Office 2021 Support Ends October 13: What Kansas Businesses Need to Do Now

If your office bought Word, Excel and Outlook as a one-time purchase in the last few years, there is a good chance it is Office 2021. Microsoft ends support for Office 2021 on October 13, 2026, and it has said plainly that there will be no extension and no extended security updates.

What “end of support” actually means

Your programs won’t stop opening on October 14. Documents will still print and spreadsheets will still add up. What stops is everything behind the scenes:

• No more security fixes. When a new flaw is found in Word, Excel or Outlook, it stays open on your computers.
• No more bug fixes or updates.
• No more help from Microsoft support.

That matters because Office files are one of the most common ways attackers get in. A booby-trapped invoice, résumé or “shared document” only needs one unpatched hole to do damage, and email attachments land on these exact programs every day.

Who is affected

• Office Home & Student 2021 and Office Home & Business 2021
• Office Professional 2021 and volume-licensed Office LTSC 2021
• Project and Visio 2021 versions

Not affected: Microsoft 365 subscriptions (Business Standard, Business Premium and similar). Those keep updating as long as the subscription is active. If you are still on Office 2019 or 2016, those already lost support in October 2025, so they are even further behind.

How to check what you have

Open Word or Excel, click File, then Account. Under “Product Information” you will see either “Microsoft 365” or a version name like “Office Home & Business 2021.” Check every computer, including the front desk, the shop and that one accounting PC nobody touches.

Your options

1. Move to Microsoft 365. For most small businesses this is the simplest choice: always-current Office apps, business email, OneDrive and Teams, billed monthly or yearly.
2. Buy a newer one-time version. Office 2024 (or Office LTSC 2024 for volume licensing) works if you truly don’t want a subscription. Just know it will have its own end date someday.
3. Retire it. If a computer only needs to open the occasional document, a free viewer or web-based Office may be enough.

Whatever you choose, prioritize the computers that handle email attachments, banking, payroll and customer records first.

We can make the switch painless

We inventory your computers, recommend the right licensing, install it, and move over your email and files without losing a thing. Already a managed client? We are already checking your machines. Everyone else: Call us at 620-960-8711 or request a free network assessment. Need new machines anyway? Our business PCs come with a 3-year warranty.

Sources: Microsoft: End of support for Office 2021