// MICROSOFT OFFICE
Office 2021 support ends on 13 October 2026. Will Word, Excel and Outlook still work?
Yes — your Office 2021 apps keep opening after the date. What stops is Microsoft fixing them: no more security updates, bug fixes or help. Here is how to check which Office you have, what actually changes, and the sensible ways forward, with real UK prices. Rated 4.9 on Google.
- ● Your apps keep working
- ● Real UK prices
- ● Help if you want it
// THE SHORT ANSWER
What happens on 13 October 2026
Microsoft’s support for Office 2021 ends on 13 October 2026, and Microsoft says plainly that there is no extension and no extended security updates — you cannot pay for more. After that date there are no more Office 2021 updates, no security fixes and no technical support from Microsoft.
What does not happen: your apps do not stop. Microsoft’s own words are that “all of your Office 2021 apps may continue to function”. Word still opens your letters, Excel your spreadsheets, Outlook your email. The risk is slower and quieter — any security hole found from now on stays open, and Outlook is the app that meets the most attachments and links. That is our reason to plan a change in the coming months rather than panic this week.
Last checked: 10 October 2026. Source: Microsoft: End of support for Office 2021.
// CHECK YOURS
Which Office do you have? A 30-second check
Open Word, click File, then Account. Under Product Information it names your version. (On a Mac: open Word, then the Word menu, then About Word.)
- “Office Home & Student 2021”, “Home & Business 2021” or “Professional 2021” — this page is about you.
- “Microsoft 365” — nothing to do. A Microsoft 365 subscription keeps updating for as long as it is paid.
- “Office 2019” or “Office 2016” — support for those already ended on 14 October 2025, so the options below apply to you too, a little more urgently.
- “Office 2024” — supported until October 2029.
Office 2021 was the version on sale from late 2021 until Office 2024 replaced it, and it is easy to confuse with Microsoft 365 because the apps look almost the same. The difference is that Office 2021 was a one-off purchase; Microsoft 365 is a subscription.
// WHAT STAYS THE SAME
Your documents and your email are not affected
Your files are yours. Word documents and Excel spreadsheets are ordinary files on your computer or in OneDrive. They do not expire, and every newer version of Office — and the free alternatives below — opens them.
Your email lives with your email provider (Gmail, Outlook.com, BT, Sky and so on), or in Outlook’s data file on the computer. Office 2021’s Outlook carries on sending and receiving after 13 October. When you do switch to a newer Outlook on the same computer, it normally picks up your existing email set-up — but back up first, as below.
// YOUR OPTIONS
The ways forward, with UK prices
Prices from Microsoft’s UK store, checked 10 October 2026.
| Option | Cost | Outlook? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 Personal | £84.99 a year or £8.49 a month, 1 person, up to 5 devices | Yes | Always up to date, with OneDrive storage |
| Microsoft 365 Family | £104.99 a year or £10.49 a month, up to 6 people | Yes | Households; new subscriptions share 2TB of storage |
| Office Home 2024 | £119.99 once, one PC or Mac | No | Word and Excel without a subscription, supported to 2029 |
| Office Home & Business 2024 | £249.99 once, one PC or Mac | Yes | Outlook without a subscription, supported to 2029 |
| Free options | £0 | Web only | Occasional letters: Microsoft 365 for the web, or LibreOffice |
| Our Home + Microsoft 365 plan | £23.10 a month per computer, licence included | Yes | Set up and looked after, with a full service every six weeks |
The catch most people miss: Office Home 2024 — the cheapest one-off purchase — does not include Outlook. If you read your email in Outlook today, choose Microsoft 365 or Office Home & Business 2024, or move your email reading to your provider’s website or the Mail app. Microsoft’s free web versions of Word and Excel work in a browser with a free Microsoft account; LibreOffice is a free, separate office suite that opens Word and Excel files.
Our view: if you use Office every week, Microsoft 365 is the simplest — it never goes out of support while it is paid. If you dislike subscriptions and only need Word and Excel, Office Home 2024 covers you until 2029. If you write two letters a year, the free options are fine. And if you would rather not think about it at all, our Home + Microsoft 365 plan includes the licence and someone to call.
Prices: Microsoft UK. Office 2024 support dates: Microsoft Lifecycle.
// SWITCHING SAFELY
How to change without losing email, files or settings
- Back up your documents — copy your Documents and Desktop folders to an external drive, or make sure OneDrive has them.
- Check where your email lives. If you use Gmail, Outlook.com, BT, Sky or similar with IMAP, your mail is on their servers and safe. If Outlook downloads it (an older POP set-up), export a copy first: in Outlook, File, Open & Export, Import/Export, then Export to a file.
- Write down your email passwords or make sure you can reset them — a new Outlook occasionally asks you to sign in again.
- Install the new version from your Microsoft account. The installer usually offers to remove Office 2021 for you; if it does not, remove it from Settings, then Apps, once the new one works.
- Check it properly: send yourself an email, open a few documents, and make sure your calendar and contacts are there.
If any of that sounds like a job for someone else, it is exactly the kind of thing we do remotely while you watch — nothing wiped, and your Outlook set-up kept as it was.
FAMILY-RUN SINCE 1995 · ★ 4.9 ON GOOGLE · 200+ COMPUTERS UNDER OUR CARE · NO FIX, NO FEE · SAME-DAY REMOTE SUPPORT
// GOOD QUESTIONS
Frequently asked
Will Office 2021 stop working on 13 October 2026?
No. The apps keep opening and working. What stops is Microsoft’s support: no more updates, security fixes or technical help, with no extension available.
Will my Word and Excel files still open?
Yes. Your documents are ordinary files and do not expire. They open in Office 2021, in any newer Office, and in free alternatives such as Microsoft 365 for the web and LibreOffice.
Is Office 2021 the same as Microsoft 365?
No. Office 2021 was a one-off purchase that is now reaching the end of its support. Microsoft 365 is a subscription that keeps updating for as long as you pay for it. In Word, File then Account tells you which one you have.
Can I pay Microsoft for extra security updates for Office 2021?
No. Microsoft says there is no extension and no extended security updates for Office 2021. That was different for Windows 10, which is why people sometimes expect it.
Does Office Home 2024 include Outlook?
No. Office Home 2024 (£119.99) has Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. Outlook comes with Office Home & Business 2024 (£249.99) and with every Microsoft 365 subscription. Prices checked 10 October 2026.
Want the change done for you?
We can set up Microsoft 365 or Office 2024 remotely while you watch, keep your Outlook email and files exactly as they were, and check everything works — one-off remote help from £20, agreed before we start. Call 01202 775566.
01202 775566 · help@365techies.co.uk · MON–FRI 9AM–5PM