Office 2019 end of life and end of support
Support for Office 2019 ended on 14 October 2025, the same day as Office 2016. It no longer receives security fixes, and there is no paid extension.
Status on 3 October 2026
- Office and Access 2019
- Support ended
- Security fixes
- Ended 14 October 2025
- Released
- 24 September 2018
- Mainstream support ended
- 10 October 20231,089 days ago
- Security fixes ended
- 14 October 2025354 days ago
Dates come from the Microsoft product lifecycle; check there before relying on them for a decision.
What ends, and what carries on
Office 2019 was sold as a one-off purchase, and many businesses bought it expecting the ten years of support that earlier versions had. It got about seven. It was released on 24 September 2018, mainstream support ended on 10 October 2023, and all support ended on 14 October 2025.
Nothing stops working. What has ended is security fixes for every program in the suite, Access 2019 and Excel 2019 included.
What it means for the applications built in Office
Moving from Office 2019 to a current version is a smaller step than from older versions. The file formats are the same, so workbooks, documents and Access databases open without conversion. What needs testing is the code inside the files and the things around them.
- Macro-driven workbooks. VBA that works in Excel 2019 will generally work in the current version. Macros that drive other programs, write files to fixed folders or send email are where differences show.
- Access databases. Check add-ins, links to other files and any PC that uses the free Access Runtime in place of full Access, because those PCs need moving too.
- 32-bit installations. Office 2019 was sometimes installed as 32-bit to suit an older add-in. If so, a 64-bit installation of the new version needs the VBA declarations and add-ins checked.
- A mixed office. During the changeover some PCs are on the new version and some on 2019. A formula written with a newer worksheet function on an upgraded PC shows an error when the same workbook is opened in Excel 2019. Move the people who share a file together.
Your options
Buy Office 2024. The like-for-like choice: another one-off purchase, supported until 9 October 2029. The same decision comes round again at that date. If you need Access, check that the edition includes it.
Move to Microsoft 365. A subscription with no fixed end date, updated continuously. The programs change a little over time, so retest the files that matter now and then.
Replace the files that have become systems. If the real concern is an Access database the business cannot run without, a newer Office keeps it supported and leaves every other weakness in place. Our Access database to web application package is the alternative.
What we would check first
Before switching, we would test each macro-driven file on the new version:
- Copy the file, and any files it reads from or writes to, onto a PC with the new version installed.
- Run every button and macro, including the ones used once a month or once a year.
- Compare the output with the output from Office 2019: the figures, the printed layout, any PDF or email it produces.
- Have the person who uses it every day try it, because they will notice what a checklist misses.
Our Excel VBA and Microsoft Access pages describe the work we take on.
Not sure where Office 2019 is still running?
Most organisations find more copies than they expected. Two ways to find out, depending on how much you want to know.
Check which version you have
These dates apply to the versions bought once and installed, including volume-licensed copies. Access supplied through a Microsoft 365 subscription is updated continuously and has no fixed end date while the subscription runs.
How to check every productIn Access, open File, then Account, then About Access. Office 2016, 2019, 2021 and 2024 all report version 16.0, so go by the product name shown on that screen.
When it is not yours to upgrade
Access databases often depend on things outside the database file: an add-in, an ActiveX control such as a calendar or tree view, a link to another program through its 32-bit driver, or a macro that drives Excel or Outlook.
These are what break when Office is upgraded or moves from 32-bit to 64-bit. Open the database on a test machine with the new version of Office before the old one is removed from anyone who relies on it.
Making the case for the work
An upgrade nobody outside IT can see is easy to defer. These are the reasons that tend to move it up the list.
- Cyber Essentials
- The scheme requires software in scope to be supported by its vendor. Anything past its end-of-support date has to be removed, or cut off from the internet, before you can certify or renew.
- Cyber insurance
- Proposal forms commonly ask whether you run unsupported software. Check what yours asked, and what you answered.
- Customer questionnaires
- Larger customers ask the same question of their suppliers. An honest "yes, and here is the plan" is a better answer than a late discovery.
- Personal data
- UK data protection law expects appropriate technical measures to protect personal data. Software that can no longer be patched is hard to square with that.
- The cost of waiting
- An upgrade done to a deadline, after something has failed, costs more than the same upgrade planned. Where Microsoft sells a paid security extension, its price has risen each year it runs.
- Official guidance
- The National Cyber Security Centre is blunt: "The only fully effective way to mitigate this risk is to stop using the obsolete product." See its guidance on obsolete products.
What we do and do not sell: we do not sell Microsoft licences or Extended Security Updates, so we have no stake in which version you choose. Our part is the application: finding what depends on the old version, testing it against the new one and fixing what breaks.
Supported versions to move to
How long each would keep you in support. All Microsoft Access and Office versions
| Version | Released | Security fixes end | Status today |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office and Access 2024 | 1 October 2024 | 9 October 2029 | Supported |
Questions we are asked
When does Office 2019 reach end of life?
Support for Office 2019 ended on 14 October 2025, the same day as Office 2016. Mainstream support had ended on 10 October 2023.
Will Office 2019 stop working after October 2025?
No. Word, Excel, Access and Outlook 2019 carry on opening and running. What stopped is security fixes, so problems found after that date are not corrected.
Is there extended support for Office 2019?
No. Its extended support phase ended on 14 October 2025, and Microsoft does not sell Extended Security Updates for Office.
Why was Office 2019 supported for a shorter time than Office 2016?
Office 2019 was given a shorter support life than earlier versions: about seven years from its release on 24 September 2018, where Office 2016 had about ten. That is why the two versions ended on the same day.
Can we upgrade Office 2019 to Office 2024 for free?
No. Office 2019 was a one-off purchase and does not include later versions. Getting back into support means buying Office 2024 or taking a Microsoft 365 subscription.
Still running Office 2019?
Tell us which version, what depends on it and how it is hosted. We will set out the upgrade route and what it is likely to involve.