Microsoft Office
Microsoft to disable Excel workbook links to blocked file types
Microsoft has announced that it will start disabling external workbook links to blocked file types by default between October 2025 and July 2026. After the rollout, Excel workbooks referencing blocked file types will display a #BLOCKED error or fail to refresh, eliminating security risks associated with accessing unsupported or high-risk file types, including, but not […]
Microsoft will update Office apps on Windows 10 until 2028
Microsoft has backtracked on its plan to end support for Office apps on Windows 10 later this year and announced that it will continue providing security updates for three more years, until 2028. This announcement comes after the company warned in January that it would drop support for Microsoft 365 Apps like Word, and they’ll have to upgrade their […]
Microsoft announces fix for CPU spikes when typing in Outlook
Microsoft says it will soon fix a known issue causing CPU spikes when typing messages in recent versions of its classic Outlook email client. Redmond confirmed this bug last week after a wave of user reports on various online platforms since early November, including Microsoft’s community website, with those affected saying that disabling all spell-check options and add-ins […]
Microsoft: Office 2016 and Office 2019 reach end of support in October
Microsoft has reminded customers that Office 2016 and Office 2019 will reach the end of extended support six months from now, on October 14, 2025. Office 2019 reached the end of mainstream support in October 2023, while Office 2016 reached its end date three years earlier, in October 2020. “After that date, no further updates, security fixes, […]
Microsoft blocks ActiveX by default in Microsoft 365, Office 2024
Microsoft announced it will begin disabling all ActiveX controls in Windows versions of Microsoft 365 and Office 2024 applications later this month. Introduced almost three decades ago, in 1996, ActiveX is a legacy software framework enabling developers to create interactive objects embedded in Office documents. After this change rolls out, ActiveX will be blocked entirely […]
Microsoft warns of CPU spikes when typing in classic Outlook
Microsoft warned Windows users of increased CPU usage when typing while using recent versions of the classic Outlook email client. The company acknowledged this issue following a wave of user reports on social media and various online platforms since early November, including Microsoft’s community website. Those affected reported that disabling all spell-check options and add-ins did […]
Microsoft releases emergency update to fix Office 2016 crashes
Microsoft has released an out-of-band Office update to fix a known issue that caused Word, Excel, and Outlook to crash after installing the KB5002700 security update for Office 2016. The company acknowledged these problems following user reports on social media that Office apps no longer open after applying the April 2025 security updates. “We’re experiencing an issue […]
Fake Microsoft Office add-in tools push malware via SourceForge
Threat actors are abusing SourceForge to distribute fake Microsoft add-ins that install malware on victims’ computers to both mine and steal cryptocurrency. SourceForge.net is a legitimate software hosting and distribution platform that also supports version control, bug tracking, and dedicated forums/wikis, making it very popular among open-source project communities. Although its open project submission model […]
Microsoft: New Windows scheduled task will launch Office apps faster
In May, Microsoft plans to roll out a new Windows scheduled task that launches automatically to help Microsoft Office apps load faster. The company says the “Startup Boost” task will launch in the background on logon, with the roll-out to start in mid-May and worldwide general availability to be reached by late May 2025. On systems […]
Microsoft shares guidance on upcoming Publisher deprecation
Microsoft has published guidance for users of Microsoft Publisher as it will no longer be supported after October 2026 and removed from Microsoft 365. Specifically, the products to be deprecated are Publisher for Microsoft 365, Publisher 2021, 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, and 2007, and also 2010 and 2013 Developer. Microsoft Publisher is an Office application […]