Office 2013 End of Support: Is It Still Safe to Use in 2026?

Published: November 1, 2026 | Updated: November 1, 2026

Office 2013 end of support arrived on April 11, 2023, yet plenty of PCs still open Word 2013 and Excel 2013 every morning without complaint. That is because end of support affects Microsoft’s servicing commitment rather than switching off the software. Office 2013 still launches, still opens your documents and, in many cases, still activates. What it no longer gets is protection.

So the real questions are more practical. Is Office 2013 still safe to use in 2026? Will Outlook 2013 keep working with your email? Can you run it on Windows 11? And if you do upgrade, should you choose Office 2024, Office LTSC 2024 or Microsoft 365?

This guide explains what Office 2013 end of support means for home users, small businesses and IT admins, which related products ended on the same day, and how to move to a supported version without losing files, macros or mail.

Office 2013 End of Support: Quick Answer

Here is the current position as of November 2026:

• Office 2013 reached end of support on April 11, 2023, more than three and a half years ago.
• It no longer receives security updates, non-security updates, bug fixes or technical support from Microsoft.
• Microsoft offered no paid extension for Office 2013, so there is no Extended Security Update program to join.
• Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, Publisher and OneNote 2013 still open and run.
• Connecting Office 2013 to Microsoft 365 services such as Exchange Online is not supported.
• Project 2013, Visio 2013, Exchange Server 2013 and SharePoint Server 2013 ended on the same date.
• The current one-time-purchase options are Office 2024 for home and business, and Office LTSC 2024 for volume-style deployments, both supported until October 9, 2029.

In short, Office 2013 still works after Office 2013 end of support, but every month you keep it is a month of unpatched exposure, especially in Outlook and in files you receive from other people.

Is Office 2013 Still Supported?

No. Office 2013 end of support is final. Office 2013 followed Microsoft’s Fixed Lifecycle Policy, which means it had a set number of years of mainstream support followed by a set number of years of extended support, and both phases are now over.

A quick definition of each phase:

• Mainstream Support: security fixes, non-security fixes and occasional improvements.
• Extended Support: security fixes only, plus paid support options.
• End of support: no fixes of any kind and no Microsoft technical help.

Microsoft’s official Microsoft Office 2013 lifecycle page provides the full table, including the separate end date of the original release before Service Pack 1.

Office 2013 End of Support Dates by Version and Related Product

Office 2013 end of support is one milestone among several Office versions that have now ended. Here is how the versions line up, newest first:

If your PC runs any Office version older than 2024, it is already outside Microsoft support.

If you are on one of the newer ended versions, our guides to Office 2019 End of Support and Office 2021 End of Support cover those dates in detail. This article focuses on the 2013 generation.

Which Products Ended With Office 2013 End of Support?

The Office 2013 end of support date was shared by a long list of desktop apps and servers. Microsoft’s announcement names these desktop products:

• Office 2013 suites (Home and Student, Home and Business, Professional, Professional Plus, Standard)
• Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Access and Publisher 2013
• Project 2013 and Visio 2013
• Lync 2013 and Skype for Business 2015

On the server side, the same date applied to:

• Exchange Server 2013
• SharePoint Server 2013 and SharePoint Foundation 2013
• Project Server 2013
• Lync Server 2013 and Office Web Apps Server 2013

Microsoft’s Office 2013 and Skype for Business 2015 end-of-support announcement also states that there would be no option to extend support for any of these products beyond April 2023.

What About Project 2013 and Visio 2013?

They ended too, as part of the same Office 2013 end of support date. Microsoft states that desktop Project and Visio share the end-of-support dates of the Office suite from the same generation, so Project 2013 and Visio 2013 lost support on April 11, 2023.

That matters because people often replace Office and forget that Visio or Project sits beside it with its own separate license. If you rely on either, plan those upgrades together. Bcdkey’s Microsoft Project and Microsoft Visio ranges list the current versions.

What About Outlook 2013 and Microsoft 365 Email?

Outlook 2013 is the riskiest part of the suite, because it handles messages and attachments from strangers every day. It is also the part most affected by service changes since Office 2013 end of support.

Microsoft’s page on Office versions and Microsoft 365 connectivity says older Office versions might still be able to connect to Microsoft 365 services, but that connectivity is not supported. Microsoft adds that these versions may miss newer features and may run into performance or reliability problems over time.

In practice, Outlook 2013 can be the first app to show trouble: sign-in prompts that repeat, mailboxes that stop syncing, or features that quietly disappear. If your email runs on Exchange Online, treat Outlook 2013 as living on borrowed time. Microsoft’s official Office versions and connectivity to Microsoft 365 services page lists which versions are currently supported for connection.

Does End of Support Mean Office 2013 Will Stop Working?

Usually not. Office 2013 end of support does not trigger a shutdown. Office 2013 does not contain a timer that disables it after the end-of-support date, and your documents remain yours.

Here is what stopped on April 11, 2023:

• Security fixes for newly discovered vulnerabilities
• Non-security updates and bug fixes
• Microsoft technical support for Office 2013 issues
• Online technical content updates for Office 2013
• Supported connection to Microsoft 365 services

What did not stop:

• Opening, editing and saving documents
• Most offline features you already use
• Existing activations on the PC where Office 2013 is already installed

Remember that other components have their own lifecycles. Windows, your email service, your printer drivers and add-ins from other vendors each follow their own support schedules, and any of them can drop Office 2013 compatibility independently.

Is Office 2013 Still Safe to Use in 2026?

Not for everyday work on a connected PC. Since Office 2013 end of support in April 2023, any newly found flaw in Word, Excel, PowerPoint or Outlook 2013 stays unpatched, and attackers know older Office builds are a soft target.

The most common risk is not dramatic. It is a booby-trapped attachment that a supported Office version would handle safely, opened in an app that never received the fix.

Office 2013 is more defensible in narrow cases:

• An offline PC that never handles outside email or downloads
• A legacy machine kept only to open old Access databases or Publisher files
• A test or archive environment isolated from the main network

Even then, Office 2013 is a museum piece you visit, not a desk you work at all day.

Can You Run Office 2013 on Windows 11?

It often installs and runs, but it is not a supported combination. Windows 11 arrived in October 2021, years after Office 2013 left mainstream support, and once Office 2013 itself reached end of support there was no supported Windows version left to pair it with.

This catches people who move to a new Windows 11 PC and reinstall their old Office 2013 disc or key. The install may succeed, but you have put an unpatched app on a fully patched operating system, which is a bit like fitting a new lock to a door left open.

Windows 10 itself reached end of support on October 14, 2025. If you are still planning that move, our guide to the Windows 10 ESU End Date explains the current options, and the Windows 11 Home vs Pro comparison helps with the edition choice.

Who Is Most Affected by Office 2013 End of Support?

The impact of Office 2013 end of support depends on how you use Office.

Home Users and Students

For home users, Office 2013 end of support mostly changes the risk of opening files. If you write documents, manage a budget and send the occasional presentation, the main risk is email attachments and downloaded files. A simple move to Office 2024 Home or Home & Business usually solves the problem without changing how you work.

Freelancers and Small Businesses

For freelancers, Office 2013 end of support is mostly about client files and email. Customers expect you to open modern documents reliably, and a security incident on a business PC costs far more than an Office upgrade. Outlook 2013 with a hosted mailbox is the first thing to retire.

IT Admins and Organizations

After Office 2013 end of support, organizations face compliance questions as well as security ones. Unsupported software can fail audits, cyber-insurance questionnaires and customer security reviews. If Exchange Server 2013 or SharePoint Server 2013 is still running, involve an experienced administrator, because those migrations are larger projects than a desktop Office upgrade.

How to Check Your Office Version

Before acting on Office 2013 end of support, confirm which version you actually have. Many PCs run Office 2013 without anyone remembering it. To check:

1. Open Word, Excel or any other Office app.
2. Select File → Account.
3. Look under Product Information for the product name, such as “Microsoft Office Professional 2013”.
4. Select About Word (or the matching app) to see the version number.
5. Check the first digits: 15.0 means Office 2013, while 16.0 is used by Office 2016 and every newer version.

Because Office 2016, 2019, 2021 and 2024 all show 16.0, always read the product name too. The version number alone will not tell those newer versions apart.

How to Upgrade From Office 2013 Safely

Moving on after Office 2013 end of support is simple on one PC and surprisingly detailed across twenty. Follow these steps:

1. Record which Office apps you actually use, including Access, Publisher, Project and Visio.
2. Back up documents, Outlook data files (.pst), templates and custom dictionaries.
3. Export Outlook account settings and note any add-ins you rely on.
4. Choose the replacement edition and confirm it includes every app you listed in step 1.
5. Uninstall Office 2013 through Settings → Apps → Installed apps.
6. Restart the PC.
7. Install the new Office version from the official installer for your license.
8. Activate with your new product key.
9. Reconnect Outlook to your mailbox and confirm mail, calendar and contacts sync.
10. Open a sample of important files, macros and templates to confirm they behave.

Microsoft’s upgrade guidance recommends removing earlier Office versions before installing a newer one, especially MSI-based volume installs, to avoid conflicts.

Test these components first before moving everyone:

• Excel workbooks with VBA macros
• Access 2013 databases and linked tables
• Third-party add-ins for Outlook or Excel
• Complex templates and mail-merge documents
• Publisher 2013 files

For organizations, upgrade a small pilot group of users first and keep a rollback plan until their work is confirmed. Need installation help? See Bcdkey’s guide on How to Download, Install and Activate Office 2024 Professional Plus.

IMPORTANT: Do not uninstall Office 2013 until your Outlook data and any Access databases are backed up and tested in a copy. Mail kept only in a local data file is easy to lose track of during a rebuild, so copy it somewhere safe first.

What Replaces Publisher 2013 After Office 2013 End of Support?

Publisher needs its own plan. Office 2013 Professional included Publisher, but Office LTSC 2024 does not, because Microsoft announced the retirement of Publisher in October 2026.

If you still have important .pub files, open them in Publisher 2013 while you can and save copies as PDF, or rebuild key layouts in Word or PowerPoint. This is a ten-minute job per file now and an awkward hunt for a working copy of Publisher later.

Should You Stay on Office 2013 or Upgrade to Office 2024?

Newer is not automatically better, but Office 2013 end of support makes this decision easier than usual.

Stay with Office 2013 for now when:

• The PC is offline and used only for legacy files
• A specific old add-in or database has no tested replacement yet
• You are already scheduled to replace the PC within weeks

Consider Office 2024 when:

• You use Outlook for daily email
• You exchange files with clients, schools or colleagues
• The PC runs Windows 11 or will soon
• Your business faces audits or security questionnaires
• You want a one-time purchase rather than a subscription

If you prefer the subscription route, our explainer Is There a Lifetime Microsoft 365 Key? compares Microsoft 365 with Office 2024 honestly, including what “lifetime” really means.

Which Office Version Replaces Office 2013?

After Office 2013 end of support, the right replacement depends on which Office 2013 edition you had and how many PCs you manage. Version and edition are separate choices: the version is the year (2024), while the edition decides which apps you get.

For most home users, Microsoft Office 2024 Home covers Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote on one PC, linked to your Microsoft account. It does not include Outlook, so choose a different edition if you use desktop email.

Freelancers and small offices usually fit Microsoft Office Home & Business 2024, which adds Outlook and business-use rights for one Mac or Windows PC.

If you relied on Access in Office Professional 2013, Microsoft Office 2024 Professional Plus LTSC includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote and Access for one PC. Teams standardizing many machines can look at Office 2024 Pro Plus LTSC 20PC. Each key activates only the edition it was issued for, so match the installer to the key.

For a side-by-side look at the newer versions, read our Office 2024 vs Office 2021 comparison, or browse the full Office 2024 range.

Can You Still Buy and Activate Office 2013?

Yes, but only for specific legacy needs, and Office 2013 end of support still applies to new copies. Bcdkey still lists the Microsoft Office 2013 Professional Retail Key for one PC with online activation, which can make sense when an old line-of-business tool was only ever tested with Office 2013.

Be clear about the limits. It will not receive security updates, it is not supported on Windows 11 or for Microsoft 365 connectivity, and it is a poor choice for a primary work PC. For new installations, a supported version is the better purchase.

If online activation of any Office version fails, Microsoft phone activation may be offered instead. Need to activate by phone? Use the Bcdkey Get Confirmation ID tool, and see our guide Confirmation ID Explained for what the Installation ID and Confirmation ID mean.

Recommended Action by Installed Version

Use this table to decide what to do next after Office 2013 end of support:

Final Thoughts

Office 2013 end of support is not really about whether Word 2013 still opens. It is about whether the apps reading your email and attachments still receive security fixes, and since April 11, 2023 they have not.

For most people, the simplest path is to back up, uninstall Office 2013 and install Office 2024 in the edition that matches the apps you actually use. Readers with bigger plans, such as moving a whole office to cloud email, may prefer Microsoft 365, and organizations still running Exchange Server 2013 or SharePoint Server 2013 should treat those servers as a separate, higher-priority project.

One concrete Office 2013 end of support step for this week: check File → Account on every PC in your home or office, and list each one still showing Office 2013.

When you are ready to choose an edition, compare the Microsoft Office range on Bcdkey.

FAQ About Office 2013 End of Support: Is It Still Safe to Use in 2026?

When did Office 2013 end of support happen?

April 11, 2023. On that date Office 2013 stopped receiving security updates, bug fixes and Microsoft technical support, and no paid extension was offered.

Does Office 2013 still work after Office 2013 end of support?

Yes. Office 2013 still opens, edits and saves files, but it no longer receives fixes, so newly found vulnerabilities remain unpatched.

Is there an Extended Security Update program for Office 2013?

No. Office 2013 end of support was final, and Microsoft stated there would be no option to extend support for Office 2013 or the related 2013 products beyond April 2023.

Can Outlook 2013 connect to Microsoft 365 or Exchange Online?

Not officially. Outlook 2013 may still connect, but Microsoft does not support that connection. Microsoft warns that older versions can lose features and develop reliability problems over time.

Is Office 2013 supported on Windows 11?

No. Office 2013 itself is out of support, so running it on Windows 11 is an unsupported combination even if it installs successfully.

Do I need a new product key to upgrade from Office 2013 to Office 2024?

Yes. Office 2013 keys do not activate Office 2024, so you need a key for the Office 2024 edition you install.

Will my Office 2013 files open in Office 2024?

Yes. Office 2024 opens .docx, .xlsx and .pptx files created in Office 2013, but you should test macros, add-ins and Access databases before retiring the old version.

Did Project 2013 and Visio 2013 reach end of support too?

Yes. Project 2013 and Visio 2013 ended on April 11, 2023, the same date as the Office 2013 suites, and each needs its own replacement license.

Can Office 2013 and Office 2024 be installed on the same PC?

Normally, no. Microsoft recommends removing earlier Office versions before installing a newer one to avoid conflicts, so back up and uninstall Office 2013 first.