If you’re still using Office 2019 on your Apple devices, you should seriously think about jumping ship. From 13 July 2026, Microsoft’s apps in the Office 2019 for Mac package will enter what the company calls “reduced functionality mode” and lose the ability to create and edit documents. It also affects outdated apps on iPhone and iPad, but not the Windows version of Office 2019.
End of life, time to pay
Support for Microsoft’s one-time purchase Office 2019 for Mac officially ended in October 2023. However, the apps remained operational. Come 13 July, or in a little over 5 weeks, that will change. This stems from an expiring security certificate that validates Office licences. The certificate has been renewed for newer Office packages on Mac, but not for Office 2019. The Windows version of Office 2019 is unaffected by this change.
A spokesperson for Microsoft said to Cnet, “Microsoft is not intentionally limiting or changing Office 2019; the product cannot receive the renewed certificate because no update path exists for an out-of-support product.”
If you’re still using Office 2019 for Mac, you have a few options. You could:
- Ditch the one-time package lifestyle and switch to Microsoft 365, a monthly or annual subscription service packed to the brim with all of the company’s AI apps and services. You also get Word and the rest of the gang. This would make Microsoft very happy.
- Purchase a new one-time licence of Office 2024 for Mac. This allows a single user to install the package on one device. It should be supported until at least October 2029.
- Leave Microsoft in the dust and switch to Apple’s Numbers, Pages, and Keynote that came free with your device.
If you can’t live without the Office apps but aren’t clamouring to use Microsoft’s AI tools, and you don’t need the OneDrive storage that comes with a MS365 subscription, the one-time R2,800 purchase of Office 2024 for Mac is the best option. That will last you at least the next 40 months. Over the same period, you would spend R6,400 (if billed monthly), or R4,800 (if billed annually) on a subscription.
