On 13 October 2026, extended support for Office LTSC 2021 ends – and with it support for Project and Visio 2021 as well. Anyone who lets this date pass will afterwards be running office software without security updates, without bug fixes, without official compliance support. For many small businesses and self-employed professionals who have deliberately avoided a subscription model, the question now arises at the latest: carry on down the same path or switch?
The good news: there are clear alternatives that can be used without a Microsoft 365 subscription. Perpetual-licence versions still exist – with a new feature set, a longer support lifecycle and no monthly base fee. Which of them suits your use case depends on a few but decisive criteria.
In our customer conversations, this particular question comes up especially often: "Do I now have to switch to Microsoft 365, or is there another way?" The answer is clear: there is.
What the end of support for Office LTSC 2021 concretely means
Microsoft distinguishes between the end of mainstream support and the end of extended support. For Office LTSC 2021, both fall on the same date: 13 October 2026. From that date, Microsoft will no longer release any security patches for this version.
This is not an abstract threat. Security vulnerabilities in Office applications are regularly exploited in the wild. The Patch Tuesday in April 2026 closed 167 vulnerabilities, including an actively exploited Office flaw. Anyone still relying on LTSC 2021 from October 2026 will no longer receive such fixes. Ransomware groups and state actors keep a close eye on end-of-life dates – outdated versions become preferred attack vectors.
For businesses with compliance requirements (ISO 27001, BSI baseline protection, industry-specific regulations) there is a further aspect: a software version that is no longer patched can no longer be classified as "securely operated" in many certification frameworks. This is not a theoretical risk but a concrete audit finding.
Office 2021 Standard vs. Professional Plus: what you can still use now
Anyone using Office 2021 not in the LTSC channel but as a standalone perpetual licence is technically sitting on the same code base – with the same expiry date. The commercial standalone versions of Office 2021 also reach end of support on 13 October 2026.
Office 2021 Standard for Windows includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and Outlook. Office 2021 Professional Plus extends this scope with Access and Publisher as well as Power Pivot in Excel. Power Query is available in both variants – this is a common misconception that we regularly clear up in support: Power Query has been available in all editions since Excel 2016, whereas Power Pivot is in fact only included in Professional Plus and the volume licences.
For users still running Office 2021 today, the end of support means: continued operation remains technically possible, but from a security perspective is no longer advisable – from the fourth quarter of 2026 at the latest.
Office 2024: the direct successor generation with a longer lifecycle
The most obvious alternative to Office 2021 is the current generation: Office 2024. Here too the perpetual-licence principle applies – no subscription, a one-time payment, permanent activation with the Microsoft server. Support for Office 2024 is expected to run until October 2029, three years longer than that for Office 2021.
Functionally, quite a lot has changed between the generations. Excel 2024 includes new formula functions (among them GROUPBY and PIVOTBY) that enable complex analyses without having to fall back on Power Pivot or external queries. The AI-assisted features in Word and PowerPoint are more limited in the perpetual-licence version than in Microsoft 365, but the core functions for professional work are fully present.
For Windows, two relevant variants are available:
- Office 2024 Home (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote) – without Outlook, suitable for private users and those who handle email through other clients
- Office 2024 Standard (volume channel, includes Outlook) – for commercial users who need a complete office workstation
- Office 2024 Professional Plus (volume channel, includes Access, Publisher, Outlook and Power Pivot) – for businesses with complex database workflows or existing Access applications
For Mac users: Office 2024 Home and Business for Mac includes Outlook and is the recommended choice for commercial users. Access and Publisher were never released for macOS and are likewise not available in Office 2024.
Office 2024 Professional Plus Download – No Subscription
Microsoft Office 2024 Professional Plus Download Boost your productivity with the most powerful suite for modern businesses and demanding users. With the Micro…
Get it now →Which version is the right successor for your setup?
The answer essentially depends on three questions: Do you use Outlook as your primary email client? Do you use Access databases? And: Do you work on Windows or macOS?
If you have so far used Office 2021 Standard on Windows and need Outlook, Office 2024 Standard is the direct equivalent. If you don't need Outlook – for example because you access Exchange via Thunderbird or a webmail client – Office 2024 Home for Windows is sufficient.
Anyone who relies on Power Pivot, however – for instance for data models in Excel with multiple tables and DAX formulas – cannot avoid Office 2024 Professional Plus. This typically affects controlling departments, tax advisory firms and small accounting offices that do not run a full BI solution but regularly analyse data sets in the six-figure row range.
Self-employed professionals and freelancers should also note: the Home variant is designed for non-commercial use. Anyone using Office for professional purposes should opt for Standard or Professional Plus and check the licence terms for the specific type of use.
Perpetual licence instead of subscription: what still speaks in its favour?
The price increases for Microsoft 365 Business plans that take effect on 1 July 2026 make the perpetual-licence alternative more attractive again for many companies. For a single workstation that needs no cloud synchronisation, no mobile apps and no automatic feature updates, the perpetual licence already pays off in less than two years compared with a monthly subscription.
The key difference from the subscription is not the price alone. It is about predictability: a perpetual licence is an account-recognisable investment with a known support end date. No automatic price increase, no changes to licence terms during operation, no obligation to connect to the cloud for the core functions.
What perpetual-licence versions do not offer: no monthly feature updates, no access to Copilot functions (which remain Microsoft 365-exclusive), no automatic synchronisation via OneDrive or SharePoint. Anyone who actively uses these functions is better served by the subscription. For everyone else, a properly licensed standalone version remains a fully fledged option.
Important for the legal classification: volume licences, such as those underlying Office 2024 Professional Plus and Office 2024 Standard, are classified as transferable under the European exhaustion principle following the EuGH ruling C-128/11 (UsedSoft), provided they are properly documented. Activation takes place directly with Microsoft – permanent activation on a device is thus clearly regulated both technically and legally. Please check the licence terms for your specific type of use.
Which version suits you?
Anyone still running Office 2021 today has until October 2026 for an orderly migration – but the planning should begin now, not in September. For most Windows users in commercial use, Office 2024 Standard is the logical successor: full feature scope including Outlook, three years more support than Office 2021 and no dependence on a cloud subscription. Anyone who needs Access or Power Pivot chooses Office 2024 Professional Plus. Mac users opt for Office 2024 Home and Business for Mac. The decision is therefore less complex than it appears at first glance – provided you know your actual requirements.
Frequently asked questions
When exactly does support for Office 2021 end?
After the end of support, do I have to switch to Microsoft 365?
What is the difference between Office 2024 Standard and Professional Plus?
May I continue to use Office 2021 after the end of support?
Is Office 2024 Professional Plus suitable for self-employed professionals?
Can Office 2024 be used permanently without an internet connection?
→ Read more
