Microsoft Office 2019 for Mac will no longer edit documents after July 13

[Daniel Sims]

Facepalm: Although Microsoft ended official support for Office 2019 years ago, users could still expect basic functionality for the foreseeable future, including the ability to edit documents. Unfortunately, a recent support update from the company confirms that this is not the case for macOS users. Microsoft 365 users on Apple devices will also need to keep their operating systems up to date.

Microsoft recently warned Office users on Apple devices that older versions of the company's productivity apps running on outdated operating systems will lose the ability to edit files next month. Mobile users and Microsoft 365 subscribers can resolve the issue by simply updating their OS and Office, but users with the non-subscription version of Office 2019 on Mac are out of luck.

After July 13, affected apps will still be able to open and print documents, but they will not be able to edit, save, or create files. The issue impacts Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote on iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices.

To retain basic functionality, Microsoft 365 subscribers must update to iOS 17 or later, iPadOS 17 or later, or macOS Monterey or later. They must then update Microsoft Office to the latest version. Users with the standalone version of Office 2021 for Mac can also continue editing, saving, and creating files after updating.

However, Microsoft offers no remedies for Office 2019 users on macOS aside from purchasing a later version or subscribing to Microsoft 365. Users with devices that do not support iOS 17 or macOS Monterey must also consider upgrading their hardware, something that is becoming more expensive by the day.

According to the JimmyTech blog, Microsoft claims the issue stems from expiring certificates. The blog also reports that Microsoft's support site promised users that Office 2019 would continue to function, suggesting that the company has reneged on its guarantee. However, Microsoft might have revised its message, as its support site now only promises that users will not lose data.

Microsoft ended support for standalone Office 2019 for Mac in 2023. Support for the Windows versions of Office 2016 and 2019 also ended last year, and Office 2021 will reach end-of-life status in October 2026. However, it remains unclear whether these editions will lose the ability to edit documents.

Office 2021 is frequently on sale for under $50, but Office 2024, the most recent non-subscription version, starts at $130.

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Microsoft Office 2019 for Mac will no longer edit documents after July 13

 

[The Talking Tech]

That should be a lawsuit incoming...if we bought the perpetual license the usage of it should be in perpetuity.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

It is morally correct to pirate Microsoft products.

 

[NumberNine]

Don't be the fool using MS Office at home.
Suck it up and learn new software.

 

[ActualViking]

There is great alternative to Microsoft Office. That goes for Mac's and PC's, no reason to reward Microsoft for their abuse.

 

[Vixiy]

They changed the support site to gaslight you.

 

[MTD2019]

I hope this ends in a lawsuit or EU fine, there being no regulation in the US. For most people alternative office suites are fine, but many people find that their Excel spreadsheets don't work the same.

 

[Vixiy]

I hope this ends in a lawsuit or EU fine, there being no regulation in the US. For most people alternative office suites are fine, but many people find that their Excel spreadsheets don't work the same.

Only Office is the most similar and compatible with MS Office.
Only problem I've had with it is that it's stuck on X11 and XWayland breaks virtual keyboards. If they move to native Wayland like everything else has, I might switch back from Collabora to Only Office.

 

[Thatsdisgusting]

Talking about “the improvements” they promised last month.

btw, I just reinstalled win11 on one of my machines with fresh media tool, as of 4 June, and guess what? I still had to bypass through cmdline, plus first install gone broken out of the box again…

 

[Art C]

Windows and Office (and "365" and/or "copilot") users are in an abusive relationship. The only way to deal with an abusive relationship is to get out. There are no exceptions. The abuser is not going to change ("it'll be different this time baby, I promise!"). Microsoft will continue abusing its users forever. STOP USING THEIR PRODUCTS.

 

[Anton Longshot]

It's been pretty obvious ever since the initial release of W11 that Microsoft wants to get rid of their customers.
The reason's a mystery to me.
I'm not sure even the Microsoft policy makers know why they do this.
Slowly but surely they seem to be succeeding.
I think it's possible I'll see Microsoft go belly-up in my lifetime.
Sad but hey, the only true constant is change.

 

[Loadedaxe]

Why would you use Microsoft Office on a Mac?

macOS has built in free apps...

 

[trgz]

Only Office is the most similar and compatible with MS Office.
Only problem I've had with it is that it's stuck on X11 and XWayland breaks virtual keyboards. If they move to native Wayland like everything else has, I might switch back from Collabora to Only Office.

I shall definitely give it a try, though I'm not sure that it could handle some of my past extreme creations that probably should never have been built in Excel

 

[GeoffreyA]

Windows and Office (and "365" and/or "copilot") users are in an abusive relationship. The only way to deal with an abusive relationship is to get out. There are no exceptions. The abuser is not going to change ("it'll be different this time baby, I promise!"). Microsoft will continue abusing its users forever. STOP USING THEIR PRODUCTS.

That's true. The problem is, Office is the flagship suite of its class and, particularly with Excel, many can't change. I myself switched from Office in 2009 and won't use it even for free. As for Windows, it is a mess, no doubt, but the non-Apple alternatives are not the easy answer for everyone. For the time being, LTSC is a surprisingly good solution.

 

[ActualViking]

I hope this ends in a lawsuit or EU fine, there being no regulation in the US. For most people alternative office suites are fine, but many people find that their Excel spreadsheets don't work the same.

I think people finding they can't edit their spreadsheets anymore, will be saying they "don't work the the same". Those people can then kick the can down the road or actually find a solution.

 

[Archean]

Don't be the fool using MS Office at home.
Suck it up and learn new software.

Spot on, I think Libre Office and other Open Source solutions are pretty decent now.

In fact its been 8 years or so when I moved on from Ms Office, and haven't missed it one bit.

Never fear change, it helps you get better at you do.

 

[hwertz]

They did revise their page, gaslighting style by not labelling the date it was revised. Gamersnexus showed the previous page, and current one to show this.

 

[John Staerck]

Why would you use Microsoft Office on a Mac?

macOS has built in free apps...

I'm a heavy user of spreadsheets and have tried free alternatives. There is nothing better than Excel, and I discovered that 2019 included Visual Basic under macOS (which wasn't available under my old system). Angry that I only had a cheap copy of Office 2019 for five months before this latest about face, still the monthly cost was less than an Office 365 subscription. I Expect Micro$oft to do the same to 2021 fairly soon.