Microsoft is once again facing the heat and wrath of customers, this time from Office 2019 and 2021 users. Around three weeks ago, the tech giant started informing affected users via email about the end of full feature support on Apple devices. In the email, the company stated that a “security certificate update” was required from July 13, 2026 to keep them fully functional and secure.
While there is nothing inherently wrong with informing your customers, what set off many is the fact that Microsoft seems to have never said earlier that this was ever going to be the case. This is public information that the company’s own website testifies to.
Here is what the support article published on April 12th, 2023 originally said: “End of support for Office 2019 for Mac: Support for Office 2019 for Mac will end on October 10, 2023. Rest assured that all your Office 2019 apps will continue to function—they won’t disappear from your Mac, nor will you lose any data…” It later reiterated again: “Although you’ll still be able to use Office 2019 for Mac, you will no longer receive security updates and bug fixes after October 10, 2023…”
In the newly published article on May 15 2026, the wording has been slightly altered to remove the portion which mentions that it will “continue to function”, instead it states: “Support for Office 2019 for Mac ended on October 10, 2023. Rest assured that all your Office 2019 apps won’t lose any data. Your data can be accessed on any supported Microsoft 365 or Office product.” Hence, this subtle wording modification is what explains the whole plot. It seems the company had initially intended that the apps will work fully well without updating as part of its “perpetual” software license agreement, but since has had a change of heart.
In a separate support piece, Microsoft has revealed more details about this “reduced functionality mode” which confirms that users can still open or print Office files but then can no longer edit, save, or create any new ones and clarifies that it “affects both Microsoft 365 subscribers on macOS, iPhone, and iPad, and those with non-subscription software, including Office 2021 or Office 2019 on macOS,” with the only way to resolve being updating the OS and updating your apps.
To be able to update though you have to verify that your Apple device has the minimum OS and apps versions installed:
|
Device |
Minimum OS required |
Minimum app version |
|---|---|---|
|
Mac |
macOS 12 (Monterey) or later |
16.83 |
|
iPhone / iPad |
iOS 17.0 or later |
2.93 |
It’s also worth noting that Office 2019 is seemingly hard-capped below version 16.83, so its certificate cannot be updated at all on macOS. Windows and Android versions of Office, meanwhile, appear to be unaffected.
Hence effectively on Office 2019, the problem “cannot be resolved.” Redmond giant explains: “Office 2019 for Mac reached end of support on October 10, 2023, and no longer receives updates. Because Office 2019 cannot be updated to the required version, this issue cannot be resolved by updating or reinstalling Office 2019 for Mac.”
Additionally the company has shared more details regarding its digital certificate update that comes into effect July 13, 2026, in a support document. It says: “A licensing update for Microsoft 365 apps on macOS and iOS takes effect on July 13, 2026. Devices that aren’t updated to a supported app version enter reduced functionality mode, where users can open and view files but can’t edit, save, or access full features. Administrators should ensure that all managed macOS and iOS devices run the versions needed to keep Microsoft 365 apps fully functional after July 13, 2026.”
Admins and users can find the full steps for updating in this support article here on Microsoft’s official website.
