Customers who continue to power PCs with Windows 7 after the operating system's expiration date will be given one more update to Office ProPlus - the application soul of the subscription service - before shutting down the feature pipeline.
But Office ProPlus - the application stack that's part of most business plans - will receive security updates long after Windows 7's retirement on Jan. How long after? Three years after. The arrangement - "no" to new features but "yes" to vulnerability patches - was unusual enough to upend the typical definition of "support. The contradiction about support is the source of confusion. Most users, whether of Microsoft's operating system and applications or of any kind of software, hear the word support and equate it with fixes and patches.
Software in support receives updates that quash bugs and fix problems, software out of support does not. Yet Microsoft says that Office ProPlus "won't be supported" on Windows 7 even though it windows 7 end of support and office 365 proplus free download continue to deliver security updates to the suite.
Normally, when Microsoft axes an operating system - and stops patching its security vulnerabilities - it halts updates to other Microsoft-made software running under that OS at the same time. So, for example, when Microsoft set Windows 7's end-of-support calendar at Jan.
A "last resort" - Microsoft's words - for commercial customers who would not make the Jan. For a price, of course. When Microsoft extended Windows 7's security update support, it also had to extend that of Office ProPlus or make those Windows 7 PCs worthless for common productivity chores.
And remember, customers were paying money to remain in support. And that's what the company did. With a few keystrokes, Spataro committed Microsoft to providing patches to Office ProPlus for three years after Windows 7 retirement. Microsoft upgrades Office ProPlus, like Windows 10, twice a year, in the late summer around August and the late winter or early spring February or March.
But Windows 7 users will get just one in As with Windows 10, Microsoft tags Office ProPlus with a four-digit label in the form yymmso indicates a February release. Office ProPlus, with its three different "channels" or distribution milestones, will upgrade to on this timeline, according to Microsoft:.
Once Office ProPlus version is in place on Windows 7 end of support and office 365 proplus free download 7 systems, no future upgrades will be allowed onto the machines. Microsoft made that clear. But monthly security updates will keep on coming through January That month should be familiar; it's the end of Windows 7's ESU program.
Left unsaid, naturally, is the fact that once ESU came into existence, Microsoft had to continue patching Office ProPlus, at least for those covered by the pay-for-patches plan. Even though a specific ProPlus channel is usually available just for 14 months, version will be accessible to Windows 7 customers for much longer.
How much longer? Remember, until January On PCs powered by Windows 7, Office ProPlus will be updated automatically to if those devices are getting updates directly from Microsoft's servicing mechanism, Windows Update.
If the PC is later migrated to Windows 10, ProPlus will automatically transition to the most recent available version. From that point, the machine will start receiving new feature-and-functionality upgrades, too. Microsoft also said that Office Business - the name for the application bundle offered with some subscriptions, including Office Business Windows 7 end of support and office 365 proplus free download and Microsoft Business - will be serviced on Windows 7 in the same way as ProPlus.
They, too, will get security updates to their Office applications, according to a different support article Microsoft highlighted. Everyone running Windows 7 after Jan. The OS may be out of support there's that word again and at risk from criminal exploitation, but Office itself will be safe.
Although few will look this gift horse in the mouth and object, it's odd that Microsoft would give away Office security updates when it's charging for the same thing for Windows 7.
Here are the latest Insider stories. More Insider Sign Out. Sign In Register. Sign Out Sign In Register. Latest Insider. Check out the latest Insider stories here. More from the IDG Network. What happens after Windows 7's retirement? FAQ: Last-minute answers about Windows 7's post-retirement patches. Next up on Microsoft's dust heap: Office Windows 7 to Windows 10 migration guide.
Martyn Williams. So, ProPlus is not supported but it will receive patches? Learn how IT leaders are building cyberdefenses.
We're doing this to give you additional time to make the transition from using Microsoft Apps on devices running Windows 7 to devices running a supported operating system, such as Windows But, during that time, as long as the device is still running Windows 7, your installation of Microsoft Apps won't receive any new features updates. Version is the last version of Microsoft Apps that you can install on devices running Windows 7. This means that if you want to continue to deploy and update Microsoft Apps on devices that are running Windows 7, you need to use Version If you try to install a newer version of Microsoft Apps, such as Version , on a device running Windows 7, you'll receive an error message.
You can continue to use a version of Microsoft Apps earlier than Version on devices running Windows 7 if that version is still available. To see the version available in each update channel of Microsoft Apps, refer to the table in Update history for Microsoft Apps.
To deploy or update Version on devices running Windows 7, you can keep using the same management tools that you're currently using, such as the Office Deployment Tool or Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager. Also, Microsoft Apps can remain on the same update channel as before.
If Microsoft Apps is configured to get updates directly from the Office Content Delivery Network CDN on the internet, Microsoft Apps on devices running Windows 7 will be updated automatically to the most current release of Version for that update channel. If you use Configuration Manager and the Software Update management workflow to update installations of Microsoft Apps, we recommend that you create a separate collection for your Windows 7 devices.
Then, use a query rule to add members to the collection. On the 2nd Tuesday of each month, a new update package for Version that is only for devices running Windows 7 will be made available in the Microsoft Update Catalog. There will be an update package for each architecture x86 or x That update package can be used with whichever update channel of Microsoft Apps you have deployed.
There won't be separate update packages of Version for each update channel. For example, the same update package can be used to update a Current Channel or a Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel installation of Microsoft Apps on devices running Windows 7.
In the Office Updates node, you'll see entries like the following, where will be replaced by the most current build number:.
These update packages are configured to apply only to devices running Windows 7. These update packages can't be used to update Microsoft Apps on devices running other supported operating systems, such as Windows If you use an automatic deployment rule ADR , you should create a new rule for these update packages. Then, use the new rule for your collection that contains your Windows 7 devices. We recommend using the "Title" property and searching for "Microsoft Apps Update for Windows 7" as well as the architecture you support.
If you support both x86 and x64, you can include both updates in one Software Update Package as clients will apply the appropriate update. You should also check other existing ADRs to make sure they don't incorrectly try to apply these update packages, which are only for devices running Windows 7, to devices running other operating systems. Version will be available until January and will receive security updates, as needed, during that time.
For a list of security updates included in releases of Version , see Release notes for Microsoft Apps Security Updates. This means that if you want to continue to deploy and update Microsoft Apps on devices that are running Windows 7, you need to use Version If you try to install a newer version of Microsoft Apps, such as Version , on a device running Windows 7, you'll receive an error message. You can't use those tools because Version is no longer available as a choice in the version drop-down list in those tools.
To update an existing installation of Version , you can keep using the same management tools that you're currently using, such as the Office Deployment Tool or Configuration Manager. Also, Microsoft Apps can remain on the same update channel as before.
If Microsoft Apps is configured to get updates directly from the Office Content Delivery Network CDN on the internet, Microsoft Apps on devices running Windows 7 will be updated automatically to the most current release of Version for that update channel. If you use Configuration Manager and the Software Update management workflow to update installations of Microsoft Apps, we recommend that you create a separate collection for your Windows 7 devices.
Then, use a query rule to add members to the collection. On the second Tuesday of each month, a new update package for Version that is only for devices running Windows 7 will be made available in the Microsoft Update Catalog. There will be an update package for each architecture x86 or x That update package can be used with whichever update channel of Microsoft Apps you have deployed. There won't be separate update packages of Version for each update channel. For example, the same update package can be used to update a Current Channel or a Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel installation of Microsoft Apps on devices running Windows 7.
In the Office Updates node, you'll see entries like the following, where will be replaced by the most current build number:.
These update packages are configured to apply only to devices running Windows 7. These update packages can't be used to update Microsoft Apps on devices running other supported operating systems, such as Windows 11 or Windows If you use an automatic deployment rule ADR , you should create a new rule for these update packages.
Then, use the new rule for your collection that contains your Windows 7 devices. We recommend using the "Title" property and searching for "Microsoft Apps Update for Windows 7" and the architecture you support. If you support both x86 and x64, you can include both updates in one Software Update Package as clients will apply the appropriate update. You should also check other existing ADRs to make sure they don't incorrectly try to apply these update packages, which are only for devices running Windows 7, to devices running other operating systems.
Version will be available until January and will receive security updates, as needed, during that time. For a list of security updates included in releases of Version , see Release notes for Microsoft Office security updates. Versions of Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel are available usually for only 14 months, but we're making an exception for Version in order to align with the availability dates of Windows 7 ESU.
The extended availability of Version until January applies only to devices running Windows 7. After you move Microsoft Apps to a supported Windows operating system, you can configure Microsoft Apps to begin receiving newer versions and feature updates again. Since updates for Microsoft Apps are cumulative, you'll receive all the feature updates that you missed while your device was running Windows 7.
If you're getting updates directly from the Office CDN on the internet, after the device is moved to a supported operating system, Microsoft Apps will be updated automatically to the most current version available for that update channel and will start receiving new features again.
