Microsoft has officially announced that, owing to the non-renewal of a digital certificate crucial for validating Office licenses, Office 2019 for Mac will cease to operate normally from July 13, 2026, onwards. On that date, users holding a perpetual license will be required to transition to Office 2024 or subscribe to Microsoft 365 services to continue editing their documents. This decision arises from the certificate's expiration, along with the fact that Office 2019 is no longer supported with updates and thus cannot acquire a new certificate. Microsoft suggests that users upgrade their systems to macOS 12 Monterey or a more recent version and update Office to version 16.83 to circumvent this problem. However, this option is not available to Office 2019 users. Affected individuals may explore free alternatives like LibreOffice, purchase a perpetual license for Office 2024, or opt for a Microsoft 365 subscription.