A warning has been issued for anyone using Microsoft products to update their apps as soon as possible before a major software change.
The tech giant will no longer be able to provide security or bug fixes for its older software, which could leave users at risk of security threats, Microsoft warned.
Support for Microsoft Office 2016 and Office 2019 will not receive updates from Tuesday, meaning technical support for these older apps won’t be available.
Apps which fall under the Office umbrella include Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint.
Opting to stick to the older version could put you at risk of facing security threats to your devices, according to Jeremy Carlson, director of product marketing for Microsoft 365.
Which apps are at risk?
Here are some of the apps which need to be updated as soon as possible before the major software change:
- Word
- Excel
- Outlook
- Powerpoint
- Access
- Publisher
- Skype for Businesses
- PowerPoint
- OneNote
(Picture: Shutterstock)
‘Continuing to use software after end of support can leave your devices vulnerable to potential security threats, productivity losses, and compliance issues,’ he said in a Microsoft community forum.
‘After that date, Microsoft will no longer provide security fixes, bug fixes, or technical support for these products.’
He added that any app upgrades should happen sooner rather than later.
‘Now is the time to move all remaining devices running Office 2016 or Office 2019 to a supported version,’ he said.
The main apps impacted by this change include Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Access, Publisher, and Skype for Business.
Earlier this week, Microsoft 365 users were unable to access Teams, which prompted the tech company to launch an investigation into the issue.
Microsoft’s health service warned that Microsoft 365 (Business or Enterprise) was facing ‘service degradation’.
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