Microsoft Office 2019 for Mac
Will Soon Stop Letting You Edit Documents
-----------------------------------------
Microsoft will prevent Office 2019 for Mac owners from editing their
documents from July 13, a restriction the company is attributing to
the productivity suite's expiring digital certificate.
The Office 2019 apps affected include Word, Excel, PowerPoint,
Outlook, and OneNote. Once the certificate used to confirm the
suite's license expires, these apps will drop into what Microsoft is
calling "reduced functionality mode." In other words, users will
still be able to open, view, and print existing documents, but
creating, editing and saving documents will be disabled. The same
restriction will apply to iPhone and iPad apps that can't be updated,
according to Microsoft.
Microsoft has actually renewed the suite's certificate, but the fix
can only be delivered through a software update. That means users of
Microsoft 365 and Office 2021 are in the clear - they'll receive the
update, so neither will be affected. However, Microsoft stopped
offering support for Office 2019 on October 10, 2023, and the suite
has received no updates since. As such, it won't be updated to
version 16.83, which is the release that includes the renewed
certificate.
Microsoft says the problem can't be fixed by reinstalling
Office 2019. Instead, it suggests affected users turn to the
company's free Microsoft 365 web apps, take out a paid Microsoft 365
subscription, or make a one-time purchase of Office 2024.
Users running newer supported versions of Office on macOS 12 Monterey
or later simply need to update to build 16.83. For users on iPhone
and iPad running iOS 17 or later, it's build 2.93. You can check
which version you have by opening Word and selecting Word > About
Word, but most suites will be automatically updated in the background.
Office 2021 will only receive updates until October 13, 2026, when it
too reaches the end of support. Microsoft says the apps will continue
to function after that date, but they will no longer receive security
or feature updates.
Some critics have argued that Microsoft's deadline is effectively
self-imposed because the company renewed the certificate but chose not
to provide the update to Office 2019 users. For example, JimmyTech,
the IT consultancy that spotted the change, has argued that using the
expiry to retire older software rather than quietly renewing it
"amounts to a choice."
Microsoft's messaging on the subject hasn't done it any favors, either.
Its end-of-support page for Office 2019 for Mac, originally posted in
October 2023, once told owners to "Rest assured that all your
Office 2019 apps will continue to function." A revision now dated
May 15, 2026 has dropped that line, replacing it with a note that their
data "can be accessed in a supported Microsoft 365 or Office product."
Microsoft began emailing affected customers in May, but there's a
chance this is still news to some Office for 2019 owners. Apple's
iWork suite is an alternative route for anyone done with Microsoft's
offering. It's also worth checking out the free and open-source
LibreOffice, developed by The Document Foundation.
<https://www.macrumors.com/2026/06/02/microsoft-office-2019-for-mac-no-edit-do
cuments/>
In article <10vnhtj$37mpa$[email protected]>,
Your Name <[email protected]> wrote:
Microsoft Office 2019 for Mac
Will Soon Stop Letting You Edit Documents
-----------------------------------------
Meanwhile, Office 2008 on my PowerBook G4 remains entirely untouched.
In article <10vnhtj$37mpa$[email protected]>,
Your Name <[email protected]> wrote:
Microsoft Office 2019 for Mac
Will Soon Stop Letting You Edit Documents
-----------------------------------------
Microsoft will prevent Office 2019 for Mac owners from editing their
documents from July 13, a restriction the company is attributing to
the productivity suite's expiring digital certificate.
The Office 2019 apps affected include Word, Excel, PowerPoint,
Outlook, and OneNote. Once the certificate used to confirm the
suite's license expires, these apps will drop into what Microsoft is
calling "reduced functionality mode." In other words, users will
still be able to open, view, and print existing documents, but
creating, editing and saving documents will be disabled. The same
restriction will apply to iPhone and iPad apps that can't be updated,
according to Microsoft.
Microsoft has actually renewed the suite's certificate, but the fix
can only be delivered through a software update. That means users of
Microsoft 365 and Office 2021 are in the clear - they'll receive the
update, so neither will be affected. However, Microsoft stopped
offering support for Office 2019 on October 10, 2023, and the suite
has received no updates since. As such, it won't be updated to
version 16.83, which is the release that includes the renewed
certificate.
Microsoft says the problem can't be fixed by reinstalling
Office 2019. Instead, it suggests affected users turn to the
company's free Microsoft 365 web apps, take out a paid Microsoft 365
subscription, or make a one-time purchase of Office 2024.
Users running newer supported versions of Office on macOS 12 Monterey
or later simply need to update to build 16.83. For users on iPhone
and iPad running iOS 17 or later, it's build 2.93. You can check
which version you have by opening Word and selecting Word > About
Word, but most suites will be automatically updated in the background.
Office 2021 will only receive updates until October 13, 2026, when it
too reaches the end of support. Microsoft says the apps will continue
to function after that date, but they will no longer receive security
or feature updates.
Some critics have argued that Microsoft's deadline is effectively
self-imposed because the company renewed the certificate but chose not
to provide the update to Office 2019 users. For example, JimmyTech,
the IT consultancy that spotted the change, has argued that using the
expiry to retire older software rather than quietly renewing it
"amounts to a choice."
Microsoft's messaging on the subject hasn't done it any favors, either.
Its end-of-support page for Office 2019 for Mac, originally posted in
October 2023, once told owners to "Rest assured that all your
Office 2019 apps will continue to function." A revision now dated
May 15, 2026 has dropped that line, replacing it with a note that their
data "can be accessed in a supported Microsoft 365 or Office product."
Microsoft began emailing affected customers in May, but there's a
chance this is still news to some Office for 2019 owners. Apple's
iWork suite is an alternative route for anyone done with Microsoft's
offering. It's also worth checking out the free and open-source
LibreOffice, developed by The Document Foundation.
<https://www.macrumors.com/2026/06/02/microsoft-office-2019-for-mac-no-edit-do
cuments/>
Meanwhile, Office 2008 on my PowerBook G4 remains entirely untouched.
| Sysop: | DaiTengu |
|---|---|
| Location: | Appleton, WI |
| Users: | 1,123 |
| Nodes: | 10 (0 / 10) |
| Uptime: | 37:08:58 |
| Calls: | 14,371 |
| Files: | 186,380 |
| D/L today: |
3,014 files (845M bytes) |
| Messages: | 2,540,660 |