Office 365 was renamed to Microsoft 365 in 2020, but it has retained the same basic features since its inception in 2011. Access to all the latest Office apps is included in the subscription, along with plenty of storage space in the cloud and access to regular updates.
But Microsoft still releases standalone versions of Office apps, with official support dating back a decade (at the time of writing). You can still use those older versions, but what if you lost the disk or deleted it from your machine?
Fortunately, Microsoft makes it easy to move your copy and start using it again. Here’s everything you need to know.
What versions of Microsoft Office are still available?
At the time of writing, all versions of Office from 2010 and earlier are no longer supported, meaning you can’t download them from Microsoft’s website.
You can still get copies of all of the following, but support varies greatly between Windows (11 and 10) and macOS:
- Office 2021 for Windows – support ends October 13, 2026
- Office 2021 for Mac – end of support October 13, 2026
- Office 2019 for Windows – support ends October 14, 2025
- Office 2019 for Mac – end of support October 10, 2023
- Office 2016 for Windows – support ends October 14, 2025
- Office 2013 for Windows – support ends April 11, 2023
Until the above dates, you can safely use all of these versions. After that, no bugs will be fixed and it is a security risk.
How to Download Old Versions of Microsoft Office
To get your old version of Office, go to the Microsoft website and click the button in the upper right corner to sign in to your Microsoft account. Make sure this is the same account you used to purchase the previous version of Office.
Sign in to your Microsoft account
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Go to the Microsoft website and click on the button in the upper right corner and follow the instructions. Make sure this is the same account you used to purchase the previous version of Office.
Open your account summary page
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Click on the icon in the same place as before (it should now be replaced by your profile picture) and choose “My Microsoft account”.
Find “Products you have purchased” and install the appropriate version
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
In the screen that appears, click on the “Services & subscriptions” tab. Scroll down to the “Products you’ve purchased” subheading, where you’ll see all versions of Office you’ve previously installed.
Click “Install” next to the one you want to use and the download will begin. When done, double-click the file and follow the on-screen instructions. You should be up and running soon.
If you originally purchased a 32-bit version, click the drop-down menu next to the “Install” button and see if there is an option for the 64-bit version. This is also where you can change the language.
If you don’t see the version you’re looking for, see our separate article on how to find your Microsoft product key.
Can I download older versions of Office for free?
While you can no doubt locate sites that will let you download a free version of Microsoft Office, you won’t (legally) be able to use the product unless you write down the product key.
These sites host Office without permission, so we won’t recommend any of them. If you really want to do this, make sure your computer is protected with good anti-virus software.
Microsoft never made Office available as a completely free product, so expect to pay if you want to access its features. Older physical copies may be available on eBay and similar sites, but make sure they haven’t already been activated. Each license generally covers only one machine.
The good news is that you can get a perfectly good free alternative that is still compatible with Microsoft Office document formats. An example is LibreOffice, which is a complete suite, complete with alternatives to Word, Excel, PowerPoint and more. There’s no catch – it’s open source and free.
Want something you can use in a web browser without downloading anything? Google Workspace apps (formerly G Suite) are also free, with Docs, Sheets and Slides all capable alternatives to Office apps.
You’ll just need a Google account, with everything stored in Google Drive (15GB of free storage combined with Gmail) and accessible across all your own devices. And don’t worry, you can still print directly from a cloud document.
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