Office LTSC Archives

Winsage

July 22, 2026

Redmond’s reaper cometh: October 2026 set to bury a graveyard of Microsoft products

October 2026 will see the end of support for several Microsoft products, including Office LTSC 2021, which requires organizations to transition to LTSC 2024 or Microsoft 365 for continued support. Windows Server 2022 will exit mainstream support on October 13, 2026, while Windows 11 24H2 Home and Pro editions will also reach their end of life on the same date. The enterprise and education versions of Windows 11 23H2 will be supported until November 10, 2026. Publisher 2021 will be discontinued without a successor. Additionally, Entra ID Sign-In risk policies will be phased out on October 1, 2026, necessitating a transition to Conditional Access to maintain user and sign-in risk protection. SQL Server 2017 is scheduled for retirement in October 2027.

Winsage

July 12, 2026

Microsoft is killing 15 products in 2026, including Windows 11 24H2 and Office 2021

Microsoft will discontinue support for several products in 2026, including: 1. Windows 11 24H2 (Home and Pro) - End of servicing on October 13, 2026. 2. Office 2021 and Office LTSC 2021 - End of support on October 13, 2026. 3. Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 - Final ESU year ending on October 13, 2026. 4. SQL Server 2016 - Extended end of support on July 14, 2026. 5. SharePoint Server 2016 and 2019, Project Server 2016 and 2019 - Support ends on July 14, 2026. 6. Microsoft Publisher - Retired after October 2026. 7. Exchange Server 2016 and 2019, Skype for Business Server - Final ESU cutoff on October 31, 2026. 8. Windows 11 Enterprise and Education 23H2, .NET 8, .NET 9, PowerShell 7.4 - End of servicing on November 10, 2026. 9. Windows 10 2016 LTSB and IoT Enterprise LTSB 2016 - Extended support ends on October 13, 2026. 10. Windows 11 SE - Support ends on October 1, 2026. 11. Dynamics CRM 2016 and older versions - Lost support earlier in January 2026. 12. Microsoft Configuration Manager, version 2409 - End of support on June 6, 2026. 13. Visual Studio 2022 LTSC channels, versions 17.10 and 17.12 - End of support in January and July 2026, respectively. 14. InfoPath 2013, SharePoint Designer 2013 - End of support on July 14, 2026. 15. Azure service retirements - Occurring in late 2026. Organizations are advised to review their software landscape and plan for transitions to avoid disruptions.

Winsage

March 30, 2026

Microsoft’s March Security Update of High-Risk Vulnerability Notice for Multiple Products

On March 11, NSFOCUS CERT reported the release of Microsoft’s March Security Update, addressing 83 security vulnerabilities in products like Windows, Microsoft Office, Microsoft SQL Server, and Azure. The update includes eight critical vulnerabilities and 75 important ones, with risks such as privilege escalation and remote code execution. Key vulnerabilities include: - CVE-2026-26110: Microsoft Office Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (CVSS score: 8.4) - CVE-2026-26113: Microsoft Office Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (CVSS score: 8.4) - CVE-2026-26144: Microsoft Excel Information Disclosure Vulnerability (CVSS score: 7.5) - CVE-2026-23669: Windows Print Spooler Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (CVSS score: 8.8) - CVE-2026-24294: Windows SMB Server Privilege Escalation Vulnerability (CVSS score: 7.8) - CVE-2026-23668: Windows Graphics Component Privilege Escalation Vulnerability (CVSS score: 7.0) Affected product versions include various editions of Microsoft Office, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016, Windows 10, and Windows 11. Microsoft has released security patches for these vulnerabilities, and users are encouraged to install them promptly.

Winsage

February 11, 2026

Microsoft Patch Tuesday: February 2026

Microsoft has identified several vulnerabilities affecting its products, particularly within Windows Server and Office suites. The affected products and their corresponding vulnerabilities include: - Windows Server 2025: CVE-2026-21510, CVE-2026-21513, CVE-2026-21519, CVE-2026-21525, CVE-2026-21533; updates under article numbers 5075899 and 5075942. - Windows Server 2022, 23H2: Same vulnerabilities as above; update article number 5075897. - Windows Server 2022: Same vulnerabilities; update article number 5075906. - Windows Server 2019: Same vulnerabilities; update article number 5075904. - Windows Server 2016: Same vulnerabilities; update article number 5075999. - Windows Server 2012 R2: CVE-2026-21510, CVE-2026-21513, CVE-2026-21525, CVE-2026-21533; update article number 5075970. - Windows 11 and Windows 10: Various versions (26H1, 25H2, 24H2, 22H2) affected; update articles range from 5077179 to 5075912. - Microsoft Office LTSC for Mac 2024 and Mac 2021: Affected by CVE-2026-21514; release notes available. - Microsoft Office LTSC 2024 and 2021: CVE-2026-21509 and CVE-2026-21514; release notes provided. - Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise: Affected by CVE-2026-21509 and CVE-2026-21514; release notes available.

Winsage

January 1, 2026

Microsoft’s 2026 end-of-support wave includes Windows 11 24H2, Office 2021, and more

Microsoft will discontinue support for Windows 11 24H2 on October 4, 2026. Windows 11 23H2 Enterprise, Education, and IoT Enterprise support ends on November 10, 2026. Office 2021 support will conclude on October 13, 2026. Upgrading from Office 2021 to Office 2024 will require purchasing a new license. The following products will also lose support in 2026: .NET 9 (November 10), .NET 8 (November 10), PowerShell 7.4 (November 10), and Windows Server 2012/2012 R2 (October 13).

Winsage

July 9, 2025

Zero Day Initiative — The July 2025 Security Update Review

In July 2025, Adobe released 13 bulletins addressing 60 unique CVEs across various applications, including ColdFusion, After Effects, and Illustrator. ColdFusion received a Priority 1 patch for 13 CVEs, five of which are Critical. FrameMaker's patch fixed 15 CVEs, including 13 Critical vulnerabilities. Illustrator's update addressed 10 bugs, with the most severe enabling code execution. Other applications like InCopy and InDesign also had Critical vulnerabilities fixed. Microsoft released 130 new CVEs across its products, with 10 rated Critical. Notable vulnerabilities include CVE-2025-47981, a heap-based buffer overflow in Windows SPNEGO, and CVE-2025-49717 affecting Microsoft SQL Server. CVE-2025-49704 allows code injection in SharePoint, while CVE-2025-49695 highlights an attack vector in Microsoft Office's Preview Pane.

Winsage

October 2, 2024

Microsoft Office 2024 now available for Windows and macOS users

Microsoft has released Office 2024, targeting small businesses and consumers who prefer a standalone suite instead of a Microsoft 365 subscription. The suite includes updated versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Outlook, compatible with Windows 10, Windows 11, and the latest three versions of macOS. Users need a Microsoft account and an internet connection for installation and updates. Two editions are available for purchase: Office Home 2024 for 9.99, which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote for a single PC or Mac, and Office Home & Business 2024 for 9.99, which adds Outlook and commercial use rights. New features include support for OpenDocument format 1.4, enhanced performance in Excel, closed captioning for presentations, improved search functionality, and document recovery features. ActiveX controls are disabled by default in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Visio for security reasons. Microsoft also launched Office LTSC 2024 for commercial and government customers. Office 2024 and Office LTSC 2024 were first announced in March, with a commercial preview following in April 2024.

Winsage

September 19, 2024

Microsoft launches Office LTSC 2024

Microsoft released Office Long Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) 2024 on September 16, targeting Windows-based government and commercial clients with a five-year support window. This version operates entirely offline, unlike Microsoft 365, and lacks cloud-dependent features such as cloud storage and Microsoft 365 Copilot. Key applications like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook are included, but Publisher will be deprecated in 2026, and Teams is not preinstalled. The Publish to Power BI feature has been removed from Excel, and ActiveX controls are disabled by default. New on-premises versions of Project and Visio will be available by October 1. Microsoft is cautious about perpetual licensing due to legal scrutiny and indicates at least one more release before the decade ends, influenced by customer demand.

Winsage

September 19, 2024

Microsoft launches Office LTSC 2024

Microsoft released Office LTSC 2024 on September 16, designed for government and commercial clients using Windows, offering five years of support. It operates independently of the internet and does not include features like cloud storage or Microsoft Teams. Key applications such as Publisher and certain Excel features are absent. New on-premises versions of Project and Visio will be available by October 1. Microsoft plans at least one more release of Office LTSC before the end of the decade, although the future of perpetual licenses is uncertain due to ongoing legal challenges.

Winsage

September 18, 2024

Microsoft says Office 2024 LTSC support for Windows ends on October 9th, 2029

Support for Office 2024 LTSC will conclude on October 9, 2029. Microsoft announced the general release of Office 2024 on September 16, 2024, primarily for commercial and government clients, with consumer availability planned for the future. Office LTSC 2024 will be supported for five years, from September 18, 2024, to October 9, 2029. Office 2024 includes essential applications like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, with new features such as dynamic charts in Excel and enhanced search capabilities in Outlook. Office 2024 does not support ActiveX Controls. Users on Office 2016 or 2019 are encouraged to transition to Microsoft 365 before October 14, 2025. Volume-based licenses for enterprises and government entities will be available starting October 1.