Microsoft Office 2019 for Mac to become read-only in July 2026 due to expiring license certificate
By
Moritz Förster
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Summary
Microsoft has announced that on July 13, 2026, a digital certificate used to verify Office licenses will expire. This will cause older Office versions for macOS and iOS to automatically switch to a restricted read-only mode, where users can only open, view, and print documents. Editing, saving, or creating new documents will no longer be possible. This particularly impacts users of older Mac versions of Office (like Office 2019 for Mac) for which no suitable update exists, effectively turning their licensed software into a read-only program.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledOn July 13, 2026, a digital certificate will expire, which Microsoft uses to check the licenses of its Office programs.
Older Office versions for macOS and iOS will automatically switch to a restricted mode.
Users will then only be able to open, view, and print documents. Editing, saving, or creating new documents will no longer be possible.
This particularly affects users of older Mac versions of Office for which no suitable update exists.
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