It will contain some of the new features that Office 365 subscribers got since the publication of Office 2016. I think there is an important piece of news here because it seems that Microsoft is still not creating clear boundaries between the perpetual and the subscription license of Office on the Mac.At least the impression under Windows is that Office 2019 will be a completley different thing than Office 365. Previously, we only knew that this would happen by the end of 2018. When a new version of macOS is released, Office 2019 for Mac’s Operating System requirement becomes the then-current two most recent versions at that time: the new version of macOS and the previous version.”īut there is some real news here: Microsoft plans to ship Office 2019 to Office 365 customers in September. “Office 2019 for Mac is supported on the two most recent versions of macOS. In June, a Microsoft FAQ noted the following. No, and this isn’t the first time we’ve heard this requirement. That version of the suite will continue getting security updates.Īs Microsoft notes, “Office 365 customers remaining on older macOS versions with Office 2016 for Mac will receive mainstream support, but not new Office 365 features.” According to Netmarketshare, the usage rate for the versions of macOS that are compatible with Office 2019 is roughly three times that of non-compatible, older versions.Īnd for those Mac users who won’t-or can’t-upgrade, they can simply continue using Office 2016. As with Windows 10, new macOS versions are provided for free to customers and the upgrade rate on Mac is pretty high (if not as high as on, say, iOS). That version of the Office client suite will require macOS Sierra or newer. The issue here is Office 2019, which Microsoft will apparently soon release. “Users who do not update to macOS 10.12 or later before the September update will still receive mainstream support and will be able to continue using their current version of Office 365 for Mac.”ĭepending on which report you see, you may have understood this to mean that Microsoft is requiring its Mac customers to upgrade to a recent macOS version–Sierra first shipped two years ago, in September 2016-in order to use Office 365.īut that is not the case. “As of the Office 365 for Mac September 2018 update, macOS 10.12 or later is required to update to the new version of the Office client apps for Mac and receive new feature updates,” a Microsoft support document explains.

Put simply, we already knew that Office 2019 would require macOS Sierra or newer. Sadly, this news has been widely misreported and misunderstood. Microsoft just warned its Mac-using Office 365 customers that they will need to upgrade to macOS Sierra (version 10.12) to use Office 2019.

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