Sharp criticism: Microsoft Office 2019 and the “self-destruction mode” | News

At some point the software simply stops working, but this is usually due to the fact that there were numerous system updates between purchase and the current day. If you were to run the program in the environment at that time, everything would work unchanged. In the case of Microsoft Office 2019, however, Microsoft is taking a path that is often referred to in comments as “self-destruct mode”. While earlier versions also failed due to activation and certificate problems, Office 2019 for Mac should deliberately switch to a “Reduced Functionality Mode”.

From mid-July: “Restricted mode” without re-creating
Office 2019 for Mac will fall into the said limited functionality mode from July 13, 2026 because a certificate expires. After that, Word, Excel, PowerPoint & Co. should still be able to open documents, but no longer allow editing or creating new ones. This affects Office 2019 for Mac, the last supported version of which was 16.78 – the necessary certificate renewal is only in version 16.83, which Office 2019 no longer receives. One point of criticism: Microsoft has apparently renewed the certificate, but only via an update that Office 2019 no longer receives. Microsoft 365 and Office 2021/2024 are off the hook, Office 2019 is left out. A new installation therefore does not help; Microsoft instead refers to Microsoft 365, Office 2024 or web apps.

Support page previously spoke about apps continuing to work
Microsoft’s own communication appears unfortunate. The Office 2019 for Mac support page was recently updated. It still says that support expired on October 10, 2023 and users no longer received updates – but the statement that the apps in question continue to work is now missing. Instead, it says data is not lost and can be opened in a supported Microsoft 365 or Office product.

Sharp criticism of the de facto deactivation of purchased software
End of support for software is commonplace because no manufacturer can keep all historical versions running unchanged. No security updates or bug fixes or access to technical support can be expected at some point with old software. What doesn’t seem so normal is that purchased software actively loses editing functions because of an expiring certificate, even though it would technically still run without any problems on many Macs. That’s exactly why the criticism is so harsh. The failure is not the result of a macOS incompatibility, but rather a license/certificate chain for which Microsoft has a solution but does not deliver it to Office 2019 users. Mind you, when purchasing software from a company with enormous capacities, not software that you purchased via subscription and no longer want to pay for.