So over the last few days, the Internet has been losing its mind over the fact that Microsoft on July 13 2026, Microsoft Office 2021 and 2019 for Mac will only be able to open files. But they cannot save them. This is documented here. And the reason for this is an expired certificate. If you want examples of how people are losing their minds over this, take this Reddit thread or this one to see what I am talking about.
But is the outrage justified? I am not sure because I can see this from both sides.
On one hand, Office 2019 for Mac has reached the end of support in October 2023. That means that it is not receiving security updates or bug fixes. Office 2021 for Mac will be in the same state in October 2026. So users realistically should be installing either Office 2024 or using Microsoft 365 as it’s never a good idea to run unsupported software as that’s a gateway for threat actors to pwn you.
On the other hand, many people on Reddit feel that this is anti consumer as comes across Microsoft deciding to effectively kill a license that they paid for. Also they feel that Microsoft could easily come out with a software update that addresses the certificate issue. But clearly they don’t want to do that. And forcing users to pay for an upgrade is good for Microsoft’s bank account.
Mac users have a few choices if they are in this situation:
- Upgrade to Office 2024 or Microsoft 365. I should note that Microsoft 365 is currently free via the web version of the suite. So that’s a free alternative if you have constant access to the Internet.
- Use Apple’s iWork suite as it is free for normal use.
- Switch to an open source alternative such as LibreOffice.
A few random thoughts. I have said for years that that hell hath no fury as an Apple user scorned. Microsoft may be about to find this out shortly as this is unlikely to go away. Also, these Mac users who are outraged need to recognize that there are options for them and they should look into those alternatives ASAP. Because running these versions of Office is not going to be an option.
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This entry was posted on May 16, 2026 at 2:40 pm and is filed under Commentary with tags Microsoft. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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Microsoft Plans To Remotely Break Office 2019 And 2021 For Mac So That Users Can Only Open Files…. Is The Outrage Justified?
So over the last few days, the Internet has been losing its mind over the fact that Microsoft on July 13 2026, Microsoft Office 2021 and 2019 for Mac will only be able to open files. But they cannot save them. This is documented here. And the reason for this is an expired certificate. If you want examples of how people are losing their minds over this, take this Reddit thread or this one to see what I am talking about.
But is the outrage justified? I am not sure because I can see this from both sides.
On one hand, Office 2019 for Mac has reached the end of support in October 2023. That means that it is not receiving security updates or bug fixes. Office 2021 for Mac will be in the same state in October 2026. So users realistically should be installing either Office 2024 or using Microsoft 365 as it’s never a good idea to run unsupported software as that’s a gateway for threat actors to pwn you.
On the other hand, many people on Reddit feel that this is anti consumer as comes across Microsoft deciding to effectively kill a license that they paid for. Also they feel that Microsoft could easily come out with a software update that addresses the certificate issue. But clearly they don’t want to do that. And forcing users to pay for an upgrade is good for Microsoft’s bank account.
Mac users have a few choices if they are in this situation:
A few random thoughts. I have said for years that that hell hath no fury as an Apple user scorned. Microsoft may be about to find this out shortly as this is unlikely to go away. Also, these Mac users who are outraged need to recognize that there are options for them and they should look into those alternatives ASAP. Because running these versions of Office is not going to be an option.
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This entry was posted on May 16, 2026 at 2:40 pm and is filed under Commentary with tags Microsoft. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.