Microsoft’s messaging on the subject hasn’t done it any favors, either. Its end-of-support page for Office 2019 for Mac, originally posted in October 2023, once told owners to “Rest assured that all your Office 2019 apps will continue to function.” A revision now dated May 15, 2026 has dropped that line, replacing it with a note that their data “can be accessed in a supported Microsoft 365 or Office product.”
Aren’t the new versions of Apple office apps heavily pushing their subscriptions now?
I use it pretty regularly at home, and haven’t seen anything that significant other than the premium templates being highlighted in the sidebar when you create a new document.
I did run into a scenario where you had the option to preview smart features while editing thereby showing you how it could be applicable in the immediate short term, but then annoyingly removed the data entered if you didn’t want to subscribe. Otherwise it works about the same as you’d come to expect the software to run.