Microsoft degrades functionality of perpetually-licensed offline products

Microsoft will convert perpetually-licensed Office 2019 and 2021 for Mac to view-only mode on July 13, 2026, when a license-validation certificate expires, despite previously assuring customers the software would "continue to function" after support ended. The company removed the "continue to function" promise from its support page in May 2026 and provided no update path for Office 2019 users, effectively breaking its original commitment to maintain functionality for the one-time purchase product.