Wasn’t that a perpetual license?” What happens when Office 2019 is “end of support”? What do we do?

The end of support for Office 2016/2019, which is in some ways more concerning than Windows 10…

Support for Office 2016/2019 ended on October 14, and some people may have been distracted by the end of support for Windows 10 and missed the information.

I am one of them. When I replaced my PC from Windows 10 to Windows 11 last month, I purchased Office Home & Business 2024 (“Office 2024”), which includes Outlook, as a buy-one-get-one-free option (*1), the same as the Office 2016 I had been using so far, without giving it much thought. option. Shortly thereafter, I learned of the end of support for Office 2016/2019.

At first, I thought I was right to buy the option at a discounted price, but then I learned that Office 2024 will no longer be supported in four years, in October ’29, and that Microsoft will be discontinuing support for the subscription-based (*2) Microsoft 365 Personal (“Microsoft 365”). I am beginning to wonder if I made the right choice when I learned that Microsoft is recommending that I replace my computer with a subscription-based (*2) Microsoft 365 Personal (hereafter referred to as “Microsoft 365”) computer.

Since I was planning to use the same Office for a long time until I bought a new PC next time, it seemed that the subscription type would be more economical if I could use it only for four years.

With the regret of making a quick decision without doing my research, I asked myself, “What does the end of support mean in the first place?”　What happens if I keep using Office 2016/2019?” What happens if I continue to use Office 2016/2019?

So we decided to ask IT journalist Hiroshi Mikami to explain it in a way that even a layman can understand.

End-of-support is like a hole in the wall of your house that you don’t repair at all.

First of all, what does the “end of support” for Office mean? Mr. Mikami explains.

Software for smartphones and PCs, including Office, is not complete when it is commercialized, and it is necessary to update it with new functions and security measures. Software has vulnerabilities. Every day, weaknesses are found that can be attacked or infiltrated from the outside, and if we don’t update it, it can be attacked.

I often compare it to a house. If you build a house, you have to make regular repairs, right? This repair is what we call software updates and support.

Therefore, “no longer supported” means that even if there is a hole in the wall, it cannot be fixed and no repairs will be made. Since updates will no longer be used to correct weak points, it is best to refrain from using the product in that state.

What happens if you continue to use the product after the support ends?

What happens if you continue to use it after support ends? From an attacker’s point of view, it is easy to attack at any time. Think of it as a dangerous situation that could lead to an outside intrusion or virus infection.

However, since many people use Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for Office by delivering them to their clients or business partners, it could cause trouble for them. Using out-of-support versions of Office is a big risk.

Is Office a “perpetual edition” and not a “permanent edition”?

Then, what does Microsoft mean when they refer to their buy-one-get-one-free Office products as “perpetual editions”? Some people, like the author, may misunderstand the term “perpetual edition” to mean that they can continue to use the software forever, but Microsoft’s explanation is that “software is structured from the beginning to require regular updates. There is no such thing as a perpetual version,” Mikami said.

We asked Mikami what he meant by “perpetual version” in a web chat session that appears on the Microsoft website. The following is the exchange.

The author: “What do you mean by ‘perpetual edition’ of Office Home & Business 2024?

Microsoft: “The ‘perpetual edition’ of Office Home & Business 2024 refers to a license format that allows you to use that version of the applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote) permanently once you have purchased it. . This means that unlike subscription-based Microsoft 365, no recurring payments are required and you can continue to use that version after purchase without paying any additional fees. It does not, however, include upgrades for new features.”

Author “What happens to the perpetual version after support ends in October ’29?”

Microsoft: “Users with a perpetual license can continue to use that version of the Office applications. However, please note the following points.

The following three points (summarized here) are as follows

• 1_Security updates will no longer be provided, which may make your system less secure.
• 2_There will be no new features or compatibility updates.
• 3_Some services, such as cloud-based services, will be restricted.

After noting that,

After noting that “in the long run, we recommend that you consider migrating to a newer version or Microsoft 365 to ensure the latest security features and support.

He concluded his response with the following statement.

In short, the perpetual version allows you to continue using the “same version” without paying additional fees (in that sense, it is a perpetual version), but the security is not updated after the support ends, so it is more dangerous. This is why it is not recommended to use it.

It is questionable to call a product a “perpetual version” when it will no longer be able to be updated five years after its release, but since it is a perpetual version and not a permanent version, one can only assume that there will be an end to it.

Even if this is the case, the support period should be a little longer, as Mikami explains.

Before, it was possible to extend the support period in the form of “extended support. That’s why Office 2016 was 10 years long in total. Office 2019 has been shortened to a total of seven years, and Office 2021, which eliminates extended support, is scheduled to be released in 2021. 2021 From then on, support was five years from the release date. I can imagine that they are trying to make the sub-subscribed Microsoft 365 the main focus.

In the past, Microsoft’s software business was both Windows and Office, but after Windows 10, which made Windows version upgrades free, the main battlefield for the personal business shifted to Office. The strategy is probably to make as much profit as possible here. I think they are shortening the support period and raising the price of the buy-out type in an attempt to induce more users to the subscription type.”

Now is the time when you can get by with something other than Office.

The regular price of Office 2024 is 43,980 yen, and Microsoft 365 is 2,130 yen per month (21,300 yen for the annual plan), which is really expensive. The five-year support period is also annoying. Are there no other options?

Mr. Mikami makes the following suggestion.

I think there is a way to use the free version of the Microsoft 365 application for the Web.

Anyone with a Microsoft account (which can be created for free) can use the basic functions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint in a browser. However, the files are stored in OneDrive, so you will need to download and use them from there.

However, it does not support advanced functions, so problems such as macro functions not being available or complicated layouts being broken are likely to occur. There is also the possibility that the file will be sent to you and you will not be able to see it.

Despite the limited functionality and the hassle of OneDrive as a storage location, it may be suitable for those who want to use Word and Excel without spending a lot of money.”

Another option is to use free applications provided by Google.

Google has free applications called <Google Docs> for document creation and <Spreadsheet> for spreadsheets, which are not compatible with Office, so if you use these applications with each other or can unify them, I recommend them. It is very useful for collaboration, for example, when doing reimbursements for each other’s expenses.

However, the design and display is different from Office, so if you send a file with a complicated design to someone who uses Office, it will look completely different.

If you don’t want it to look different, you may want to use the free version of the Microsoft 365 application.

Until now, Word and Excel have been indispensable, and in a sense many people have been dominated by Office. However, Mikami says that now is “the time when you can get by with something other than Office.

The author will be forced to make a new switch when Office 2024 support ends in four years. In order not to panic at that time, I keenly felt the need to familiarize myself with applications other than Office and the free web version.

1: With a buy-one-get-one-free type, once you purchase the software, you can continue to use that version without any additional fees. Security updates are also provided during the support period. There is Office Home 2024 (34,480 yen), which includes general Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneN ote, and Office Home & Business 2024 (43,980 yen), which includes Outlook, as well as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook can also be purchased separately.

Microsoft 365 Personal (¥2,130/month) includes additional features not included in Office 2024, such as OneDrive (1TB per user). Office 2024.

Yo Mikami is an IT journalist and writer. Born in 1965 in Setagaya-ku, Tokyo. Graduated from Tokyo Metropolitan Toyama High School and Toyo University, Faculty of Sociology. After working for a TV program production company, began working as a freelance writer and IT journalist in 1995. Part-time lecturer at the Faculty of Informatics, Bunkyo University. Specializes in security, Internet incidents, smartphones, Ustream and other Internet videos, and cell phone charges and credit card points. Part-time lecturer at the Faculty of Informatics, Bunkyo University. Produces and distributes a live media information program “UstToday” every Monday at 9pm.