I’ve been using Outlook 2013 since it came out and I’m still quite happy with it.

I know that since then Outlook 2016 has come out and Outlook 2019 is the latest version that is available. Then there is also Microsoft 365 which apparently is always the latest version of Office.

That is, if you would rather “own” Office 2016 (or some past or future version of the Office desktop applications) than pay monthly or annually for a subscription, then things are going to change. Office 2016 include applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. They’re available as a one-time purchase for use on a single PC. Microsoft 365 plans include premium versions of these applications plus other services that are enabled over the Internet, including online storage with OneDrive and Skype minutes for home use.

With so many newer versions of Outlook, is Microsoft still committed to support my Outlook 2013 version or is it time for me to move on?

Microsoft Office 2016 Professional Plus New Full for 2 computers/activations $ 249.99 $ 89.99. Microsoft Office Home and Business 2019 for MAC FULL $ 199.99 $ 79.99. Microsoft Office Home and Business 2016 for Mac $ 89.99 $ 39.99. Microsoft Office 2019 Professional Plus Full for 1. Although Microsoft crafted Office 2016 for Mac to be much more like its bigger sibling on Windows, one thing has not changed: Mac Office 2016 users continue to get the short end of the support stick. Microsoft points to October end-of-support for older Office apps accessing 365 services. Office 2010 for Windows; and Office 2016 for Mac. The last two exhaust general support on Oct.

Even though newer versions of Outlook and Office came out, Microsoft continues to support the older versions as well for quite some additional years.

The support end dates are divided between “Mainstream” and “Extended”, for which you’ll find an explanation below the Support End Dates table.

Microsoft 365 has a separate lifecycle which is explained at the end of this guide but in short; This version is always supported.

Support End Dates

Version	Mainstream	Extended
Office 2003	April 14, 2009	April 8, 2014
Office 2007	October 9, 2012	October 10, 2017
Office 2010	October 13, 2015	October 13, 2020
Office 2013	April 10, 2018	April 11, 2023
Office 2016	October 13, 2020	October 14, 2025
Office 2019	October 10, 2023	October 14, 2025

Mainstream vs Extended support

The main differences between Mainstream and Extended support are as follows;

During Mainstream support, updates can include bug fixes, feature changes and security fixes.
During Extended support, updates mainly focus on security updates. Non-security updates may still be included in special circumstances or when specifically requested (see next point).
During Extended support, to request non-security updates, you’ll need to purchase Extended Hotfix Support.

As an end-user, you’ll hardly realize the difference between the two as updates will still be provided until the Extended Support date has been reached.

Office 2016 For Mac End Of Life Time

However, once a product has reached its Mainstream Support date, it is generally recommended to start planning to upgrade to a newer version.

Microsoft 365

When you use Microsoft 365, you don’t have to worry about any support dates. Microsoft continues to support and update Microsoft 365 and it will always include the latest version of Office.

Office 2016 For Mac End Of Life Expectancy

Microsoft Office 2016 End Of Life

You only really need to be aware of 2 things;

You need to have an active Microsoft 365 subscription.
You need to stay up-to-date within your so-called “Release Channel”.

With the “Release Channel”, you can control when and how often you’ll receive new features and updates. For more info see; Why am I not getting the latest updates for Microsoft 365 Apps, Outlook 2019 or Outlook 2016?

By default, Microsoft 365 is configured to update itself automatically, but you can also manually check for updates.