Office End Of Support Blog articles

Announcing the retirement for Office Online Server

TimDavenport — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 18:38:09 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.

SharePoint Embedded enables real-time collaboration on Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents directly within line-of-business or custom applications using Microsoft 365’s native co-authoring services. This allows users to securely create, edit, comment, and manage Office files without leaving the app—while still benefiting from enterprise-grade compliance, versioning, and lifecycle management through Microsoft Purview. Learn more.

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.

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!

IMPORTANT: Support for Office 2013 has ended

paprud — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 17:09:35 GMT

As mentioned in previous posts, 11/11/2021 and on 11/15/2022, Office 2013 reached the end of the Extended Support lifecycle on April 11, 2023. Continuing to use Office 2013 could increase your organization’s exposure to security risks, impact your ability to meet compliance obligations, and/or affect end user productivity.

Additionally, support for other Microsoft Office products is also coming to an end in the next months. Please review the following list and act before the end of the product’s lifecycle:

Office 2019 for Mac reaches end of support on October 10, 2023. This means Office 2019 for Mac will no longer receive security updates, bug fixes, technical support, or online technical content support.
Connecting Office 2016 and Office 2019 to Microsoft 365 reaches end of support on October 10, 2023. After this end date we won’t block these Office versions from connecting to Microsoft 365 services if they are kept up to date. But after October 10, 2023, improvements to Microsoft 365 services will no longer be tested with these Office versions, so, users could experience performance or reliability issues. Read more about this in our Microsoft Learn article.

If you're running a version affected by any of the end of support dates, we recommend upgrading to Microsoft 365 E3, which comes with Microsoft 365 Apps – the apps you're familiar with (e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc.). It falls under the Modern Lifecycle Policy, so it’s continuously supported.

Here are some resources to help plan the move:

Review a summary of the Microsoft 365 Apps and Office support configuration matrix.
Read the Office 2013 upgrade guidance for an overview of how to move from Office 2013 to Microsoft 365 Apps.
Consider engaging Microsoft FastTrack – a Microsoft support service for moving to Microsoft 365 E3.

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

Thanks again for being a Microsoft customer!

Support update for SharePoint 2013 workflow in Microsoft 365

BertJansen — Mon, 17 Apr 2023 15:30:00 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 retired SharePoint 2010 workflow as of November 1, 2020. In continuation with this, we will be retiring SharePoint 2013 workflow and believe Microsoft 365 customers will be better served by modern workflow solutions.

SharePoint 2013 workflows will be retired in 2026

SharePoint 2013 workflow will be turned off for new tenants as of April 2, 2024 and will be removed from existing tenants and will be fully retired as of April 2, 2026. This applies to all environments including Government Clouds and Department of Defense. If you are using SharePoint 2013 workflow, we recommend migrating to Power Automate or other supported workflow orchestration solutions such as those from Preferred members of our Microsoft 365 Business Apps Partner Program. If your tenant is using a 3^rd party workflow engine, you should also inquire if it has a dependency on Workflow 2013 and work through options to migrate to a future offering of the workflow engine. There will not be an option to extend SharePoint 2013 workflow beyond April 2, 2026.

Microsoft 365 Assessment tool

To understand if your organization is using SharePoint 2013 workflow or begin planning migration to Power Automate or other 3^rd party orchestration tools, we recommend that customers run the Microsoft 365 Assessment tool to scan their tenants for SharePoint 2013 workflows usage. Using the Power BI Workflow Report generated by the scanner tool, you can:

Identify all SharePoint 2013 workflows in the tenant, per site collection and site
Evaluate the recency and volume of usage of SharePoint 2013 workflows
Lists, libraries and content types that use SharePoint 2013 workflows
Power Automate upgradability score indicating if the detected actions in the SharePoint 2013 workflows are upgradable to flows with Power Automate

Using the Workflow Report along with site information, tenant administrators can plan the migration of SharePoint 2013 workflows with minimal impact to the users.

Turn off creation of new SharePoint 2013 workflows on your tenant

We recommend Tenant administrators to turn off creation of new SharePoint 2013 workflows using the following PowerShell command. Administrators should do this once you have confirmed there is no business need to allow new workflows to be created and that other applications are not creating workflows. The assessment tool should give administrators the usage information to understand where and when workflows are being created.

Connect-SPOService -Url https://<tenant>-admin.sharepoint.com

Set-SPOTenant -StopNew2013Workflows $true

Existing SharePoint 2013 workflows will continue to function and be editable. You can use the same command to re-enable the creation of SharePoint 2013 workflows if required. However, Microsoft recommends choosing a modern workflow orchestration solution instead.

Use Power Automate for workflow orchestration

Since the release of SharePoint workflows, Microsoft has evolved workflow orchestration to not only encompass SharePoint, but all the productivity services you use with Microsoft 365 and extend to 3^rd parties. Power Automate is the Microsoft solution for workflow orchestration. It connects to all Microsoft 365 services and over 700 other services to let an enterprise build custom workflows. There are also many 3^rd party solutions that can directly orchestrate SharePoint data via SharePoint’s open API platform.

Summary

We recognize that these changes may require additional work for some of our customers, and we’re ready to provide support during this transition. We are encouraged by our customer successes, and our ongoing investment in business process modernization in Microsoft 365 on the Power Platform. We’ll continue to share updates through our support articles at https://aka.ms/sp-workflows-2013support.

Thank you.

More information

Friendly link to this blog post: https://aka.ms/sp-workflows-2013update

Friendly link to the support article: https://aka.ms/sp-workflows-2013support

Friendly link to Migration Guidance: https://aka.ms/sp-workflows-guidance

Important upcoming end of support dates for Office products

paprud — Tue, 15 Nov 2022 20:18:57 GMT

Support for several Microsoft Office products is coming to an end in the next months. Continuing to use a product after support ends can expose your organization to security risks, productivity loss, and compliance failures.

Please review the following list and act before the product’s end-of-support date:

Office 2013 reaches end of support on April 11, 2023. This means Office 2013 will no longer receive security updates, bug fixes, technical support, or online technical content support.
Office 2019 for Mac reaches end of support on October 10, 2023. The same risks that affect Office 2013 after support ends apply to Office 2019 for Mac.
Connecting Office 2016 and Office 2019 to Microsoft 365 reaches end of support on October 10, 2023. After this end date, these Office versions may still be able to connect to Microsoft 365, but those connections won’t be supported and could experience performance or reliability issues over time. After October 10, 2023, improvements to Microsoft 365 services will no longer be tested with these Office versions. Read our Microsoft Learn article to learn more about connecting Office to Microsoft 365 services.

Important: Microsoft has no plans to offer the Extended Security Update (ESU) program for any of the products listed in this article.

Office 2013 and Office 2019 for Mac follow the Fixed Lifecycle Policy, which offers five years of Mainstream Support and, in the case of Office 2013, another five years of Extended Support. Support for Fixed Policy products expires on a set timeline.

Products and services, like Microsoft 365 and Microsoft 365 Apps, follow the Modern Lifecycle Policy. As long as device configurations stay current on servicing and system requirements, Modern Policy products are continuously supported. There is no set end date for support of Modern Policy products.

To avoid potential security, productivity, and compliance risks, we recommend upgrading to Microsoft 365 E3. That solution comes with Microsoft 365 Apps, which falls under the Modern Policy—so, it’s continuously supported—and includes all the apps you are familiar with (e.g.: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc.).

Transitioning to Microsoft 365 has numerous business benefits, such as improved collaboration and communication, reduced user downtime, improved security, and compliance, among others, and allows organizations to remain supported. Upgrading to the always up-to-date Microsoft 365 E3 is easy. Here are some resources to help plan the move:

Review a summary of the Microsoft 365 Apps and Office support configuration matrix
Take a guided tour of Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise features
Read the Office 2013 upgrade guidance for an overview of how to move from Office 2013 to Microsoft 365 Apps
Learn how to upgrade an existing installation of Office on Mac to a newer version
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 and commissioned by Microsoft, which found that adopting Microsoft 365 E3 saved composite organizations $1,500 USD per user per year, with a return on investment of 205%, and a payback period of less than three months. The report details three ways organizations can reduce cost and complexity with Microsoft 365.

We understand that some devices might not be ready to move the cloud. In our commitment to supporting all customers, 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 ends on October 13, 2026.

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

Thanks again for being a Microsoft customer!

Act now and keep Microsoft 365 Apps supported after January 10, 2023

paprud — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 17:45:38 GMT

Microsoft 365 Apps is supported under the Modern Lifecycle Policy. Therefore, the apps are supported continuously given that customers stay current per the servicing and system requirements. These requirements include using Microsoft 365 Apps on an operating system currently in support.

On January 10, 2023, Windows 8.1 will reach the end of support. Also, on the same day, the three-year Extended Security Updates (ESU) paid program for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 ends. While Microsoft 365 Apps is not currently supported on Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2, we committed to provide security updates for the length of these ESU programs.  

Therefore, after January 10, 2023, Microsoft 365 Apps running on Windows 7, Windows 8.1, or Windows Server 2008 R2 will stop receiving security updates. Additionally, new installations of Microsoft 365 Apps will be blocked on Windows 8.1 devices. We recommend that customers running these operating systems migrate to a supported OS before January 2023. View the Windows and Office configuration support matrix.

Please remember that using unsupported software may increase an organization’s exposure to security risks or impact its ability to meet compliance obligations.

For additional information refer to:

Plan ahead: End of support for Microsoft 2013 products (18-month reminder)

paprud — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 08:00:00 GMT

On April 11, 2023, some important Microsoft products will reach their end of support, which includes:

Applications: Access 2013, Excel 2013, Lync 2013, Lync Phone Edition, Office 2013, OneNote 2013, Outlook 2013, PowerPoint 2013, Publisher 2013, Skype for Business 2015, Word 2013, Project 2013, Visio 2013.
Servers: Exchange Server 2013, Lync Server 2013, Office Web Apps Server 2013,Project Server 2013, SharePoint Foundation 2013, SharePoint Server 2013.

After this date, these products will no longer receive security updates, non-security updates, bug fixes, technical support, or online technical content updates. If you are still using these versions after April 11, 2023, you may face increased security risks and compliance issues over time. Therefore, we strongly recommend that customers running legacy versions migrate to Microsoft 365.

Transitioning to Microsoft 365 has numerous business benefits (e.g.: Improved collaboration and communication, reduced user downtime, improved security and compliance, among others), and allows organizations to remain supported. Upgrading to the always up-to-date Microsoft 365 suite is easy. Here are some resources to help plan the move:

Leverage the FastTrack program and work with Microsoft engineers to migrate your services to the cloud and drive user adoption.
Use the App Assure benefit through FastTrack to help you implement Microsoft 365 Apps in your organization. 
For a detailed upgrade guide for a specific product, check out the following resources:

Important: There will not be an option to extend support for any of the products listed in this article beyond April 2023.

While Microsoft 365 is the world's productivity cloud that provides unique tools to stay productive, we also realize some devices aren't ready to migrate. In our commitment to supporting all our customers, we recently launched Office's latest perpetual version, Office Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC), designed for devices that can’t accept feature updates or aren’t connected to the internet.

Additional Resources

Office End of Support Tech Community - For more information and resources on Office end of support.
Office end of support timeline - For a timeline of what to expect over the next four years.
Fixed Lifecycle Policy overview - Learn more about this policy.

Thanks again for being a Microsoft customer!

Continued performance improvements to Excel in Microsoft 365: time to take another look

Office_365_Team — Fri, 25 Sep 2020 23:45:00 GMT

When planning an Office upgrade, Excel performance is often a top concern. We understand you need to be certain that your macros, formulas, and data models will execute as smoothly after your upgrade to Microsoft 365 Apps as they did before. That’s why the Excel team has been hard at work on a long list of performance upgrades aimed at making Excel in Microsoft 365 the new gold standard for Excel performance.

This week at Ignite, we announced faster Aggregation and RealTimeData functions – a third round of enhancements following Speedy Lookups in 2018 and a host of CPU and memory-use improvements in 2017. And customers are taking note: even before this last round of improvements, an analyst at Bridgewater Associates told us that “Moving from 32-bit Excel 2016 to Microsoft 365 Apps has increased the speed in which we can run our custom tools and delivered greater stability and performance.”

If concerns about Excel performance have been keeping you on an older version of Office, it’s time to take another look at what Excel in Microsoft 365 has to offer. Support for Office 2010 ends on October 13, 2020. Make the shift to Microsoft 365 Apps today.

Apprehensive about making the shift to Microsoft 365 Apps? Read on.

Office_365_Team — Wed, 15 Jul 2020 16:39:30 GMT

With three months until support for Office 2016 for Mac and Office 2010 ends this October, now is the time to transition to Microsoft 365 Apps. We know that transitions like this can be challenging – we’ve heard your concerns about app compatibility, managing configurations and the installation process, and getting users up and running on new devices even while working remotely. In the most recent update to the Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise guided tour, we’ve included a few new videos that show how you can use Microsoft’s cloud deployment tools to address these concerns. Keep reading – and watch the videos – to learn more about these tools.

App Compatibility

Your apps – whether they’re custom line-of-business or just apps from other sources – need to keep working once you’ve upgraded to Microsoft 365 Apps. That’s why we offer the Microsoft Desktop App Assure service, which pledges that if you encounter app compatibility issues with any eligible Windows 10 or Microsoft 365 services, we’ll help you resolve them at no additional cost.

Managing configuration and installation

Every organization is unique, and software installation, configuration, and update processes must be tailored to fit your needs. The Office Customization Tool simplifies preparations and provides granular control over the installation process, with configuration settings grouped into intuitive categories. Easily deploy Office to fit the needs of your organization, from different languages to application preferences.

Simplifying deployment for remote workers

Microsoft’s suite of cloud provisioning tools simplifies and accelerates the deployment process for IT admins and end-users – even when they’re not working in the same location. Learn more about empowering remote workers with Microsoft 365 on Microsoft Docs.

With these tools, we’ve made it simpler for IT to deploy Microsoft 365 Apps. Find out more about how to get started – and the tools available to help – at the Deployment guide for Microsoft 365 Apps. Still have questions? Ask us directly during the Microsoft Office End of Support AMA on September 9, 2020, 9-10 AM Pacific.

Support update for SharePoint 2010 workflows in Microsoft 365

Chris McNulty — Mon, 06 Jul 2020 18:00:00 GMT

Modern business process is essential for transforming organizational productivity in Microsoft 365. Since the release of SharePoint workflows, Microsoft has evolved workflow orchestration to not only encompass SharePoint, but all the productivity services you use with Microsoft 365 and beyond.

Microsoft Power Automate connects to all Microsoft 365 services and over 220 services to let an enterprise build custom workflows. With the continued investment in Power Automate as the universal solution to workflow, Microsoft is retiring SharePoint 2010 workflows.

SharePoint 2010 workflows will be retired in 2020

For customers using SharePoint 2010 workflows, we recommend migrating to Power Automate during 2020 to maintain continuity in any business process.

Starting August 1^st, 2020, SharePoint 2010 workflows will be turned off for newly created tenants.
Starting November 1^st, 2020, Microsoft will begin to remove the ability to run or create SharePoint 2010 workflows from existing tenants.

SharePoint Modernization Scanner

To understand if your organization is using workflow 2010 or begin planning migration to Power Automate, we recommend that customers run the SharePoint Modernization Scanner tool to scan their tenants for legacy workflows usage. Using the Workflow Report generated by the scanner tool, customers can understand the following:

Distribution of legacy workflows across SharePoint 2010 and SharePoint 2013 workflows
Distribution of out of the box and custom legacy workflow usage
Which sites and lists use legacy workflows
Power Automate upgradability score indicating how well the detected actions are upgradable to flows with Power Automate

Using the Workflow Report along with site information, tenant administrators can work with their users to plan the migration of legacy workflows with minimal interruption.

SharePoint 2013 workflows remain supported

SharePoint 2013 workflows will remain supported, although deprecated. However, we recommend customers move to Power Automate or other supported solutions, such as those from Preferred members of our Microsoft 365 Business Apps Partner Program.

Starting in November 2020, SharePoint 2013 workflows will be turned off by default for new tenants. Microsoft will provide a PowerShell script to let customers to activate the SharePoint 2013-based workflow engine for tenant as needed.

Use Power Automate with Microsoft 365 licenses

All Microsoft 365 licenses include usage of the Power Platform for customizing and extending Microsoft 365 applications. This includes both Power Automate and Power Apps.

Power Automate also has additional premium features that you can buy on top of your Microsoft 365 licenses. To learn more about what specific features are included with Microsoft 365 licenses go here.

SharePoint Server support for SharePoint 2010 and SharePoint 2013 workflows

SharePoint 2010 and SharePoint 2013-based workflows will continue to be supported for on-premises SharePoint 2016 and SharePoint 2019 Server platforms until 2026.

SharePoint Designer 2013
SharePoint 2010 workflow creation with SharePoint Online using SharePoint Designer 2013 will be turned off for any newly created tenants starting August 2020 and existing tenants starting November 2020. SharePoint Designer 2013 will work with SharePoint Server 2019 for the remainder of the client support lifecycle (2026). SharePoint Designer 2013 will not be supported beyond that timeframe.

Summary

Reminder regarding Microsoft 365 Apps on Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012/R2

Office_365_Team — Tue, 09 Jun 2020 21:35:19 GMT

As previously announced, Windows 8 ended support on January 12, 2016, and support for Microsoft 365 Apps on Windows Server 2012/R2 ended on January 14, 2020. As we continue to innovate on Microsoft 365 Apps, we would like to remind our customers that new app features may create stability and performance issues when running on older or unsupported operating systems.

In order to avoid functionality and stability issues while continuing to receive updates to Microsoft 365 Apps, we recommend that Windows 8 users upgrade to Windows 10 (or Windows 8.1 as a last resort), and that Windows Server 2012/R2 users shift to a Windows Virtual Desktop solution or upgrade to Windows Server 2019.

For more information and guidance, please see Windows 8 end of support and Office. Always up-to-date information on current system requirements can be found on the Office Resources page, with related timelines available in the Office configuration support matrix.

Office End Of Support Blog articles

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.

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

IMPORTANT: Support for Office 2013 has ended

Support update for SharePoint 2013 workflow in Microsoft 365

Important upcoming end of support dates for Office products

Act now and keep Microsoft 365 Apps supported after January 10, 2023

Plan ahead: End of support for Microsoft 2013 products (18-month reminder)

Additional Resources

Continued performance improvements to Excel in Microsoft 365: time to take another look

Apprehensive about making the shift to Microsoft 365 Apps? Read on.

Support update for SharePoint 2010 workflows in Microsoft 365

SharePoint 2010 workflows will be retired in 2020

SharePoint Modernization Scanner

SharePoint 2013 workflows remain supported

Use Power Automate with Microsoft 365 licenses

SharePoint Server support for SharePoint 2010 and SharePoint 2013 workflows

Summary

Reminder regarding Microsoft 365 Apps on Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012/R2

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.