The Office 2010 end of life date was the 13th of October 2020

Does Office 2010 still work after October 2020?

Yes, Office’s applications (Excel, Word, Outlook etc) continue to work, but it is strongly recommended that you upgrade to the latest version of Office.

How do I do that?

You’ll need to speak to your IT support company or go to the Microsoft website and find the latest version of Office to purchase the relevant licenses for your business. Some non-profits can get free 365 licenses: Find out more.

Why do I need to do this?

Microsoft hasn’t supported Office 2010 since October 2020, which means you cannot get help with any problems you may have. Since it isn’t maintained or upgraded by Microsoft any more, there’s also more chance that things will go wrong.

Most importantly, security flaws in unsupported software will not be patched, which leaves them – and as a result you and your business – open to cyber attacks. The WannaCry ransomware attack exploited a vulnerability in old Windows systems that had not been patched due to them being past their end of life.

The good news is that Office 365, the most recent version of Office, is sold on a subscription model, which will continue to be updated and supported as long as you continue to pay the subscription. If you upgrade to this you shouldn’t need to worry about end of life dates again, at least not for your Office apps.

Is my version of Windows still supported?

Below is a table showing end of life dates for Windows operating systems and software. If you’re still using any of the apps or an operating system that’s past it’s end of life, it’s important to upgrade as soon as possible. We’ve written a step-by-step guide on how to upgrade here.