[dreamcompiler]

Here's what Microsoft won't tell you: If you buy standalone office and it is not allowed to phone home to Microsoft at least once a month, it stops working. This can happen if you use it on a disconnected computer or you just have a reverse firewall rule blocking microsoft domains.

[eddythompson80]

I’m not sure that’s true. Last Office I bought was “Home Edition 2016” and it’s been running on a machine that doesn’t have internet access since 2017 without any issues.

[dreamcompiler]

My standalone copy of Excel (which is the only member of the Office suite I use) is version 16.54 for MacOS "© 2021 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved."

If I block it from accessing Microsoft domains in Little Snitch, it goes into readonly mode after about a month. Opening a hole in the firewall lets it start working again. Previous versions from several years earlier didn't do that.

[Lammy]

Fuck 'em — pirate that shit with a clean conscience https://massgrave.dev/office_for_mac#office-activation

[chii]

2016 is almost a decade in the past. The phoning home thing hasn't really taken off at the time.

[eddythompson80]

Microsoft doesn’t release an Office version every year. They technically released 2019, 2021 and 2024, but they have all been “Office 16” versions. As far as I could tell they are more or less “service packs” + random improvements/small features on to of the 2016 base. I was planning to upgrade last year but life got in the way and I only use that machine in the deep winter. Do you know what release they introduced that in?