Lost files during transfer from one iMac to a new one.
I recently got a new mac and transferred my data but my ms office files did not convert, because system says I need an upgrade. Will my files return once I get an upgraded MS office.
Question marked as
Top-ranking reply
Your files migrated just fine. What did not migrate is MS Office for two reasons:
- Catalina Macs OS 10.15.x will only run 64 bit applications. If you were running a 32 bit version it simply will not run on Catalina and you MUST upgrade.
- Both Microsoft and Adobe make their professional apps so they will not migrate period. So even if you had a 64 bit version of Office for Mac installed it will not migrate. However you can still simply re-install the version and then use the security key Microsoft provided to complete the installation.
And yes, once you have installed a 64bit version of Office for Mac your files will work just like they did on the old computer.
Finally, you have alternatives to Office for Mac, there is Libre Office which is web based and runs just like the MS version. You can also subscribe to Microsoft's 365 and remember the Apple Pages and Numbers apps will read and write to MS format.