Office 365 support dropped in Windows 10

Microsoft has dropped the support for Office 365 from Windows 10 after October 2025.

Since these 2 are different pieces of software, it doesn't make sense to not support the thing for which I have already paid yearly subscription to Microsoft .

Microsoft really wants everyone to upgrade to trash called Win 11 but most of us simply can't. I have 3 perfectly good computers which can't run Win 11. Upgrading to Win11 means trashing them & buying new computers. Who has the money in this economy ? If Microsoft is so eager, why doesn't it gives us free computers ?
Office 365 will officially lose support on Windows 10 come October | PCWorld

 

You can bypass the rigid requirements of Win11 but -----

MS has already warned that such installation may work now but may not work or get updates in future

 

I'm not sure I see the problem. Let me quickly add, I am not happy that W10 is reaching its EoL this coming October. FTR, I'm still using W10 on this, my primary computer.

What I understand from reading that article (and its source document) is they will no longer spend resources to develop and release Windows 10 updates that address newly discovered issues in Office 365 that are exclusive to W10. Other issues and updates that are not OS specific will still be released and I assume (hope!) W10 users will still be able to install them.

So, this is not a surprise to me.

However, if updates for Office 365 that are not exclusive to W10 are blocked, or if updates are pushed out that disable Office 365 features for W10 users, then that's an entirely different story, and would be totally unacceptable.

I sure am glad I bought the standalone, non-subscription version of Office 2016 for that still works, and will continue to work on this W10 system until this computer dies - then I will just move Office to my new computer.

 

You never know what MS would do. They have made it clear that they won't support Office 365 on Win 10. No updates & no security patches for Office 365 on Win 10. They may even disable certain features or may block running of Office 365 on Win10 altogether.

 

This is spreading FUD.

There is absolutely nothing to suggest they will disable features or block it from running. Your own article mentions nothing of the sort. In fact the author says,

Microsoft did the same thing with W7 and W8 and Office 365 when they hit EoL and MS did not disable features or block it from running then. In fact, I know several W7 holdouts still using Office 365. So again, there is no indication Microsoft would do it this time.

Yeah, even though I'm essentially retired, Outlook still runs my life. Sadly, Outlook is not included in the $149 base "Home" Office bundle. You have to go with the $249 Office Home & Business 2024 bundle to get Outlook too. This is what I am planning to do later this year. $250 is a chunk of change but if I spread that out over 9 years (like I have with this computer I built in 2016 and Office 2016), that's just $27.78 per year - a lot cheaper than subscribing to Office 365, which is $99.99/year for the single computer license.

 

For sure, purchasing the stand-alone version is not for everyone. Microsoft 365 comes with 1TB (it might be 2TB, I forget) of cloud storage for sharing documents with friends, family and co-workers. That would be an added expense with the stand-alone version. Folks need to compare then decide for themselves what is best for them.

 

Perhaps this is why MS dropped support of Office365 on Win10 - More $$$.

Microsoft just renamed Office to Microsoft 365 Copilot on Windows 11 for everyone

And they have increased the price of subscription automatically. You have to opt out before your renewal or you are wedded to the new costly Office 365 with CoPilot.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Windows11/comments/1i47mnc/check_your_office_365_subscription_30_increase/

And here's how to revert back to "classic" Office 365

Switching to Microsoft 365 Personal and Family Classic Plans - Microsoft Support

 

Dang. You guys are rich. I have been running MS Office 2004 with SP 2 on Win 10 for about 5 or 6 years now.

 

IDK but I feel you have an overly pessimistic and biased view against Microsoft that is a bit unfair. That is meant as an observation, not a personal criticism.

With EVERY business, it is always about making more money. Why should Microsoft be expected to be any different? It is not a charity or a non-profit organization. In this world, if a company is not growing, it is failing. Shareholders expect growth.

Dropping support for any "legacy" product by any company is just SOP. It is not just about "making" more money. It is about utilizing resources (manpower, time, facilities and money) "efficiently". And it is about getting "returns on investments".

Why don't HP, Brother, Epson, etc. expend resources developing W11 drivers for their legacy printing devices? Because it is throwing money down a money pit. It takes a lot of resources to maintain legacy support for $0.00 returns on those investments. And yes, of course they want us to buy new printers too.

For Microsoft to maintain development in support of these legacy, superseded products, they have to take resources away from their current products - again with $0.00 in return.

I think it might also be important for all to understand that Windows is but a tiny part of Microsoft. Windows makes up only 12% of Microsoft's revenue. Splitting the available revenue from that 12% into maintaining support and development of two operating systems, with one of those bringing in $0.00 returns from those investments, just does not make good business sense.

I get your frustration. I share it even. But retiring legacy products before they die is just a fact of life. We've all done it with TVs (B&W to color, CRT to LCD, 4:3 to widescreen, small screen to big screen), cordless phones, cell phones, monitors, computers, cassette players, game consoles, VCRs, CD players and countless more. Even cars.

I just don't understand why Microsoft is expected to be different.

People say Microsoft is indicative of "corporate greed". Well, here's something to think about too. To purchase new, the suggested retail price for Windows XP Home Edition in 2001 was $199. Windows XP Professional was $299.

Windows 11 Home today is $139. Windows 11 Pro is $199.00.

For reference, $299 in 2001 (when XP Pro came out) is ~$529.90 today. And note that $199 for W11 Pro today is the suggested retail price for a new, retail license. If you build your own computer, you can get a W11 Pro OEM System Builder license from Amazon for $160. Home for only $120.

That does not sound like corporate greed to me.

 

Point(s) taken Bill but if the existing hardware could have been usable, it would have made no or little difference. But with new requirements, some of which an average user is never going to use (TPM 2.0), it's a different ball game.

 

What do you mean? People have been complaining for years that, for example, their trusty old laser printer no longer worked with their new OS. And why? Because HP, Canon, Epson, Brother, etc. refused to develop new drivers for the old printing device for the new OS. HW drivers are the HW makers responsibility, not Microsoft's.

People had to retire their old AGP graphics cards because their new motherboard did not include an AGP slot. DDR2 was not supported on DDR3 motherboards. DDR3 is not supported on DDR4 motherboards. And now DDR4 is not supported on DDR5 motherboards.

Motherboards no longer have VGA or DVI ports. When was the last time you saw a PS/2 port on a motherboard? Those are those small round "DIN" connectors for the old mice and keyboards - before USB took over.

A few years ago I was forced to replace my DOCSIS 2.x cable modem because my ISP migrated to DOCSIS 3.x.

Most software is not even available on DVDs. We have no choice but to download it.

None of those issues had anything to do with Microsoft.

I do my own taxes using TurboTax. Every year, I have to buy a whole new license. Why? Surely the entire tax code is not being re-written every year. 2 + 2 still equals 4 year after year. And the UI has not changed in at least 10 years. Why not a simple upgrade? They don't even offer a discount for repeat customers. That's not Microsoft's doing.

Yes, Microsoft has insisted on some hardware based security measures. But frankly, I don't blame them. Why?

Microsoft is really tired of being blamed for the security mess we are in when it clearly was the actions of the bad guys who put us here, and the failure of Norton, McAfee, CA, TrendMicro and the other security providers who failed to stop those bad guys!

It is important to remember that Microsoft wanted to put AV code in XP but the reason they didn't was because Norton, McAfee, and the others whined and cried to Congress and the EU claiming Microsoft was trying to rule and monopolize the world. They were! But not the point.

The anti-malware industry claimed it was their job to thwart malware. So Congress and the EU threatened to breakup Microsoft Ma Bell style if they included anti-malware code in XP. So MS was forced to leave it out. And the bad guys pounced.

Norton, McAfee and the others failed miserably! Is it any wonder? They had (and still have) zero financial incentive to defeat the bad guys and rid the world of malware. If they succeed, they go out of business!

But who got blamed for their failure the next 15, 20 and more years - and even up to today? Microsoft - even though it was the badguys who perpetrated the offenses and the anti-malware industry who failed to stop, or even hinder their proliferation.

Notice how now Congress, the EU and Norton have kept their mouths shut about Microsoft integrating anti-malware in W10 and W11? It is because they know they were wrong. Had MS been allowed to include anti-virus code in XP, it could have at least slowed the unhindered advances of the bad guys - perhaps long enough for the anti-malware industry to get a grip on the situation, and more time to educate users to stop being "click-happy" on every unsolicited link they saw! I mean the best security in the world is useless if the user opens the door and invites the bad guy in!

Even most of the biased IT media and MS bashers have, for the most part, kept quiet about MS including anti-malware code in W10/W11.

And note Microsoft includes that very effective code in W10/W11 for free! Norton, McAfee and the others still charge an arm and a leg every years for, in reality, no better security, and more bloat.

So today, Microsoft would rather take complaints for forcing security on users than getting blamed for the actions of the bad guys, failures of the anti-malware industry, as well as the failure of our elected officials to enact laws with teeth and provide law enforcement the resources they need to bite down hard on those bad guys.

I am all for blaming Microsoft - when due - and they've done plenty deserving of blame and I've been right there with the blame. But I am not for blaming them for things they have no control over. In fact, that is when I will defend them - as I am here.

So again, I feel you are unfairly singling out MS, and blaming them for the actions (or inactions) of others, and for ensuring we remain safe and secure.

Oh, and for the record, Office 365/W10 users are not alone on this. It also applies to W10 users and non-subscription versions of Office 2021, Office 2019, and Office 2016. I use Office 2016 and ALL support for that will end at that time - even with W11.