Office 2016, Office 2019, and Office 365 ProPlus - IT Pro Discussions This IT Professional forum is for general questions, feedback, or anything else related to the RTM release versions of Office 2016, 2019 and Office 365 ProPlus. Office 2016 Home and Business is available in both 32 and 64 bit versions. If you are purchasing digital download you can select either option at the time of download. If you're purchasing physical disc, the disc will include both versions which you can select at time of installation. Michael Spice Computer and Network Support, Service and Repair, with over 35 years of experience in the IT field.

I’ve been using Outlook 2013 since it came out and I’m still quite happy with it.

I know that since then Outlook 2016 has come out and Outlook 2019 is the latest version that is available. Then there is also Microsoft 365 which apparently is always the latest version of Office.

With so many newer versions of Outlook, is Microsoft still committed to support my Outlook 2013 version or is it time for me to move on?

Even though newer versions of Outlook and Office came out, Microsoft continues to support the older versions as well for quite some additional years.

The support end dates are divided between “Mainstream” and “Extended”, for which you’ll find an explanation below the Support End Dates table.

Microsoft 365 has a separate lifecycle which is explained at the end of this guide but in short; This version is always supported.

Office 2019 End Of Life

Support End Dates

Mainstream vs Extended support

The main differences between Mainstream and Extended support are as follows;

• During Mainstream support, updates can include bug fixes, feature changes and security fixes.
• During Extended support, updates mainly focus on security updates. Non-security updates may still be included in special circumstances or when specifically requested (see next point).
• During Extended support, to request non-security updates, you’ll need to purchase Extended Hotfix Support.

As an end-user, you’ll hardly realize the difference between the two as updates will still be provided until the Extended Support date has been reached.

However, once a product has reached its Mainstream Support date, it is generally recommended to start planning to upgrade to a newer version.

Microsoft 365

Office 2019 End Of Support

When you use Microsoft 365, you don’t have to worry about any support dates. Microsoft continues to support and update Microsoft 365 and it will always include the latest version of Office.

You only really need to be aware of 2 things;

• You need to have an active Microsoft 365 subscription.
• You need to stay up-to-date within your so-called “Release Channel”.

With the “Release Channel”, you can control when and how often you’ll receive new features and updates. For more info see; Why am I not getting the latest updates for Microsoft 365 Apps, Outlook 2019 or Outlook 2016?

By default, Microsoft 365 is configured to update itself automatically, but you can also manually check for updates.

Originally published: July 18, 2016
Updated: August 17, 2020

Please go here to search for your product's lifecycle.

What is the Microsoft Lifecycle Policy for Microsoft 365 and Office products?

The Office 365 and Microsoft 365 suite of services, along with Microsoft 365 Apps, is governed by the Modern Lifecycle Policy.

On April 21, 2020, we adopted 'Microsoft 365 Apps' for our two Office client subscription products:

• Office 365 ProPlus will become Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise
• Office 365 Business will become Microsoft 365 Apps for business

Also, on that date, we changed the names of our Office 365 small and medium business offerings and many of our consumer offerings:

• Office 365 Business Essentials will become Microsoft 365 Business Basic
• Office 365 Business Premium will become Microsoft 365 Business Standard
• Microsoft 365 Business will become Microsoft 365 Business Premium
• Office 365 Home will become Microsoft 365 Family
• Office 365 Personal will become Microsoft 365 Personal
• Office 365 Solo will become Microsoft 365 Personal
• Office 365 Services will become Microsoft 365 Personal
• Office 365 University will become Microsoft 365 Personal
• Office 365 Home (for military) will become Microsoft 365 Family

There are no naming changes for Office 365 Enterprise, Government, and Education editions and Microsoft 365 Enterprise, Government, and Education editions.

Other Office on-premises products are governed by the Fixed Lifecycle Policy. Search for a specific Office product to see its corresponding Lifecycle Policy and end-of-support dates.

For Office 2019, Microsoft will provide 5 years of mainstream support with 2 years of extended support as an exception to the 10-year Fixed-Lifecycle Policy term. This 7-year term will align with the support period for Office 2016.

Will Office 365 and Microsoft 365 run in any browser?

Yes. Please find the latest system requirements for Microsoft 365 and Office 365 here.

Please note, beginning August 17, 2021, Microsoft 365 apps and services will no longer support Internet Explorer (IE) 11. Additionally, Microsoft Teams will no longersupport IE 11 beginning November 30, 2020. Go here to learn more.

What is the Microsoft Lifecycle Policy for Office for Mac?

Microsoft Office for Mac products (all editions) are governed by the Fixed Policy and offer 5 years of Mainstream Support.

Where can I find additional resources for Office end of support and migration information?

Change Log

^{July 2020 edits
ADDED: Additional resources links
August 2020 edits
ADDED: Added IE11 support info}