through Microsoft. But Microsoft never refunded me, not even for the PDF X portion.

I had no choice but to sign up with MS365 Business and pay again. They had the same problem: The original subscription email in the registrar could not be changed. This was why if you changed your primary email address or if the registrar record was corrupted, third party licences don’t propagate down the servers from the registrar. The path to the registrar in not two way for obvious reasons. So no matter what you do at the levels below the registrar can not be copied to the Master server.

Of course Microsoft support, not having a system wide authority or even understanding refused to escalate the issue. Instead they mocked my explanation. They kept denying it despite my article in LinkedIn providing step by step instructions on how to recreate the problem.

At some stage my account was sorted out for my business subscription never quite acknowledging what the problem was but the support for Personal 365 is based in South Asia (obvious from their thick accents on the phone), probably India who seem to have the cultural shamelessness to admit that they won’t escalate the issue in no uncertain terms. Maybe they are scared of losing their jobs.

So I never got my refund or account corrected. Now that my personal MS 365 has expired, I keep being asked to resubscribe. What a cheek?
All of this can be verified through the records and the repayment of my PDF-X to Microsoft but no one even ever tried. I have piles of evidence but it takes a mountain of evidence of numerous remote connections under the assumption I must surely be new to software and computer science in general despite my stated education, profession, 45 years experience and Microsoft exams I have passed. It would take a whole team of lawyers to put them together when a simple audit of payments would demonstrate it depending on the point of view of a reasonable person, something that is absent in Microsoft.

Shortcuts now requires shift after windows update

ASterckx — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 16:37:25 GMT

I’m using a Belgian AZERTY keyboard on Windows 11 with Microsoft 365 Excel. Until recently, I could trigger shortcuts such as “Increase Decimal” command using the Ribbon access key sequence Alt → H → 0 by pressing the unshifted “à” key.

After the latest Windows update, Excel only recognizes the digit 0 if I press Shift + à during the sequence. This breaks my workflow because I don’t have a numpad and my Quick Access Toolbar is already optimized for other commands.

Question: Is there a Windows or Office setting that changed how Ribbon access keys interpret digits on AZERTY keyboards? How can I restore the old behavior so the unshifted “à” key acts as 0 in Ribbon sequences?

O365 has stopped working on our PC using Windows 10

Duraham — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 16:10:30 GMT

We understand that support for Windows 10 has ended, but why are we unable to use our Word and Excel programs? I have paid the annual renewal fee. When I log in to my Microsoft account it says that the account is active on my laptop but has been disabled on our PC. Our PC is an older computer which can't run Windows 11 but is otherwise sound. We have files on this computer which we need to access. When we try to open Word or Excel we get a window saying "Something went wrong. Please try again later. 0X80070426" which indicates that an update has been unable to install, presumably an update for Windows 11. Is there a way to turn off updates for Word and Excel and use them in their prior (perfectly acceptable) version? I can't get an answer, or a person, from Microsoft.

Moving Office 2019 license

AdamGeniusz — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 09:43:42 GMT

Hello, due to end of support for Office 2019, it's no longer possible to get phone and chat support from Microsoft Support for licenses. I'd like to move my license from one e-mail adress to another. Chat Agent recommended to reach out on techcommunity forum for solution.

Announcing the retirement for Office Online Server

TimDavenport — Tue, 04 Nov 2025 00:20:24 GMT

What’s changing?

Microsoft is announcing the end of support and retirement for Office Online Server effective December 31, 2026. After this date, Office Online Server will no longer receive security updates, bug fixes, or technical support from Microsoft. This change is part of our ongoing commitment to modernizing productivity experiences and focusing on cloud-first solutions. To help stay secure and compliant, begin planning now to move to supported options, such as Microsoft 365.

What does end of support mean?

No more security updates. Systems running Office Online Server may be vulnerable to the evolving threat landscape.
No bug fixes or technical support.
Potential compliance risks. Unsupported software may put regulated organizations at risk of non-compliance.

Why is this happening?

Office Online Server was designed to provide browser-based versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote for on-premises environments. As organizations have adopted Microsoft 365, Microsoft is focusing its browser-based Office app investments on Office for the Web to deliver secure, collaborative, and feature-rich experiences through Microsoft 365.

What is the alternative for Office Online Server?

If your organization relies on Office Online Server for browser-based document editing and collaboration, our recommended path is to transition to Microsoft 365, which includes cloud-powered versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. Microsoft 365 offers:

Real-time collaboration and sharing.
Automatic updates and ongoing support.
Enhanced security and compliance features.
Integration with Microsoft Teams, Outlook, SharePoint Online, and OneDrive for Business.
Access to Microsoft 365 Copilot for AI-powered productivity.

Learn more about Microsoft 365. And for organizations with 150+ licenses, consider engaging Microsoft FastTrack to support your planning and migration to Microsoft 365.

For organizations using SharePoint Server Subscription Edition or Exchange Server Subscription Edition, Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise and Office LTSC 2024 remain supported desktop clients for viewing and editing documents hosted on those servers.

If your organization uses Office Online Server to host Excel workbooks in Power BI Report Server, that functionality will no longer be supported. Alternatives include viewing workbooks in the Excel desktop application or migrating to the Power BI service.

Prepare to make your move

Support for Office Online Server ends December 31, 2026. Continuing to use it after this date may expose your organization to security, compliance, and productivity risks. We therefore strongly encourage all customers to begin planning their transition to supported solutions today.

Microsoft is committed to helping you prepare. Use the resources below to help you get started:

Explore Microsoft 365 offerings for modern, cloud-powered collaboration.
Engage your Microsoft account team and Microsoft FastTrack (150+ seats) for migration planning.
See the instructions for how to disconnect Office Online Server from a SharePoint Server farm.

Thank you for being a Microsoft customer!

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

JeremyCarlson — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 16:00:00 GMT

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!

Office 2016 and 2019 products reaching end of support on October 14, 2025
Office suites	Office 2016, Office 2019
Office applications	Access 2016, Access 2019, Excel 2016, Excel 2019, OneNote 2016, Outlook 2016, Outlook 2019, PowerPoint 2016, PowerPoint 2019, Project 2016, Project 2019, Publisher 2016, Publisher 2019, Skype for Business 2016, Skype for Business 2019, Visio 2016, Visio 2019, Word 2016, Word 2019
Productivity servers	Exchange Server 2016, Exchange Server 2019, Skype for Business Server 2015, Skype for Business Server 2019

Office LTSC 2021 products reaching end of support on October 13, 2026
Office suites	Office LTSC 2021
Office applications	Access LTSC 2021, Excel LTSC 2021, OneNote LTSC 2021, Outlook LTSC 2021, PowerPoint LTSC 2021, Project LTSC 2021, Publisher LTSC 2021, Skype for Business LTSC 2021, Visio LTSC 2021, Word LTSC 2021

Get ready now: One month until Office 2016/2019 end of support

JeremyCarlson — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 16:00:00 GMT

Only 1 month until Office 2016/2019 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 one month, on October 14, 2025, support will end for Office 2016 and Office 2019 suites, standalone applications, and servers (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.

Now is the time to move all remaining devices running Office 2016 or Office 2019 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

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.

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

Prepare to make your move

As Office 2016 and Office 2019 approach end of support, 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!

Office 2016 and 2019 products reaching end of support on October 14, 2025
Office suites	Office 2016, Office 2019
Office applications	Access 2016, Access 2019, Excel 2016, Excel 2019, OneNote 2016, Outlook 2016, Outlook 2019, PowerPoint 2016, PowerPoint 2019, Project 2016, Project 2019, Publisher 2016, Publisher 2019, Skype for Business 2016, Skype for Business 2019, Visio 2016, Visio 2019, Word 2016, Word 2019
Productivity servers	Exchange Server 2016, Exchange Server 2019, Skype for Business Server 2015, Skype for Business Server 2019

SharePoint Alerts retirement

BertJansen — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 16:26:38 GMT

Microsoft strives to deliver utmost value to our customers through modern, optimized, secure solutions in this newly evolved world focused on digital transformation. As part of this evolution of Microsoft 365 solutions, we will be retiring SharePoint Alerts and believe Microsoft 365 customers will be better served by modern notification solutions based upon the Power Automate platform or SharePoint Rules.

Timeline

Date	Action
From July 2025	The creation of new SharePoint Alerts will be gradually turned off for newly onboarding tenants.
From October 2025	The SharePoint Alert expiration feature will be gradually activated. Once activated, any SharePoint Alert will have a validity of 30 days starting from its first run, then it will expire. Users can self-service re-enable expired SharePoint Alerts and extend their expiration for another 30 days. Re-enabling and extending SharePoint Alerts can be done by using the “Manage my alerts” list/library menu item, opening the SharePoint Alert to update, extending its expiration date and clicking OK.
From January 2026	The creation of new SharePoint Alerts will be gradually turned off for all tenants.
From July 2026	Microsoft will remove the ability to use SharePoint Alerts; existing SharePoint Alerts cannot be extended anymore and will not work anymore.

Call to Action Guidance

Update user training content and helpdesk

It’s recommended to update your user training content and prepare your help desk to support your organization with this retirement. SharePoint Alerts users will be notified of this feature retirement via banners in both the relevant SharePoint Online page and Alert emails and users can self-service extend the alerts they deem required.

The option to create new Alerts will be blocked (from July 2025, for new tenants, from September 2025, for existing tenants). Users trying to create a new Alert will not be able to save the Alert plus they’ll see a banner to make them aware of the SharePoint Alerts feature is retiring.

As of October 2025, users will see an option to extend the expiration of their existing SharePoint Alerts plus they’ll see a banner to make them aware of the SharePoint Alerts feature is retiring.

When a user receives a SharePoint Alert email as of October 2025, the email will also contain a banner clarifying the SharePoint Alert feature is retiring plus the email will show when the SharePoint Alert that triggered this email will expire. The date shown is a UTC date. Users can proactively extend their SharePoint Alerts, or in case a SharePoint Alert did expire re-enable and extend it. The maximum validity of a SharePoint Alert extension is 30 days.

Microsoft 365 Assessment tool

To understand if your organization is using SharePoint Alerts or begin planning migration to Power Automate or SharePoint Rules, we recommend that customers run the Microsoft 365 Assessment tool to scan their tenants for SharePoint Alerts usage. Using the Power BI Alerts Report generated by the scanner tool, you can see all the SharePoint Alerts defined in the tenant, filterable by site collection and web.

Power Automate reference samples

The recommendation is to user Power Automate with SharePoint Online for modern notification scenarios. To help you with the transition to Power Automate the following set of Power Automate templates can be used by either browsing https://make.powerautomate.com/templates and searching for the template name or alternatively using the links. Template names and links are in the table below.

Classic Alerts scenario	Templates for Lists	Templates for Libraries
Changes to an item	Send an email when a SharePoint list item or file is updated
Anything changes	Implement this by combining the "Changes to an item" and "Item created" scenario templates
Someone else changes an item	Send an email for changes by others to a SharePoint list item or file
Someone else changes an item created by me	Send an email for changes to a SharePoint list item or file created by me
Item created	Send an email when a SharePoint list item is created	Send an email when a new SharePoint file is created

How do I get help

You can use the following services and partner programs to help with your migration from SharePoint Alerts:

Microsoft Solution Provider

Microsoft Power Automate Partners

Help on Microsoft 365 Assessment tool: Open a support ticket

Only 6 months until Office 2016/2019 end of support – are you ready?

TaniaShepard — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 16:00:00 GMT

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 14, 2025, support will end for Office 2016 and Office 2019 suites, standalone applications, and servers (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 2016 or Office 2019 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. 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.

Fortunately, none of these Microsoft 365 enhancements comes at an extra cost. In fact, a 2025 study on The Total Economic Impact™ of Microsoft 365 for Business found that the suite can deliver annual productivity savings of over 70 hours per user while improving IT specialist productivity by saving over 686 hours annually. It all adds up to a 223% return on investment over three years—a huge benefit in uncertain economic times¹.

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. 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 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 was released last year along with new on-premises versions of Project and Visio.

Prepare to make your move

As Office 2016 and Office 2019 approach end of support, 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.
Learn more about the benefits of moving your small or medium business to the cloud drawing on fresh analysis from Forrester Research.
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!

Office 2016 and 2019 products reaching end of support on October 14, 2025
Office suites	Office 2016, Office 2019
Office applications	Access 2016, Access 2019, Excel 2016, Excel 2019, OneNote 2016, Outlook 2016, Outlook 2019, PowerPoint 2016, PowerPoint 2019, Project 2016, Project 2019, Publisher 2016, Publisher 2019, Skype for Business 2016, Skype for Business 2019, Visio 2016, Visio 2019, Word 2016, Word 2019
Productivity servers	Exchange Server 2016, Exchange Server 2019, Skype for Business Server 2015, Skype for Business Server 2019

¹ The Total Economic Impact™ Of Microsoft 365 for Business, a commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Microsoft, February 2025. Results are over three years for a composite organization based on interviewed customers.

o365 apps end of support in Server 2016

Boblar — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 08:51:12 GMT

Hi,

As per https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-apps/end-of-support/windows-server-support I know that running 0365 apps on Server 2016 will no longer be 'supported' beyond Oct 2025 but what exactly is meant by 'supported'.

Will it:

A: Immediately cease to function.

B: Keep working but with no feature or security updates (obviously not something we want to do for long !).

Migrating to Server 2025 will buy us more time, but I would still like to know exactly what this 'end of support' means.

Thanks.

Ignite 2024: Are you ready for Office 2016/2019 end of support?

elisabeth_jones — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 22:12:16 GMT

At this year’s Ignite conference, I had the pleasure of teaming up with Microsoft 365 deployment expert Eric Wayne to dig into the details of how to prepare your organization for the end of support for Office 2016, Office 2019, and their related servers and standalone apps, coming up on October 14, 2025.

Missed Ignite? Watch the full session recording to help kickstart your upgrade today. You will learn:

The best upgrade paths for Office suites, servers, and standalones facing end of support,
How to identify and remove older versions of Office and make a smooth transition to Microsoft 365, and
Where to turn if you need more help.

October 2025 is just around the corner, and now is the time to act. If your organization is still using 2016 or 2019 versions of Office, Exchange Server, Skype for Business Server, Project, or Visio, now is the time to start your migration to a supported solution. Starting your move to Microsoft 365 as soon as possible will help keep your organization secure, compliant, and productive through 2025 and beyond.

Over the coming months, we’ll continue to provide additional resources and guidance to help you and your organization smoothly navigate next year’s end of support milestones. After you’ve watched the Ignite session, here are a few great places to go next:

Prepare your organization for October 2025 end of support events (Microsoft Ignite Learning Collection)
Products reaching end of support on October 14, 2025 (Microsoft Lifecycle site)
Plan an upgrade from older versions of Office to Microsoft 365 Apps (Microsoft Learn)

Need more personalized guidance? Consider requesting migration assistance from FastTrack, reach out to your Microsoft account team, or fill out this form to get in touch with sales and have a specialist demonstrate how Microsoft 365 can benefit your organization.

Get ready now: One year until Office 2016/2019 end of support

elisabeth_jones — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 15:00:00 GMT

One year from today, on October 14, 2025, support will end for Office 2016 and Office 2019 suites, standalone applications, and servers (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. Continuing to use software after end of support can leave your organization vulnerable to potential security threats, productivity losses, and compliance issues. Because migrations can take time, we recommend starting your upgrade from Office 2016 or Office 2019 to a supported version as soon as possible. Read on for recommended upgrade paths and resources to help you get started today.

Office 2016 and 2019 products reaching end of support on October 14, 2025
Office suites	Office 2016, Office 2019
Office applications	Access 2016, Access 2019, Excel 2016, Excel 2019, OneNote 2016, Outlook 2016, Outlook 2019, PowerPoint 2016, PowerPoint 2019, Project 2016, Project 2019, Publisher 2016, Publisher 2019, Skype for Business 2016, Skype for Business 2019, Visio 2016, Visio 2019, Word 2016, Word 2019
Productivity servers	Exchange Server 2016, Exchange Server 2019, Skype for Business Server 2015, Skype for Business Server 2019

Recommended path: Migrate to the cloud with Microsoft 365 E3

Our recommendation for customers seeking a comprehensive, AI-ready solution is to transition to the cloud with Microsoft 365 E3. Microsoft 365 E3 provides an end-to-end solution for securely harnessing the power of AI in your organization, including:

Always up-to-date versions of familiar apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook to install on up to 5 PCs + 5 tablets + 5 phones per user
Intelligent services like Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive, and Microsoft Loop to help keep employees connected and in sync
Core security and information protection capabilities to help you safeguard your organization’s devices, applications, and sensitive data against threats
Streamlined endpoint management to enable faster deployment and help your workforce stay secure and productive across devices
Integrate generative AI seamlessly into core productivity workflows within Microsoft 365 Apps using Microsoft 365 Copilot (available as an add-on [1])

We know there is no “one-size-fits-all" approach for managing end of support – and we encourage you to explore our enterprise and small business offerings to find the right fit for your organization. As you do, keep in mind that only cloud suites (Microsoft 365 and Office 365) are eligible to be used with Microsoft 365 Copilot; on-premises versions of Office do not qualify.

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, 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 was released earlier this month along with new on-premises versions of Project and Visio.

Prepare to make your move

As Office 2016 and Office 2019 approach end of support, Microsoft is committed to helping you prepare. Check out the events and resources below to 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
Join us online for the session “Are you ready for Office 2016/2019 end of support?” at Microsoft Ignite
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. Or fill out this form to get in touch with sales and have a specialist demonstrate how Microsoft 365 can benefit your organization .

Thank you for being a Microsoft customer!

Notes:

[1] Microsoft 365 Copilot may not be available for all markets and languages. To purchase, customers must have a qualifying Microsoft 365 plan for enterprise or business.

Key End of Support dates for Office 2016, 2019 Apps & Productivity Servers

paprud — Mon, 15 Apr 2024 15:00:00 GMT

This post applies to:

Office 2016, Office 2019 Applications: Access 2016, Access 2019, Excel 2016, Excel 2019, OneNote 2016, Outlook 2016, Outlook 2019, PowerPoint 2016, PowerPoint 2019, Project 2016, Project 2019, Publisher 2016, Publisher 2019, Skype for Business 2016, Skype for Business 2019, Visio 2016, Visio 2019, Word 2016, Word 2019
Productivity Servers: Exchange Server 2016, Exchange Server 2019, Skype for Business Server 2015, Skype for Business Server 2019

What does end of support mean?

All of the above applications and servers (including Office 2016, Office 2019) will reach the end of support (EOS) on October 14, 2025. After this end date, Microsoft will no longer provide security fixes, bug fixes, or technical support. Using products after end of support leaves your organization vulnerable to potential security threats, productivity losses, and compliance issues.

What we recommend

We recommend migrating devices running end of support products to the cloud with Microsoft 365 E3 to stay continuously supported. Microsoft 365 E3 includes familiar Microsoft 365 apps—such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and more—along with online services like SharePoint and Exchange.

Microsoft 365 E3 is a comprehensive solution that not only includes the familiar Microsoft 365 apps but also offers a range of additional capabilities:

Foundational Zero-Trust: Helps secure identities, devices, and applications against threats.
Streamlined Endpoint Management: Provides IT administrators with management tools and enhanced user experience for employees.
Productivity and collaboration: Promotes collaboration across your organization, fostering new ways of working.

Other options for disconnected environments

We know there is not a “one-size-fits-all" approach to how to manage EOS. This is why we also offer other solutions to help with your unique needs:

For devices that need to remain disconnected or are not yet ready to move the cloud, we launched Office Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC). This version of Office was designed for devices that can’t accept feature updates or connect to the Internet. Note that Office LTSC 2021 will reach the end of support on October 13, 2026.
To continue running Exchange Server on-premises, the next version of Exchange Server will ship in H2 of 2025. We recommend customers move to Exchange Server 2019 now. The next version of Exchange Server will be released before Exchange Server 2019 (and Exchange Server 2016) reach end of life, and customers can do an in-place upgrade from Exchange Server 2019 to the next version.

Additional resources

Below are some other steps you can take to begin preparing your organization for Office 2016 and Office 2019 end of support:

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.
Use the new Total Economic Impact™ of Microsoft 365 E3 study to build your case for reducing cost and complexity with Microsoft 365.
Use the Microsoft 365 ROI Calculator to estimate your ROI for moving to Microsoft 365 or ask your Microsoft representative to help you tailor your custom potential ROI of adopting Microsoft 365.

Please 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 with sales and have a specialist demonstrate how Microsoft 365 can benefit your organization.

Thank you for being a Microsoft customer!

SharePoint Add-In retirement in Microsoft 365

BertJansen — Fri, 15 Dec 2023 15:55:29 GMT

Microsoft strives to deliver utmost value to our customers through modern, optimized, secure solutions in this newly evolved world focused on digital transformation. As part of this evolution of Microsoft 365 solutions we will be retiring the SharePoint Add-In extensibility model and believe Microsoft 365 customers will be better served by modern SharePoint extensibility models.

SharePoint Add-Ins will stop working for new tenants as of November 1st, 2024 and they will stop working for existing tenants and will be fully retired as of April 2nd, 2026. This applies to all environments including Government Clouds and Department of Defense.

In parallel with the SharePoint Add-In retirement, adding, updating and acquiring SharePoint Add-Ins via the public marketplace (a.k.a. store) will also be retiring. As of March 1st, 2024 Microsoft will not accept new SharePoint Add-Ins for listing in the public marketplace, from July 1st, 2024 SharePoint Add-Ins cannot be acquired anymore from the public marketplace. Using a tenant app catalog will stay supported and enables 3rd parties to offer their SharePoint Add-Ins until April 2nd, 2026.

If you are using custom developed SharePoint Add-Ins, we recommend migrating them to SharePoint Framework based solutions. If you’ve acquired SharePoint Add-Ins from the public marketplace or from a 3rd party then you should inquire for an updated version that does not depend on the SharePoint Add-In extensibility model. There will not be an option to extend SharePoint Add-Ins beyond April 2nd, 2026.

To learn more about how to migrate SharePoint Add-Ins to alternative solutions check out these articles and accompanying videos.

Overview

SharePoint Add-Ins

SharePoint Add-Ins come in two flavors: SharePoint hosted Add-Ins and provider hosted Add-Ins, both of which are effected by this retirement.

SharePoint hosted Add-Ins primarily bring UX elements to the site the Add-In was installed into and the app web that was created for the Add-In. A common use case is showing SharePoint Add-In web parts on pages of the host web, using SharePoint Framework based web parts is the recommended alternative here. These applications use JavaScript for writing business logic using the logged in user context to authenticate.

Provider hosted SharePoint Add-Ins run outside of SharePoint and typically have their own UX. They use Azure ACS (Access Control Services) as auth layer to enable calling back into the host web where the SharePoint Add-In was installed. SharePoint provider hosted Add-Ins can be rewritten in various ways as software as a service application hosted externally (e.g. Microsoft Azure) and optionally also offered as Teams application. The auth model for these will be based on Microsoft Entra ID. If there are requirements to integrate in the SharePoint UX then SharePoint Framework can be used as calling into external application APIs can be done from SharePoint Framework solutions.

SharePoint Server support for SharePoint Add-Ins

Users of SharePoint Server running on-premises can, if configured by the farm admins, install SharePoint Add-Ins from the public marketplace or from the app catalog. The option to acquire and use SharePoint Add-Ins via the app catalog will not be impacted by this retirement, acquiring SharePoint Add-Ins from the public marketplace will stop working from April 2nd, 2026.

Project Online support for SharePoint Add-Ins

Project Online is an extension on top of SharePoint Online and SharePoint Add-Ins could also have been used to extend Project Online. The retirement of SharePoint Add-Ins applies to Project Online as well, any SharePoint Add-In used in Project Online will follow the same retirement path as SharePoint Add-Ins used in SharePoint Online.

Call to Action Guidance

Microsoft 365 Assessment tool

To understand if your organization is using SharePoint Add-Ins or begin planning migration to SharePoint Framework based solutions or alternatives, we recommend that customers run the Microsoft 365 Assessment tool to scan their tenants for SharePoint Add-In usage. Using the Power BI SharePoint Add-In Report generated by the scanner tool, you can:

• Identify all SharePoint Add-Ins in the tenant and per site
• Evaluate the SharePoint Add-In source (marketplace, app catalog) and who installed the Add-In
• For provider hosted Add-Ins get details for the used Azure ACS principal, including it’s validity and requested permission scopes

Using the SharePoint Add-In Report along with site information, tenant administrators together with developers can plan the migration of SharePoint Add-Ins with minimal impact to the users.

Migrate business relevant SharePoint Add-Ins by using newer SharePoint development models

SharePoint hosted Add-Ins can be replaced by SharePoint Framework web parts, for the provider hosted Add-Ins any software as a service application platform (e.g. Microsoft Azure) in combination with Microsoft Entra ID for auth can be used as alternative development model.

To learn more about how to migrate SharePoint Add-Ins to alternative solutions check out these articles and accompanying videos.

How do I get help?

You can use the following services and partner programs to help with your migration from SharePoint Add-Ins:

• Microsoft Solution Provider
• Help on SharePoint Assessment tool: Open a support ticket

More information

Friendly link to the blog post: https://aka.ms/retirement/addins/update

Friendly link to this article: https://aka.ms/retirement/addins/support

Friendly link to the Frequently Asked Questions: https://aka.ms/retirement/acs/faq

Friendly link to Azure ACS retirement article: https://aka.ms/retirement/acs/support

Friendly link to Migration Guidance: https://aka.ms/retirement/addins/guidance

A Message Center post in the Microsoft 365 admin center is being sent to all tenants, and the post will be updated periodically with timelines.

Azure ACS retirement in Microsoft 365

BertJansen — Fri, 15 Dec 2023 15:57:31 GMT

Microsoft strives to deliver utmost value to our customers through modern, optimized, secure solutions in this newly evolved world focused on digital transformation. As part of this evolution of Microsoft 365 solutions we will be retiring the use of Azure ACS (Access Control Services) for SharePoint Online auth needs and believe Microsoft 365 customers will be better served by modern auth offered via Microsoft Entra ID.

Azure ACS will stop working for new tenants as of November 1st, 2024 and it will stop working for existing tenants and will be fully retired as of April 2nd, 2026. This applies to all environments including Government Clouds and Department of Defense.

If you are using custom developed applications or are using SharePoint provider hosted Add-Ins, we recommend switching those applications to use Microsoft Entra ID for authorization and authentication needs. Aligned with the Azure ACS retirement also SharePoint Add-Ins are retired, check out this support article for more information. There will not be an option to extend using Azure ACS with SharePoint Online beyond April 2nd, 2026.

To learn more about how to migrate Azure ACS usage for SharePoint Online and how to migrate SharePoint Add-Ins to alternative solutions check out these articles and accompanying videos.

Overview

Azure ACS usage in SharePoint Online

Azure ACS is used in SharePoint Online for providing auth for provider hosted SharePoint Add-Ins plus it’s used to grant applications access to SharePoint Online, optionally using application permissions and granular scopes.

To learn more about the provider hosted Add-In use case please check out the respective retirement articles, granting applications access to SharePoint Online will need to be transitioned to Microsoft Entra ID.

Azure ACS usage by SharePoint Server

SharePoint Server running on-premises can, if configured by the farm admins, depend on Azure ACS for hybrid scenarios (e.g. hybrid search) and low trust auth for custom applications. The retirement of Azure ACS however is not impacting any of the SharePoint on-premises use cases and no action is required from SharePoint on-premises farm admins.

Azure ACS usage by Project Online

Project Online is an extension on top of SharePoint Online and Project Online custom developments could also have used Azure ACS. The retirement of Azure ACS applies to Project Online as well, any Azure ACS usage in Project Online will follow the same retirement path as Azure ACS usage in SharePoint Online.

Call to Action Guidance

Microsoft 365 Assessment tool

To understand if your organization is using Azure ACS or begin planning transition to Microsoft Entra ID, we recommend that customers run the Microsoft 365 Assessment tool to scan their tenants for Azure ACS usage. Using the Power BI Azure ACS Report generated by the scanner tool, you can:

• Identify all used Azure ACS application principals with their key properties such as permission scopes and whether app-only was allowed or not
• For each identified Azure ACS application principal see a list of all sites that can be accessed via the Azure ACS application principal

Using the Azure ACS Report along with site information, tenant administrators together with developers can plan the transition of Azure ACS to Microsoft Entra ID as authentication model.

Turn off the use of Azure ACS on your tenant

We recommend tenant admins to turn off the usage of Azure ACS app-only access once they’ve ensured there is no business relevant Azure ACS usage anymore. The assessment tool should give administrators the usage information to understand where and when Azure ACS principals are being used.

Connect-SPOService -Url https://<tenant>-admin.sharepoint.com
Set-SPOTenant -DisableCustomAppAuthentication $true

This setting will not impact the Azure ACS usage by SharePoint provider hosted Add-Ins. You can use the same command to re-enable the usage Azure ACS app-only access if required.

How do I get help?

You can use the following services and partner programs to help with your migration from SharePoint Azure ACS:

• Microsoft Solution Provider
• Help on SharePoint Assessment tool: Open a support ticket

More information

Friendly link to the blog post: https://aka.ms/retirement/acs/update

Friendly link to this article: https://aka.ms/retirement/acs/support

Friendly link to the Frequently Asked Questions: https://aka.ms/retirement/acs/faq

Friendly link to SharePoint Add-In retirement article: https://aka.ms/retirement/addins/support

Friendly link to Migration Guidance: https://aka.ms/retirement/acs/guidance

A Message Center post in the Microsoft 365 admin center is being sent to all tenants, and the post will be updated periodically with timelines.

Important Office end of support reminders

paprud — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 18:35:19 GMT

Support for Office 2016 and 2019 clients connecting to Microsoft 365 services has ended

Support for Office 2016, Office 2019 clients connecting to Microsoft 365 services ended on October 10, 2023 (previously shared in older posts). If your organization is still using these versions to access Microsoft 365 services such as Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, and OneDrive for Business, it is important that you take action.

Implications for your organization: Customers using these versions of Office may experience performance or reliability issues when accessing Microsoft 365 services. Here’s what you can expect:

Improvements to Microsoft 365 services will no longer be tested against Office 2016 and Office 2019. As a result, users could experience performance or reliability issues even if they can connect these versions of Office to Microsoft 365.
Microsoft will not actively block these clients from connecting to Microsoft 365 services as long as they are in extended support and are kept up to date. You can review our products’ lifecycle here.

Support for Office for Mac 2019 has ended

Office 2019 for Mac has reached the end of the support on October 10, 2023. Clients running this version of the product will no longer receive security updates, bug fixes, technical support, or online technical content support. Continuing to use this version could increase your organization’s exposure to security risks, impact your ability to meet compliance obligations, and/or affect end user productivity.

Recommended actions

Customers affected by these End of Support (EOS) milestones should transition to a supported Office version to prevent potential security, compliance, and productivity risks. If your organization is seeking a solution that is always supported (refer to the Modern Lifecycle Policy), we suggest upgrading to Microsoft 365 E3. This solution includes Microsoft 365 Apps, which includes all apps users are already familiar with, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and more.

Alongside Microsoft 365 Apps, Microsoft 365 E3 offers the following capabilities:

Foundational Zero-Trust: Helps secure identities, devices, and applications against threats.
Streamlined Endpoint Management: Provides IT administrators with management tools and enhanced user experience for employees.
Productivity and collaboration: Promotes collaboration across your organization, fostering new ways of working.

Here are some resources to help plan the move:

Review a summary of the Microsoft 365 Apps and Office support configuration matrix.
Read this article to plan an upgrade from older versions of Office to Microsoft 365 Apps. (While the guidance doesn't specifically mention Office 2016 or Office 2019, most of the information still applies to those versions.)
Consider engaging Microsoft FastTrack, a Microsoft support service for moving to Microsoft 365 E3.
Review the new Total Economic Impact™ of Microsoft 365 E3 study by Forrester Consulting.

For devices that might not be ready to move the cloud, we launched Office Long-Term Servicing Channel 2021 (LTSC). This version of Office was designed for devices that can’t accept feature updates or connect to the Internet. Note that only Mainstream Support applies to Office LTSC 2021 and support ends on October 13, 2026.

Please visit our Office End of Support Tech Community for more information and resources about end of support for Office.

Thanks again for being a Microsoft customer!

Office 2019 users getting error when opening files in app from sharepoint

elor21 — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 14:42:20 GMT

Hi, since two days ago, our users who didnt upgrade to office 365 and still use office 2019 are getting an error when trying to sign in from office to their cloud account.

The error is: "Your account is in bad state. Please sign-in to this account online to address the issue"

Now I know support for cloud connectivity for office 2019 has officially ended in october 10, two days ago, in microsoft website its stated that:

"In practical terms, what this means is that older Office versions might not be able to use all the latest functionality and features of Microsoft 365 services...

No active measures will be made to block older Office versions from connecting to Microsoft 365 services if they're in extended support and are kept up to date. For example, Office 2019 and Office 2016, both of which are in extended support until October 14, 2025."Office versions and connectivity to Microsoft 365 services - Deploy Office | Microsoft Learn

So why it looks like Microsoft actively blocked office 2019 connection to cloud?

rss.livelink.threads-in-node

Can I uninstall individual Office apps and reinstall them later?

Office 2016 Product Key Redeemed But License Not Showing in Account

Deactivate Office Product Key

Why Microsoft doesn't get back when refund is involved?

Shortcuts now requires shift after windows update

O365 has stopped working on our PC using Windows 10

Moving Office 2019 license

Announcing the retirement for Office Online Server

What’s changing?

What does end of support mean?

Why is this happening?

What is the alternative for Office Online Server?

Prepare to make your move

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

Recommended path: Migrate to the cloud with Microsoft 365

Fallback for disconnected scenarios: Upgrade to Office LTSC 2024

Prepare to make your move

Get ready now: One month until Office 2016/2019 end of support

Only 1 month until Office 2016/2019 end of support – are you ready?

Recommended path: Migrate to the cloud with Microsoft 365

Fallback for disconnected scenarios: Upgrade to Office LTSC 2024

Prepare to make your move

SharePoint Alerts retirement

Timeline

Call to Action Guidance

Update user training content and helpdesk

Microsoft 365 Assessment tool

Power Automate reference samples

How do I get help

Only 6 months until Office 2016/2019 end of support – are you ready?

Recommended path: Migrate to the cloud with Microsoft 365

Fallback for disconnected scenarios: Upgrade to Office LTSC 2024

Prepare to make your move

1 The Total Economic Impact™ Of Microsoft 365 for Business, a commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Microsoft, February 2025. Results are over three years for a composite organization based on interviewed customers.

o365 apps end of support in Server 2016

Ignite 2024: Are you ready for Office 2016/2019 end of support?

Get ready now: One year until Office 2016/2019 end of support

Recommended path: Migrate to the cloud with Microsoft 365 E3

Fallback for disconnected scenarios: Upgrade to Office LTSC 2024

Prepare to make your move

Key End of Support dates for Office 2016, 2019 Apps & Productivity Servers

What does end of support mean?

What we recommend

Other options for disconnected environments

Additional resources

SharePoint Add-In retirement in Microsoft 365

Overview

SharePoint Add-Ins

SharePoint Server support for SharePoint Add-Ins

Project Online support for SharePoint Add-Ins

Call to Action Guidance

Microsoft 365 Assessment tool

Migrate business relevant SharePoint Add-Ins by using newer SharePoint development models

How do I get help?

More information

Azure ACS retirement in Microsoft 365

Overview

Azure ACS usage in SharePoint Online

Azure ACS usage by SharePoint Server

Azure ACS usage by Project Online

Call to Action Guidance

Microsoft 365 Assessment tool

Turn off the use of Azure ACS on your tenant

How do I get help?

More information

Important Office end of support reminders

Support for Office 2016 and 2019 clients connecting to Microsoft 365 services has ended

Support for Office for Mac 2019 has ended

Recommended actions

Office 2019 users getting error when opening files in app from sharepoint

¹ The Total Economic Impact™ Of Microsoft 365 for Business, a commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Microsoft, February 2025. Results are over three years for a composite organization based on interviewed customers.