Microsoft Bricking Microsoft Office 2019 for Mac

[usonian]

https://mjtsai.com/blog/2026/06/02/bricking-microsoft-office-2019/

If you are still using Microsoft Office 2019 for Mac, it will stop working fully on 13 July 2026. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook will enter “reduced functionality mode”—a euphemism meaning you can view and print documents but cannot edit, save, or create new ones. Microsoft’s documentation doesn’t clarify what this means for Outlook users.

Why is this happening? A security certificate expiration is forcing Office 2019 into read-only mode, though Microsoft acknowledges this only obliquely in the FAQ. Without a current certificate, the apps can’t confirm you have a legitimate license.

Amber Neely:

It’s also bricking its mobile apps on devices running iPadOS 16 and iOS 16 or earlier.

This is why I love Free and Open Source software.
Activation? It's called "Open the damn app"
I use Libre Office. It runs on everything.
(not mobile, that I know of. Mobile apps are a fright.)

[eppur_se_muova]

1. Malwarebytes sent out some info on this FOR WINDOWS USERS ...

still, the ideas might be useful to understand what's going on. It's all a question of security certificates. Apparently, if you can install the certificates, all is OK, but that might not be possible w/really old software (and maybe hardware).

[Sector 001]

2. Try FreeOffice

https://www.freeoffice.com/en/

[usonian]

3. Colorful!