End of support for Microsoft Office 2016/2019 by October 2025
Support-Ende von Microsoft Office 2016/2019 im Oktober 2025 / End of support for Microsoft Office 2016/2019 by October 2025
Dear members and affiliates of JLU,
Microsoft Office 2016 and 2019 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) will no longer receive updates from the manufacturer after October 14, 2025.
Newly discovered security vulnerabilities will then no longer be closed and can be exploited by malware. Microsoft Office 2016 and 2019 may therefore no longer be used at JLU from mid-October onwards.
Free Microsoft 365
However, the Microsoft Campus Agreement provides all employees and students with the latest version of Microsoft Office 365 at no additional cost. To use Office 365, you need a personal Microsoft account, which you must create yourself before switching.
Instructions for doing so can be found here.
Once you have registered, the license will be active within an hour at the latest.
If you use already Microsoft 365, you don't need to take any action.
For areas supported by the HRZ (e.g., administration, BFS, ECCPS), we offer assistance with account creation; to make an appointment, please send an email to support@hrz.uni-giessen.de.
If you already have a Microsoft account but no longer have the login details, please refer to the FAQ entries at the bottom here.
The procedure
The procedure for switching to Office 365 depends on your work area.
a) In areas centrally managed by HRZ:
The switchover will be carried out using the “Baramundi” software distribution system (exclusively via cable connection within the JLU network, no installation via Wi-Fi or VPN).
Once you have created your Microsoft account, please contact support@hrz.uni-giessen.de to arrange an appointment.
b) In independently managed institutions:
Please contact the IT administration staff responsible for your area directly.
c) In areas to which neither (a) nor (b) applies:
Please carry out the changeover yourself. If you encounter any problems, please contact the HRZ IT helpdesk at (0641) 99-13100 or support@hrz.uni-giessen.de. If you require additional on-site support, the HRZ offers a fee-based service called “Rent-a-HiWi” (hourly billing for the time worked).
Please note that the range of functions will not be expanded by the switch to MS Office 365; Cloud modules of the M365 offering are still not approved for use.
If you have any questions, please contact the IT support team at the University Computer Center.
With kind regards
Prof. Dr. Eberhard Kurz
- CIO und Leiter des Hochschulrechenzentrums -