MC1472429 - Support for Office LTSC 2021, and additional apps will end on October 13, 2026
Microsoft 365 Message Center announcement MC1472429.
MS Message Center's Summary
Support for Office LTSC 2021 and associated applications ends on October 13, 2026. After this date, devices will no longer receive security updates, bug fixes, or technical assistance, creating potential security and compliance risks. Administrators must plan and execute an upgrade path before the deadline, choosing either subscription based Microsoft 365 Apps or the newer Office LTSC 2024 release.
- Administrator impact
- Administrators must inventory affected devices and plan an upgrade to either Microsoft 365 Apps or Office LTSC 2024 before October 13, 2026.
- End user impact
- Users on unsupported versions will face security and compliance risks if their applications are not upgraded.
- Importance
- 8/10: Reaching end of support for a core productivity suite creates major security and compliance exposure for organizations if upgrades are not completed.
Microsoft Summary
Support for Office LTSC 2021 and related apps ends October 13, 2026, with no further updates or support. Users should upgrade to Microsoft 365 Apps or Office LTSC 2024 to maintain security, compliance, and performance before that date.
- Message Center ID
- MC1472429
- Category
- plan For Change
- Severity
- normal
- Services
- Microsoft 365 suite
- Tags
- User impact, Admin impact, Retirement
- Published
- 2026-09-15
- Last updated
- 2026-09-15
- Expires
- 2026-12-21
- Action required by
- 2026-10-13
[What and why:] As previously communicated , support for Office LTSC 2021 will end on October 13, 2026 . After that date, no further updates, security fixes, or technical support will be available for this version of Office. While the applications may continue to function, using unsupported software could lead to potential security risks, compliance risks, system incompatibilities, and other issues. Support for Visio LTSC 2021, Microsoft Project LTSC 2021 and several other products will also end on October 13, 2026. Organizations using these products should upgrade as soon as possible to maintain security, compliance, and performance. [Rollout schedule:] We will begin rolling out mid-October 2026 and expect to complete by mid-October 2026. [Impact on your organization:] After end of support, Office LTSC 2021 suites and standalones will no longer receive security updates or other fixes, and no technical assistance will be available for devices still running them. Continuing to use unsupported software can expose your organization to security and compliance risks and may impact service reliability and performance. [Action required / Recommendations:] To mitigate these risks while maintaining access to desktop Office apps, we recommend upgrading devices to a Microsoft 365 or Office 365 suite that includes Microsoft 365 Apps (for enterprise or for business). Microsoft 365 Apps provides always-up-to-date versions of familiar apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for desktop, mobile, and web with continuous support under the Modern Lifecycle Policy , and is eligible for use with the Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on. Enterprises should look to Microsoft 365 E3 , Office 365 E3 , or Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise . Organizations with fewer than 300 users should look to Microsoft 365 Business Premium , Microsoft 365 Business Standard , or Microsoft 365 Apps for business . For scenarios that require a fully disconnected solution, we recommend upgrading to Office LTSC 2024 . Office LTSC 2024 is Microsoft’s current supported on-premises version of Office for commercial customers and will be supported until October 2029 under the Fixed Lifecycle Policy . Take steps to prepare for this transition with the following resources: Read the upgrade guidance for an overview of how to move from Office LTSC 2021 to Microsoft 365 Apps. Consider engaging Microsoft FastTrack , a Microsoft support service, for moving to Microsoft 365. Take action before October 13, 2026, to help maintain security, compliance, and access to supported Office apps.