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I can't use my MS Word program since I updated to macOS Catalina. Didn't I pay for original Word? Why do I need to pay more, even monthly?
iMac 21.5″, macOS 10.15
Yes, you did pay for it. I've paid for multiple cars over the years, too, and they also needed to be replaced.
A perpetual license doesn't mean you can use the software for all eternity. One of the developers at 1Password explained it very well (paraphrasing a bit here).
A perpetual license means you can install that software on any computer and OS combination it will run on. The serial number will always work. It doesn't mean you will get free updates or upgrades on that purchase forever.
MS gave users a very generous eight years of updates on Office 2011. From Snow Leopard, all the way through High Sierra. That's a lot of work with no pay to cover their expenses. Programmers don't work for free, among all of the other daily expenses for a business.
2011 is not just 32 bit only software, which will not run on Catalina or later (they require all software to be 64 bit), but MS dropped all support for it last fall. They've even shut off the activation servers for it. Office 2011is dead. Obsolete.
MS changed the system requirements for the Mac a couple of years ago. Instead of constantly patching older titles so they'll run under numerous versions of the Mac OS, perpetual license versions, from their release date now run under three major Mac OS releases. Period.
Per MS' three year rule, Office 2016 (no longer sold) will only run under El Capitan 10.11.x through High Sierra 10.13.x. Office 2019 will only run under Mojave 10.14.x through Big Sur 11.x. Because Big Sur is the three year cutoff for 2019, Office 2021 (or 2022, whichever MS calls it), will be released in conjunction with macOS Monterey this fall since Office 2019 will not run under it.
If you require Office, and you want a perpetual license rather than the 365 subscription, the cheapest option is to get the single user license of 365 now and pay for it $6.99 monthly rather than for a year. Then as soon as Office 2021/2022 is released, purchase that and cancel 365.
Yes, you did pay for it. I've paid for multiple cars over the years, too, and they also needed to be replaced.
A perpetual license doesn't mean you can use the software for all eternity. One of the developers at 1Password explained it very well (paraphrasing a bit here).
A perpetual license means you can install that software on any computer and OS combination it will run on. The serial number will always work. It doesn't mean you will get free updates or upgrades on that purchase forever.
MS gave users a very generous eight years of updates on Office 2011. From Snow Leopard, all the way through High Sierra. That's a lot of work with no pay to cover their expenses. Programmers don't work for free, among all of the other daily expenses for a business.
2011 is not just 32 bit only software, which will not run on Catalina or later (they require all software to be 64 bit), but MS dropped all support for it last fall. They've even shut off the activation servers for it. Office 2011is dead. Obsolete.
MS changed the system requirements for the Mac a couple of years ago. Instead of constantly patching older titles so they'll run under numerous versions of the Mac OS, perpetual license versions, from their release date now run under three major Mac OS releases. Period.
Per MS' three year rule, Office 2016 (no longer sold) will only run under El Capitan 10.11.x through High Sierra 10.13.x. Office 2019 will only run under Mojave 10.14.x through Big Sur 11.x. Because Big Sur is the three year cutoff for 2019, Office 2021 (or 2022, whichever MS calls it), will be released in conjunction with macOS Monterey this fall since Office 2019 will not run under it.
If you require Office, and you want a perpetual license rather than the 365 subscription, the cheapest option is to get the single user license of 365 now and pay for it $6.99 monthly rather than for a year. Then as soon as Office 2021/2022 is released, purchase that and cancel 365.
This issue has been addressed many, many times here. When you upgraded your operating system to Catalina, you lost the ability to open and run older 32 bit applications. Now, only 64 bit applications can be opened. If you wish to continue using Word, you will have to pay for a current 64 bit version to upgrade it. The alternative, which I do not recommend, is to wipe your disk and reinstall your older OS. If you wish, there are free alternative apps which can open Word documents and can save in the Word format, such as Libreoffice. You can also use the already installed Apple app Notes.
Ronasara wrote:
You can also use the already installed Apple app Notes.
Say what? Apple's Notes application does not open MS documents.
And the caveat emptor of using Pages, Numbers, and Keynote with MS documents is that everything is translated into Apple document formats and that is not guaranteed to be either successful or look anything like what the original MS document looked like in the MS applications.
I misspoke. I meant to say Pages, not Notes. Thank you for correcting me. While it is true that Pages can open Word documents and can save in Word format, it is correct to note that formatting may be affected. (Also true with LibreOffice.) However, the differences will not be significant and can generally be fixed with editing. I am not a fan of Pages. I was merely offering an alternative.
Look into the Free LibreOffice, it handles MS Office files like Word & Excel, & Page Layout…
I can't use my MS Word program since I updated to macOS Catalina. Didn't I pay for original Word? Why do I need to pay more, even monthly?
