Office 2021 Mac perpetual licence: the predecessor and today's one-time purchase for your Mac

An Office 2021 Mac perpetual licence is a one-time purchase without a subscription: you pay once and use Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook without a monthly fee. Office 2021 is the predecessor of the current generation, and un-updated 2021 installations on the Mac are affected by the certificate issue on 13 July 2026. Anyone buying new today is better off in the long run with Office 2024 Standard for Mac as the current perpetual licence.

What an Office 2021 Mac perpetual licence means

A perpetual licence is tied to a fixed feature level and has no expiry date: you buy it once and don't have to renew anything monthly. With the Microsoft 365 subscription model, by contrast, you keep paying on an ongoing basis, and access ends as soon as you stop paying. A fixed feature level means that the scope of the version you bought stays in place: you don't get any new feature leaps, but there are also no ongoing costs and no dependence on a renewal.

• One-time purchase instead of a subscription: no monthly or annual fees
• Includes the classic apps Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook
• Feature level stays fixed, security updates only within the Microsoft lifecycle
• Existing .docx, .xlsx and .pptx files remain compatible

Why un-updated Office 2021 for Mac becomes a problem from 13 July 2026

The background is a code-signing certificate that expires on 13 July 2026 and will not be renewed by Microsoft. Affected are Office 2019 for Mac and also un-updated installations of Office 2021 for Mac. An updated 2021 version (from build 16.83) is not affected for now.

The programs still launch: Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook can be opened, you can view and print documents. What goes away is editing and saving; the apps switch to a pure reading mode (read-only). That's no longer enough for active work.

You can check which level your 2021 installation is at in a few seconds: open Word, click on "About Word" and look at the version number. If the build is 16.83 or higher, it counts as not affected for now. If the number is lower, plan the switch before the cut-off date.

Office 2024 Standard for Mac as the current perpetual licence

Office 2024 Standard for Mac is the current generation and is likewise a one-time purchase without a subscription. You get the same apps in a version that isn't affected by the certificate expiry, and you keep working normally without the reading-mode restriction.

The switch changes nothing about your files: existing .docx, .xlsx and .pptx documents can be opened and edited in Office 2024 for Mac without conversion. You don't have to convert any old projects and you keep your way of working.

The read-only row in the table refers to an un-updated 2021 installation; an updated version (from build 16.83) is not affected for now.

Runs on your Mac

• Suitable for Macs with Apple Silicon (M series) and Intel processors
• Obtained via download, Microsoft-signed
• You continue to open and edit existing Office files as usual
• One-time purchase with no expiry date, security updates within the Microsoft lifecycle

The process after purchase is straightforward: you receive your licence and download the installation package. After installation you activate Office 2024 for Mac with your licence key and work directly with Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.