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Microsoft to End Office 2021 Support on October 13

Microsoft will end support for Office 2021 on October 13, cutting off technical help, software updates, bug fixes and security patches, according to a ZDNet report. Users have five options.

AI News Feed · 2026-10-07 04:17

The report said Microsoft continues to offer one-time purchase versions of Office for people who do not want a monthly or annual Microsoft 365 subscription, but support for those non-subscription versions has been getting shorter. Office 2010 support ended in 2020 and Office 2013 support ended in 2023. Office 2019 support ran out after six years in 2025, and Office 2021 will end after only five years.

ZDNet said the likely reason is that Microsoft wants to move more users to its subscription-based Microsoft 365 product, which requires making the one-time license version less attractive to use. The report compared the Office timeline with Windows support periods. Windows 10 support ended on October 15, 2025, with Microsoft's Extended Security Updates program guaranteeing security updates at least until October 12, 2027. Windows 11 Home and Pro annual versions get two years of support; version 23H2 is no longer supported, version 24H2 will reach end of support on October 13 this year, version 25H2 will stop on October 12, 2027, and version 26H2 will be supported until October 10, 2028.

For Office 2021 users, ZDNet outlined five options. The first is to continue using the software without support, which the report cautioned against because serious security flaws may appear and would otherwise need to be patched. The second is to upgrade to Office 2024, one of Microsoft's recommendations. The third is to move to Microsoft 365 with a monthly or annual subscription, Microsoft's other recommendation.

The fourth option is to stop paying for Office and switch to the free online version, though the report noted that it lacks many advanced commands and features found in the desktop product. The fifth is to switch to a different productivity suite. Google Docs, Sheets and Slides are freely available, and the report listed LibreOffice, Collabora Office and OnlyOffice as other free options. ZDNet said that unless users rely on specific Microsoft Office features they cannot lose, alternatives exist.