Microsoft has posted a message on the Office 365 message center notifying Mac users that the Office suite of apps for macOS 10.13 High Sierra and older will stop being supported starting November 10, 2020. The company has also updated the support pages to reflect the change, adding that as of the November 2020 update to Microsoft 365 for Mac and Office 2019 for Mac, only macOS 10.14 Mojave or newer will be supported.
The change is in line with the Redmond giant’s support life cycle for Apple’s OS offerings. The company supports the three most recent versions of macOS. With macOS 11 Big Sur closer to launch, the company recommends that users upgrade to the newer versions of the OS to continue receiving support for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote. While users of macOS 10.13 or older will still be able to use the said apps, they will no longer receive updates for security or feature additions after the said date.
Apple typically releases new macOS versions in September, which is when these support lifecycles change. However, this year is different, as the Cupertino giant is yet to release the OS to all supported devices. It is not clear if the November 10 date will change when macOS Big Sur makes it to general availability, or if the timeframe itself hints at the possible release schedule for Apple’s next OS update.
Source: Microsoft Support via OnMSFT