Office 2021 loses support on 13 October: which option fits your office?

Office 2021 support ends on 13 October 2026

If your office runs Office 2021, there is a date to note. Microsoft will end support for it on 13 October 2026. The apps will keep opening after that, but there will be no more security fixes, bug fixes or technical support, and Microsoft has said it will not offer an extension.

Who needs to act

  • Firms that bought Office Home and Business 2021 or Office Professional 2021 as a one-time purchase, often with new PCs between 2022 and 2024.
  • Offices on Office LTSC 2021 volume licences, common in government offices and factories.
  • Users of standalone Project 2021 and Visio 2021.

Microsoft 365 subscribers are not affected in the same way, because their apps update continuously.

The four choices in front of you

  • Microsoft 365 subscription: paid per user, suits teams that want email, Teams, cloud storage and always-current apps.
  • Office 2024 or Office LTSC 2024: a one-time purchase per device, suits PCs that only need desktop apps or stay offline. It has its own end-of-support date.
  • Another office suite: can work for simple document needs. Test file compatibility and macros first.
  • Staying on Office 2021: only as a short, planned stopgap, because the risk grows every month.

Nothing breaks on 14 October, but unsupported software is usually flagged in audits and customer questionnaires, so it is better to plan the move than to be pushed into it.

Read the full guide with the step-by-step action list here: Office 2021 Support Ends 13 October: What Firms Must Do

Published by Affix Center, a Mumbai-based IT services company. Our IT operations team can audit Office versions across your PCs and plan the upgrade.

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