Microsoft gives Office 2016 some slack and allows users to connect to services until 2023

Microsoft has announced that it will extend support for Office 2016 users to access online services such as Exchange Online and SharePoint Online until October 2023. This is a change from the previous policy, which would have cut off access for Office 2016 users in Oct. 2020.

The decision comes in response to feedback from customers who are still using Office 2016 and are not ready to migrate to Office 365 or Office 2019. Microsoft said it wants to give them more time and flexibility to make the transition, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on businesses.

Office 2016 is the latest version of Office that was sold as a one-time purchase, rather than as a subscription-based service. Users who purchased Office 2016 can install it on a device and use it as long as they want, without paying additional fees. However, they cannot access some of the online features and updates that are available to Office 365 subscribers, such as cloud storage, real-time collaboration and artificial intelligence tools.

Initially, Microsoft planned to limit access to online services for Office 2016 users to three years after the release of Office 2019, which launched in September 2018. This meant that Office 2016 users would have to upgrade to Office 2019 or Office 365 in October 2020. if they wanted to continue using online services such as email, calendaring and document sharing.

However, Microsoft has revised its policy and extended support for Office 2016 users until October 2023. This means that Office 2016 users can continue to use the online services for another three years, without having to upgrade their software. Microsoft said this is a one-time exception and does not change the support policy for future versions of Office.

Microsoft also clarified that this extension does not apply to Office 2010, whose support ended on October 13, 2020. Users still using Office 2010 will not be able to access online services and will face security risks and compatibility issues. Microsoft recommends that they upgrade to Office 365 or Office 2019 as soon as possible.

Microsoft’s announcement is good news for Office 2016 users who aren’t ready or don’t want to switch to a subscription-based model. However, it also shows that Microsoft is trying to encourage more customers to adopt Office 365, which offers more features, updates and security than standalone versions of Office. Microsoft has said it will continue to release new versions of Office every three years, but it is clear that its focus is on developing and improving its cloud-based services.

Microsoft has announced that it will extend online service support for Office 2016 until 2023. This means that users of the standalone version of Office 2016 will be able to access cloud-based features such as Exchange Online, OneDrive and Skype for Business for an additional three years. years than previously planned.

This is a welcome change for customers who prefer to buy Office as a one-time purchase rather than an Office 365 subscription. In 2017, Microsoft had stated that Office 2016 apps would lose the ability to connect to Office 365 services after Oct. 13. 2020. This was part of a major overhaul of Office support policies aimed at encouraging more users to switch to Office 365 subscriptions.

The original cutoff date for Office 2016 was based on the end of its core support, which is the first five years of the standard ten-year support lifecycle. Microsoft had also stated that all future perpetual license versions of Office would have the same restriction: for example, if Office 2019 were released in early October this year, you would also be prohibited from connecting to services after your core support ends in October 2023.

Microsoft changes its mind about Office 2016 and Office 365

Last year, Microsoft announced that it would stop supporting Office 2016 connections to Office 365 services by October 2020. This meant that users who wanted to continue using the cloud-based features of Office 365 would have to upgrade to Office 2019 or a subscription. Office-based version.

However, Microsoft has recently reversed its decision, at least for Office 2016. In a blog post published last week, Jared Spataro, corporate vice president of Microsoft 365, said, «To give you more time to make the full transition to the cloud, We are now modifying that policy and will continue to support Office 2016 connections to Office 365 services through October 2023.»

Microsoft did not explain why it changed its mind, but it may have listened to feedback from customers who were unhappy with the original policy. Some customers may have preferred to stick with Office 2016 for a variety of reasons, such as compatibility, cost, or familiarity.

Spataro also did not deny the reasoning behind the initial policy, which was that older versions of Office would not be able to take advantage of all the benefits and features of Office 365. He said, «We strongly recommend that you upgrade to the latest version Of Office to get the best experience and access to the latest and most secure features.»

The new policy only applies to Office 2016. Users of Office 2013 and earlier versions will still lose their access to Office 365 services in October 2020. Microsoft also did not change the Office 2016 support lifecycle, which will end in October 2025.

Microsoft changes its mind about Office 2016 and Office 365

Last year, Microsoft announced that it would stop supporting Office 2016 connections to Office 365 services by October 2020. This meant that users who wanted to continue using the cloud-based features of Office 365 would have to upgrade to Office 2019 or a subscription version of Office.

However, Microsoft has recently changed its decision, at least for Office 2016. In a blog post published last week, Jared Spataro, the corporate vice president of Microsoft 365, said, «To give you more time to fully transition to the cloud, we are now modifying that policy and will continue to support Office 2016 connections to Office 365 services through October 2023.»

Microsoft did not explain why it changed its mind, but it may have listened to feedback from customers who were unhappy with the original policy. Some customers may have preferred to stay with Office 2016 for a variety of reasons, such as compatibility, cost or familiarity.

Spataro also did not deny the reasoning behind the initial policy, which was that older versions of Office would not be able to take advantage of all the benefits and features of Office 365. He said, «We strongly encourage you to upgrade to the latest version of Office to get the best experience and access to the latest and most secure features.»

The new policy only applies to Office 2016. Users of Office 2013 and earlier will lose their access to Office 365 services by October 2020. Microsoft also did not change the Office 2016 support lifecycle, which will end in October 2025.