Please feel free to contact the UCO with all questions, suggestions and comments.

No - it is not necessary to uninstall the old Office 2019 software ... this will be done automatically with a note to the installing person during the installation of Office 2024.

(Note: Office 2019 still appears in the DSM Shop as "installed" due to technical reasons - this will no longer be visible as of October 14, 2025.)

If your computer is permitted for installation, Office 2024 appears as a corresponding product to be installed in the DSM Software Shop. This package can be easily installed; any existing old Office 2019 applications will be uninstalled in the process.

(Note: Office 2019 will still appear in the DSM Shop as "installed" for technical reasons - from October 14, 2025, this will no longer be visible.)

No - the old Zimbra Connector for Outlook (ZCO) is also the new ZCO - therefore, it does not need to be deinstalled and reinstalled.

Known Problems:

• Comments from PowerPoint 2024 are not displayed in PowerPoint 2019 - according to Microsoft, users may receive a note in PowerPoint 2024
• Entry "Share" at top right of the main menu in Office applications: This entry is irrelevant in our IT environment but unfortunately cannot be hidden (background of the entry: For use in Microsoft's cloud environment)
• "Auto Save" entry at the very top left of Office applications: This entry is also irrelevant in our IT environment but also unfortunately cannot be hidden (background of the entry: For use in Microsoft's cloud environment)
• The Zimbra Connector for Outlook (ZCO) is currently not officially supported for Outlook 2024 by manufacturer Zimbra - since we have no other option, ZCO is provided in its available version ... so far, no problems in the collaboration between Outlook 2024 <-> ZCO have been identified despite the lack of official support

If you do not see an Office, Project and / or Visio 2024 available for installation in the DSM Shop, this may have various reasons:

• Your computer is not authorized for installation - please order the appropriate application via AMS or ask for clarification at the UCO after release
•  You are running an older operating system, Windows 10 - the 2024 Office applications are only approved for Windows 11 (background: all computers needed to be upgraded to Windows 11 by mid-October)

The background for the upcoming transition is the expiration of support by Microsoft for Office 2019, as well as the associated products Project 2019 and Visio 2019.

On 14.10.2025, Microsoft will end support for Office 2019. Up until then, all installations of Office 2019 must be replaced with Office 2024 products.

The costs listed below are one-time purchase prices, i.e. explicitly no annual rent to be paid.

Yes - but as before, only after applying for cost approval and the associated activation via Asset Management System (AMS).

MS Office as a package may not be immediately visible and installable in DSM because it requires a prior application for cost approval and the associated activation via Asset Management System (AMS).

Note: If 100% compatibility with MS Office products is required, MS Office products should generally be used.

As usual, the question of which of the three office products is used depends on the requirements - therefore only some comparatively general information can be given here.

Microsoft Office is recommended under the following conditions:

• 100% compatibility with regard to the document format is required, for example, because documents from other institutions have to be processed, which in turn use Microsoft Office native document formats.
• Other applications only work with Microsoft Office.
• You use many / extensive macros under MS Office or program in VBA.
• You use Outlook to a considerable extent - for example, as a hub for e-mail, calendars and tasks, or to coordinate several people.
• You use PowerPoint to a considerable extent - for example for elaborate presentations in a scientific environment.
• You use Excel to a considerable extent - for example for complex tables, conditional formatting, ...
• If you use Word with an external formula editor.
• You work in workgroups using the tracking feature in MS Office.
• You work with NX (CAD) and exchange data with Excel.
• You work with TeamCenter and use its requirements management module (output in Word).

Libre Office is recommended under the following conditions:

• Cost aspect.
• You want to give Open Source Software a chance.
• You are using other programs for E-Mail & Calendar than Outook.
• You rarely or never exchange documents with others using MS Office, even if only simple documents.

Only Office is recommended under the following conditions:

• You want to work with several people at the same time on a document, a table or a presentation.
• You want to have browser-based access to the current document without problems and, if necessary, always with other people.

No - with the change to Office 2019, we are also changing to the so-called 64-bit version of Office, following a recommendation by Microsoft and the general trend - this in turn cannot be installed together with the old 32-bit Office 2010 version.

If necessary, DSM will ask you to uninstall the old Office 2010.

The 2019 versions of Microsoft Project and Visio must also be uninstalled - DSM will prompt you to do this if necessary.

The document formats - docx, xlsx, pptx - have remained the same, so there should be no issues using Office 2019 documents in Office 2024.

Conversely, problems may arise if a document created with Office 2024 uses new features that are only included in Office 2024 and cannot naturally be represented in Office 2019.

Collaboration with other programs depends on both programs: Office as well as the other programs - possibly newer versions of the other programs need to be used (and acquired).

This is particularly true when so-called "Add-Ins" are used, which directly "plug in" to Office, i.e., can be used directly from Office applications. These Add-Ins must a) be generally compatible with Office-2024 and b) be available in the so-called 64-bit format. The first step when problems arise would be to contact the manufacturer regarding these two points and to inquire about a potentially new version of their Add-Ins.

Yes - Outlook 2019 content is preserved on the computer where Office 2019 is installed, so there is no need to resynchronize the mailbox.

Office 2021 is available for Apple computers at DESY in the "Office Mac Standard" edition - so with the applications Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint (corresponding to "Microsoft Office 2024 Standard" under Windows). An upgrade to Office 2024 is not planned, as Office 2021 is still supported by Microsoft on Apple computers until 13.10.2026, there are currently no discernible functional deficiencies of Office 2021, and Office 2024 would require the purchase of new licenses.

When starting certain Microsoft Office applications like Word for the first time, a message from Microsoft displays, stating "Your privacy is important." This message was not suppressed in the Office configuration on the DESY side because when certain functions are used in Office, data is exchanged with external Microsoft services. These so-called "connected experiences" can involve either downloading online content (e.g., templates, images) or analyzing content (e.g., design suggestions, translations).

This functionality is initially disabled in the DESY default settings so that users get this warning about the data protection aspects potentially associated with any possible activation.

Under certain circumstances, a 2024 Office application may initially display as the 2019 version upon the first launch - however, the correct 2024 version is actually installed ... the correct startup screen is displayed upon the second launch.