Compatability of Office 2019 with Big Sur and Monterey--and/or any way to install Office 2021 in Mojave?

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Compatability of Office 2019 with Big Sur and Monterey--and/or any way to install Office 2021 in Mojave?

I need to stay in Mojave for a while, but I need Office. I was gonna get home and business 2021, but you can't install that version in Mojave--but apparently if it's already installed there it runs fine. Does anyone know if it would work to install Office 2021 on an external Big Sur drive, then copy it over to my internal Mojave and have it run without problems? If that's not possible, does anyone know if I can run Office 2019 on Big Sur or Monterey? I know it works fine in Mojave. Thanks so much, I'm trying to anticipate the inevitable OS upgrade, but still need to get work done in Mojave, and I do not want the subscription.

iMac Pro

Posted on Dec 16, 2021 10:10 AM

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Answer 1

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drpmc Author

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Dec 17, 2021 4:59 PM in response to drpmc

Well the solution I found--I purchased Office 2019 Home & Business, which works with both Big Sur and Monterey--and then downloaded the earlier v 16.54 of that softwre--the last version of Office 2019 that installs and runs under Mojave. So a slightly older OS running a slightly older Office on Mojave. My original idea of installing the current version under Big Sur then copying to Mojave was doomed from the start--when I reboot into Mojve, the system says it doesn't recognize the Big Sur drive where Office 2019 was installed. Thank you all for your help. And it looks like I'll be able to run my Mojave music setup under Big Sur--just a bunch of downloading updates involved--but some stuff is still not Monterey compatible. Happy holidays all, take care.

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Answer 2

6x6

Level 6

15,536 points

Dec 16, 2021 10:20 AM in response to drpmc

It would be almost impossible to copy MS Office. When you install it, it copies files in several locations on your Mac. Tracking them is not feasible.
MS Office 2019 (or 2021) will be compatible with macOS Big Sur or Monterey. From Microsoft’s website:

Office 2019 for Mac is supported on the three most recent versions of macOS. When a new version of macOS is released, the Office 2019 for Mac Operating System requirement becomes the three most recent versions at that time. That is, the new version of macOS plus the previous two versions.

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Answer 3

BDAqua

Level 10

245,477 points

Dec 16, 2021 10:18 AM in response to drpmc

Look into the Free LibreOffice, it handles MS Office files like Word & Excel, & Page Layout…

https://www.libreoffice.org/

And thanks to VikingOSX…

Let's not overlook SoftMaker's Office 2021 suite which has familiar Word and Excel UI design, and opens these documents in their native formats.

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Answer 4

drpmc Author

Level 1

4 points

Dec 16, 2021 10:30 AM in response to BDAqua

Thanks for the fast reply! I'm just not quite ready to cut the cord with Office, so I'm still hoping someone can suggest a Microsoft-based solution. I had seen libre and open office, didn't know about SoftMaker--I do appreciate the suggestion. Take care, happy holidays!

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Answer 5

drpmc Author

Level 1

4 points

Dec 16, 2021 10:38 AM in response to 6x6

Thanks for confirming 2019 compatibility--that would be my second choice (I just realized I misspelled compatibility in my question! Apologies!) I know it wouldn't be easy, but I'm hoping someone has managed to install Office in Big Sur or Monterey and managed to get it onto a Mojave disk and have it run without errors--I just hate buying an older version of Office. Take care

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Answer 6

6x6

Level 6

15,536 points

Dec 16, 2021 12:19 PM in response to drpmc

Prior to December 2021, you could have installed MS Office 2021 on macOS Mojave but this window is now closed. Even if you were able to copy/install MS Office 2021 on macOS Mojave, you would not receive any update of MS Office 2021, in particular the security updates which, in my opinion, are critical.

My recommendation would be to upgrade to at least macOS Catalina (the minimum macOS for Office 2021). Please be cognizant that if you do so, your 32-bit apps will no longer work and you will have to download the 64-bit versions of those apps, which may incur a cost if they are not free.

Lastly, Microsoft offers a non-subscription version of Office 2021. It is called "Office Home & Student 2021 One-time purchase for PC and Mac". You will find it here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/buy/compare-all-microsoft-365-products. Scroll down to the section "Compare Microsoft 365 with Office" to see it.

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Answer 7

drpmc Author

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4 points

Dec 16, 2021 2:43 PM in response to 6x6

Thx @6x6--that's exactly the issue--I have a couple of things I depend on that are 32-bit only (music software/plugins) and so I can't upgrade yet--looks like I'll have to find a deal on the 2019 version which will run on all the above--I had hoped since Office can be installed on an external drive, and since 2021 will run under Mojave, just won't install, I thought I had a chance of pulling off an install under Big Sur--but not looking promising--thank you all for your answers--much appreciate it. If I do figure out how to pull that off I'll be sure to post. Happy holidays to all!

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Answer 8

drpmc Author

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4 points

Dec 17, 2021 5:05 PM in response to drpmc

You can download earlier versions of Office for Mac directly from Microsoft going back to 16.27 (the current version is 16.56) https://docs.microsoft.com/en-au/officeupdates/update-history-office-for-mac

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Compatability of Office 2019 with Big Sur and Monterey--and/or any way to install Office 2021 in Mojave?

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