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Microsoft warns: Office 2010 support is ending so buy Office 365 ProPlus

Microsoft warns Office 2010 users that in one year it will no longer provide patches.
Written by Liam Tung, Contributing Writer

With Office 2010 support now reaching the final year of its 10-year lifecycle, Microsoft is ramping up its messaging for customers to migrate to its newer Office 365 ProPlus bundle.   

The company announced this week that extended support for Office 2010 will end on October 13, 2020. And as with Windows 7, which also reaches end of life in January 2020, that means no more tech support, bug fixes or security patches. 

Customers do have the option of upgrading to the on-premise Office 2019 for a one-time purchase, but Microsoft really wants enterprise customers to move to Office 365 ProPlus per-user subscription. 

SEE: 20 pro tips to make Windows 10 work the way you want (free PDF)

The key difference Microsoft highlights in its Office 2010 roadmap between the two newer products is that Office 365 ProPlus is updated regularly with new features, while Office 2019 has the same features it had when it was released in October 2018.  

Office 365 ProPlus, which comes with most enterprise plans, includes the "full versions of Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, Access, and Skype for Business installed on your client computers". It also allows people to install Office on up to five devices, be they PCs, Macs, or mobile devices.

"Consider just a few benefits: AI and machine learning to advance creativity and innovation, real-time collaboration across apps, and Microsoft Teams as the hub for teamwork," said Jared Spataro, corporate vice president for Microsoft 365.  

"With built-in, cloud-powered security to protect your data, Office 365 ProPlus also provides the peace of mind that comes with knowing your business will not only be productive, but safe."

Some of the main features Microsoft has added to Office 365 since releasing Office 2010 include Excel's XLOOKUP, the successor to the VLOOKUP formula; Excel real-time collaboration across PCs, laptops and mobile; Word's Resume assistant; dictation in Word and the upcoming ability to upload audio files for automatic transcription.  

There's also an AI-powered feature in PowerPoint that offers suggested slide designs and PowerPoint inking, voice and 3D capabilities. 

Microsoft last month announced it was extending security updates for Exchange Server 2010 from January 14, 2020 – which aligned with Windows 7's end of life – to October 13, 2020. The new cut-off date aligns with both Office 2010 and SharePoint Server 2010. 

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