Since the October 14 the support for Office versions 2016 and 2019 has ended. If you have a MacBook, a Modern Workplace or a workplace younger than three years then this message is probably not intended for you.
How do I check which version I have now?
If you think you might have an unsupported version of Office then you can check that in any Office application via the menu “File” and then “Account”
If under the heading “Product Information” the text “Microsoft 365 Apps For Enterprise” or a version with the year 2021 or 2024 is shown then the version is still supported and you do not need to take any action.
What will happen on December 15?
On Windows computers that still have the older versions of Office installed these versions will be completely automatically removed on December 15. That removal process can take up to 90 minutes and during that time you cannot use Microsoft Office on your PC.
You can use the online version of Office via a web browser. It is available at the address https://m365.cloud.microsoft/apps.
After the uninstallation you can follow these steps to install the new version of Office on your computer:
- Click on the start menu at the bottom left in Windows or press the Windows (flag) key on your keyboard (⊞)
- Start typing the word “Software”, you will now see the “Software Center” icon in the list, click on it.
- You get a screen from the Software Center that shows all UT software you can install on your system, there is also an icon for “Microsoft Office 365”.
- Click on the icon and choose “Install” in the next screen, the newest version of Office will be installed on your system, this can take up to 10 minutes.
Can I start the update now?
If you wish you can choose to remove the old Office versions yourself before December 15 and install the new version as described above. For that a removal tool is available in the Software Center, it is recognizable by this symbol:
After at most 90 minutes the old version of Office is completely removed and you can install the new version via Software Center if desired, instructions on how to do so are in the text above.
