Microsoft Warns Mac Office 2019 Users: Upgrade Or Lose File Access

Apple device owners using older versions of Microsoft Office, including Office 2019, Office 2021 and Microsoft 365, may have to contend with reduced functionality starting on July 13, 2026. This means that users will be unable to edit, save or create new files, but will still be able to open, view and print files. Microsoft, however, claims the problem will be fixed for most users with a software update.

The company says the first step is for users to make sure that their Mac, iPhone or iPad are all running the most recent version of their respective operating systems. However, it’s important to note that at the very minimum users will need to be running macOS12 (Monterey), iOS 17 or iPadOS 17. Devices not capable of running these operating systems or newer will be unable to get the necessary update.


The next step is to make sure that Microsoft Office is updated to the latest version. To do this for Office 2021 and Microsoft 365 on macOS, open one of the apps, click on “Help” in the menu bar, and choose “Check for Updates,” and when Microsoft AutoUpdate opens click on “Update” or “Update All.”

iOS and iPadOS users can update Microsoft 365 by opening the App Store, tapping on their profile picture at the top right of the screen, choosing “App Updates,” and tapping on “Update” next to each app or “Update All.”

Unfortunately for those running Office 2019 on Mac this version reached end of support status back in October of 2023, meaning no software update is on the way. Microsoft says users running this version can hop onto Microsoft 365 on the web or subscribe to Microsoft 365 to access to the most recent versions of the apps in the Microsoft Office suite.

While it’s unfortunate that Office 2019 users will be left with limited functionality, Microsoft wants to prevent these users from being hit by malware crafted to exploit any vulnerabilities in the software. If these users don’t want to move over to using the web version or paying a subscription then they should explore open source alternatives such as LibreOffice or try the productivity apps included in macOS such as Pages and Keynote.