If users are not ready to upgrade, the company said Office on the web is available as an alternative where they can sign in to get free online access to Word, Excel and PowerPoint. — Photo by Arnav Singhal on Unsplash
Microsoft has announced that it will no longer support Microsoft 365 apps such as Word, PowerPoint and Excel on computers running Windows 10 starting Oct 14 this year.
This is due to an earlier announcement that the Windows 10 operating system (OS) will reach end of support on the same date.
The tech giant explained that out of support OS will no longer receive quality updates, new or updated features, security updates and technical support.
While Microsoft 365 on Windows 10 may continue to function after Oct 14, the company said it strongly recommend an upgrade to Windows 11 to “avoid performance and reliability issues over time”.
It added: “Once you move to a supported Windows operating system all Microsoft 365 feature and security updates will resume as usual.”
If users are not ready to upgrade, the company said Office on the web is available as an alternative, where they can sign in to get free online access to Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
Additionally, the company has announced that Windows 10 users can continue to receive monthly security updates through its Extended Security Update program by paying for a yearly subscription to security updates.
In the US, it has been announced that home users can expect to pay US$30 (RM135) to subscribe. More details on programme enrollment will be available closer to the end of support date in October.
Free upgrade available
The company said upgrading from Windows 10 to 11 is free, but only if the computer is running on the most current version of Windows 10 and meets the minimum hardware specifications required for the upgrade.
It claims that Windows 11 has all the power and security of Windows 10 along with new tools, sounds and apps. Users can check if they are eligible for a free upgrade on the Microsoft website.
