Office LTSC 2021, Project LTSC 2021 and Visio LTSC 2021 reach end of support on 13 October 2026

Microsoft support for Office LTSC 2021, Project LTSC 2021 and Visio LTSC 2021 ends on 13 October 2026. Microsoft reminded partners of the date in a Partner Center announcement on 15 September 2026. The products follow Microsoft’s Fixed Lifecycle Policy and were released in September 2021, so this is the scheduled end of their five-year life.

What changed

• No more fixes. After the end date these products get no updates, no security patches and no technical support from Microsoft. They will keep running, but every new vulnerability stays open.
• Recommended cloud paths. For larger organisations Microsoft points first to Microsoft 365 E3, with Office 365 E3 or Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise as alternatives. For businesses under 300 users it lists Microsoft 365 Business Premium, Business Standard or Apps for business.
• Project and Visio. Microsoft names Planner and Project Plan 3 and Visio Plan 2 as the cloud replacements, which can be added to a Microsoft 365 suite.
• On-premises option remains. Where regulation, connectivity or technical limits rule out the cloud, Microsoft suggests Office LTSC 2024, Project LTSC 2024 and Visio LTSC 2024.
• Copilot needs cloud apps. Microsoft notes that Microsoft 365 Copilot only works with the cloud-backed apps in Microsoft 365 suites, not on-premises Office, and that the Azure Information Protection labelling client for perpetual Office has already been retired.

What it means for buyers in South Africa and Africa

Perpetual Office is still common in the region, often because of once-off budget cycles, patchy connectivity at branch sites or a preference for owning software outright. Those reasons remain valid, but running unpatched Office that opens email attachments every day is a real risk, and Microsoft itself flags security and compliance exposure for anyone who stays on the 2021 versions.

A sensible way forward:

1. Inventory where Office, Project and Visio 2021 are installed, including shared and kiosk machines.
2. Split users into those who can move to Microsoft 365 and those who genuinely need an offline, on-premises licence.
3. Compare the multi-year cost of subscriptions against LTSC 2024 licences plus the effort of managing them.
4. If Copilot is on your roadmap, factor in that it requires Microsoft 365 apps.

Both subscription and perpetual options are available through authorised Microsoft channels and can be quoted in USD or ZAR.

Need a like-for-like comparison before you decide? Ask us for Microsoft licensing advice or a licence optimisation review.