Office 2021 support ends this month – you have 5 options

Microsoft is ending support and updates for Office 2021 as of Tuesday, October 13, according to a new support document cited by ZDNET. After that date, the company will no longer provide technical support, software updates, bug fixes, or security patches, and will stop updating the product's online help and support pages. Users will still be able to run the software, but without those updates or support.

Microsoft's recommended paths are upgrading to Office 2024, a one-time purchase version, or subscribing to Microsoft 365 with monthly or annual pricing. ZDNET lists five options overall: continue using Office 2021 without support, upgrade to Office 2024, move to Microsoft 365, switch to the free online version of Office, or adopt a different productivity suite such as Google Docs, LibreOffice, Collabora Office, or OnlyOffice. The free online version lacks many advanced commands and features found in the desktop product, and ZDNET cautions against continuing without support in case serious security flaws emerge.

ZDNET notes that the one-time purchase edition of Office previously received ten years of support. Support ended for Office 2010 in 2020 and Office 2013 in 2023; support for Office 2019 ran out after six years in 2025, and Office 2021 is ending after five years. The report attributes the shorter cycle to a likely effort to push more people toward the subscription-based Microsoft 365, but presents that as its own assessment rather than a Microsoft statement.

For comparison, ZDNET cites Microsoft's broader support timelines: Windows 10 support ended October 15, 2025, with Extended Security Updates guaranteed at least until October 12, 2027; Windows 11 Home and Pro versions 23H2 are no longer supported, 24H2 ends October 13 of this year, 25H2 on October 12, 2027, and the 26H2 edition on October 10, 2028.