According to Microsoft's product life cycle planning, Microsoft Office 2021 and Microsoft Office 2021 LTSC long-term service version will end their 5-year product support cycle on October 13, 2026, at which time these software will no longer receive any feature or security updates.
Some users may wonder why the LTSC long-term service version will also end support. This is because Microsoft has previously adjusted its LTSC strategy. Even the long-term support version only has a 5-year product support cycle. The previous LTSB/LTSC support cycle was up to 10 years.
Microsoft has never liked users to use buyout products. Microsoft always recommends users to migrate to the Microsoft 365 cloud subscription version. The advantage of the subscription version is that it has no expiration time and can always provide new features and updates. The disadvantage is that the price is higher.
The following is product support information:
Affected products: Microsoft Office 2021 and Office 2021 LTSC (both buyout versions)
Support period: October 5, 2021 ~ October 13, 2026
Potential impact: Microsoft will no longer provide any security fixes, vulnerability patches, and technical support after the end of support
It should be noted that after the end of support, the Office 2021 series suites and their independent applications will stop maintenance. For example, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel will not be able to obtain security updates. For users, using products that have discontinued maintenance may involve the risk of information leakage. It is recommended that users always use products that can continue to obtain security updates.
Upgrade recommendations from Microsoft:
After the end of support, users can still continue to use Office 2021, but it is not safe enough, so Microsoft recommends that users upgrade to Microsoft 365. Of course, if users are really unwilling to upgrade, they can continue to choose the Office 2024 buyout version.
Personal and home users: Optional upgrade to Office 2024 buyout version, or adopt Microsoft 365 personal/family subscription version
Enterprise and Team users: Optional upgrade to Office 2024 LTSC Buyout Edition, or upgrade to Microsoft 365 Business Edition
The support period for Microsoft Office 2024 and Office 2024 LTSC versions is from September 18, 2024 to October 9, 2029. These versions can currently be used for another three years.