Microsoft ditches support for Word, Outlook, and Powerpoint next month — the cheapest way to protect your PC

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It'll cost £120 to switch to a version of Microsoft Office that's still supported

If you're using an old version of Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, Outlook, or Excel — you're just a few weeks away from putting all of the data stored on your laptop or desktop PC at risk from cybercriminals. That's because Microsoft will halt all security patches and bug fixes from next month, bringing an official end to its support of Office 2021.

If that sounds familiar, it's likely because you're thinking of the recent end of support deadline for Windows 10, which arrived on October 14, 2025. Without regular security updates, Microsoft warned that anyone who continues to use Windows 10 will be left "at greater risk for viruses and malware".

That's because, once a flaw in the operating system has been uncovered, hackers can continue to exploit the vulnerability in millions of PCs with no fear that Microsoft will issue a fix.

And the same is true of software like Microsoft Office 2021.

What makes the latest shake-up particularly tricky is that Microsoft won't offer its Extended Security Updates for Office. Dubbed ESU, this option exists for Windows 10 and lets users who aren't ready to upgrade to its successor — or unable to, due to some specific software or hardware incompatibility — pay for those critical software patches for an extra year.

There are no second chances with Office 2021. Once the October deadline passes, any new security flaws discovered in any of the productivity apps that make up the Microsoft Office suite won't be fixed by Microsoft. Just like with Windows 10, that will leave your machine vulnerable to hackers who love targeting unpatched software.

With so much personal data stored on your computer — from treasured family photos, important emails and banking records, passwords and other sensitive personal documents, spreadsheets and warranties — the lack of security updates should be extremely concerning.

Microsoft Office has largely been replaced with a subscription service, called Office 365. It starts from £8.49 per month and unlocks access to all of the apps you'd associate with Microsoft Office. These can be downloaded to your laptop, desktop PC, smartphone, tablet, or used within a web browser, with everything saved to the cloud.

This subscription eschews big named releases, like Office 2021 and Office 2024, in favour of continuous updates and new functionality ...as long as you keep paying that monthly fee. If you cancel, you'll only be able to view your documents, leaving you unable to make any changes.

If you don't want to move to a monthly subscription, Microsoft Office 2024 remains the most recent standalone purchase. Prices start at £119.99 for the Home Edition, rising to £249.99 when bought from the Microsoft Store UK.

However, there is a more affordable way to keep using your existing Office 2021 apps while remaining protected from the worst that cybercriminals and hackers have been cooking up. A company called 0patch has announced plans to step in and offer what they're calling "security adoption" for Office 2021.

0patch will provide critical security patches for at least three years, starting when Microsoft pulls away from offering regular security patches from October 2026 onwards, potentially extending further if there continues to be demand. Best of all? The cost is dramatically lower than Microsoft's offerings.

You'd pay around £24.95 per computer per year for the Pro Plan from 0patch, which is aimed at everyone from individuals who need to continue to use Word and Outlook to small businesses. That cost rises to £34.95 for 0patch's Enterprise option, with additional management features for larger businesses with rafts of machines running this soon-to-be-outdated version of Microsoft Office.

0patch is no stranger to offering critical security patches once Microsoft has moved on. The brand already offers extended support for Windows 10, so you can continue to use this ageing desktop operating system without being at an increased risk of hacks. 0patch is now offering a single licence that handles security patches for both your Windows 10 operating system and your Office 2021 applications.

That's two end-of-support problems solved for the price of one subscription.

The technical approach 0patch uses is called micropatching. These are tiny fixes, often just a few computer instructions, that get applied directly to your running Office programmes in memory. Your Office files themselves remain untouched.

When a patch arrives, the application pauses briefly, receives the update, and continues running without you noticing a thing. You won't need to restart Microsoft Word mid-document or close Outlook whilst drafting a reply to an email.

There's no reboot required either, so you don't have to worry about the hassle of shutting down your machine when you're in the middle of a project.

The company has genuine form here. They've already adopted Office 2010, 2013, 2016 and 2019 for security patches after Microsoft abandoned them, and they're currently in their sixth year supporting Office 2010.