MS Office Apps Retired

While there's already the upcoming end of life for Windows 10, Microsoft is announcing another end of life - for the Microsoft Store Office apps.

Many of the computers set up by the Ridge Support team have already had these apps removed and/or the click-to-run versions installed and pinned instead, but this is notable since they come pre-installed on almost all Windows-based systems for years.

There was already the potential for other issues to arise when using the store apps with an organizational account, but now those apps will cease to receive security updates and patches come December of 2026.

The move does make sense given that there really wasn't any reason for Microsoft to have supported two different versions of the same apps for so long anyway. It's important to remember that this change only affects the Microsoft Store version of the apps and NOT the click-to-run versions.

You can check this in your apps by opening Word or Excel and clicking "File" in the top left corner. From there, clicking on the "Account" option should bring up a page that includes the version details of your install. This will list if it's a click-to-run or store version that you are using, as in the image below.

Again, if your version comes up as a click-to-run app, then there should not be any change to your workflow.

If you'd like assistance checking or setting up a new workflow through the click-to-run apps, please feel free to reach out to our offices to setup a time to discuss or to have one of our technicians take a look at the situation for you.

We strive to look out for the best interest of our customers and their procurement in the IT venue. Be it hardware, software or service related, we want to guide you in the most effective manner possible.