Support for Office LTSC 2021 and additional apps ended on October 13, 2026

What and Why

As previously communicated, support for Office LTSC 2021 ended on October 13, 2026. Microsoft no longer provides security updates, bug fixes, or technical support for this version of Office. Although the applications may continue to function, using unsupported software could expose your organization to potential security and compliance risks, system incompatibilities, and other issues.

Support for Visio LTSC 2021, Project LTSC 2021, and several other products also ended on October 13, 2026. Organizations that continue to use these products should transition to a supported version as soon as possible to receive ongoing security updates, bug fixes, and technical support.

Rollout Schedule

General Availability (Worldwide): Support for Office LTSC 2021, Visio LTSC 2021, Project LTSC 2021, and other affected products ended on October 13, 2026.

Impact on Your Organization

Devices running Office LTSC 2021 or another affected product no longer receive security updates, bug fixes, or technical assistance. The applications do not automatically stop working, but continued use of unsupported software may increase your organization's exposure to security and compliance risks and could result in compatibility or reliability issues.

Action Required/Recommendations

Identify any devices in your organization that are still running Office LTSC 2021 or another affected product and move them to a supported solution.

For most organizations, we recommend upgrading devices to a Microsoft 365 or Office 365 suite that includes Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise or Microsoft 365 Apps for business. Microsoft 365 Apps provides always-up-to-date versions of familiar apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for desktop, mobile, and web with continuous support under the Modern Lifecycle Policy, and is eligible for use with Microsoft Copilot.

• Enterprises should review Microsoft 365 E3, Office 365 E3, or Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise.
• Organizations with fewer than 300 users should review Microsoft 365 Business Premium, Microsoft 365 Business Standard, or Microsoft 365 Apps for business.

For scenarios that require a fully disconnected solution, we recommend upgrading to Office LTSC 2024. Office LTSC 2024 is Microsoft's current supported on-premises version of Office for commercial customers and is supported until October 2029 under the Fixed Lifecycle Policy.

Resources:

• Read the upgrade guidance for an overview of how to move from Office LTSC 2021 to Microsoft 365 Apps.
• Consider engaging Microsoft FastTrack, a Microsoft support service, for moving to Microsoft 365.

Take action now to help maintain security, compliance, and access to supported Office apps.

Compliance considerations