Catalina and Office Home & Business 2019

I just bought Office Home & Business 2019 but have an older Mac Air running Catalina 10.15.7 and it can't upgrade to Big Sur. When I try to run the Office install, it says it requires macOS 11.0 or later. I know Office only supports the latest 3 versions (Catalina is 4) so is there a way to get a version of 2019 that will work with my older Mac?

Posted on Dec 17, 2022 2:50 PM

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Dec 18, 2022 8:55 AM in response to NPursuit2

Nope. Microsoft will not let you install any Office software on an operating system that they no longer support. Your options are:


  1. Get a refund if you can on that Office 2019 for Mac purchase. That product will be retired anyway in Fall 2023.
  2. Microsoft provides free access to its online versions of Office applications provided you have a Microsoft account.
  3. Look into Softmaker's Office 2021 for Mac solutions (supported all the way back to macOS High Sierra), and less expensive that Microsoft with or without subscription. Softmaker has a free trial.
  4. The free LibreOffice which is an MS Office clone with its own PDF documentation.
  5. Get a newer Mac that can run Big Sur and later so you can install Office 2021 for Mac. If you know where to look (e.g. AppleInsider, Techbargains), you can still get the license for around $30USD. That is what I did.
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Catalina and Office Home & Business 2019

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