Microsoft’s 5-year support timeline actually makes sense for Office LTSC, as the product will launch around the same time as Windows 10 LTSC and experience a similar lifecycle.

Office LTSC (long-term support channel) is intended for businesses that need a stable, unchanging version of the Office software. The business-oriented Office LTSC, on the other hand, will see a 10% price increase. Microsoft says that Office 2021 will cost $250 (the same price as Office 2019), which is the same price that you’d pay for three years of Microsoft 365, a service that always sports the latest features and is accessible from any device at any time. While this 5-year timeline isn’t a death-blow to the traditional Office software suite, it raises questions about how cost-effective Office really is. But Microsoft is only offering 5 years of support for Office 2021 and Office LTSC. The previous Office release, Office 2019, came with a 7-year support cycle to cover bugs and security vulnerabilities. Office 2021 and Office LTSC will not enjoy the 7-year support cycle seen with previous releases of the Office software suite. And while the company is gearing up to release Office 2021 and Office LTSC with the traditional one-time purchase model, there’s a catch. Microsoft has spent the last decade pushing customers to its cloud-based Microsoft 365 subscription service.

Microsoft office end of life dates