Microsoft recently announced that the speech transcription, dictation and reading functions in the old version of Office 365 applications will stop working at the end of January 2026.The reading function allows users to hear documents and emails read aloud; the transcription function can convert speech into text in real time; and the dictation function enables voice input in Office applications.
Microsoft recommends that users update Microsoft 365 Office applications to version 16.0.18827.20202 (which was released in early July 2023) or later by the end of January 2026 to continue using these accessibility features.
Microsoft also specifically stated that government cloud customers using GCC (Government Community Cloud), GCC High, and DoD environments have an additional two months, with a deadline of March 2026.
Microsoft said in the message center announcement: "To ensure that the reading, transcription, and dictation functions in Microsoft 365 Office applications continue to operate at high quality, we will upgrade the backend services that support these functions."
In addition, Microsoft also announced in May that it plans to end support for Office applications on Windows 10 later in 2023, but will continue to provide security updates for three years until 2028.
In April, Microsoft reminded users that Office 2016 and Office 2019 will end extended support on October 14, 2025.
