i have just updated my mac to catalina. i am using microsoft office for mac 2011 and so it got lost. i was able to download and reinstall the software but i still can't open microsoft office. what should i do?

helivartan Said:

“i have just updated my mac to catalina. i am using microsoft office for mac 2011 and so it got lost. i was able to download and reinstall the software but i still can't open microsoft office. what should i do?”

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Considering an Upgrade? - Contact MS:

You can always upgrade to a newer, compatible version of Microsoft Office, if preferred: MS Office 2019.

Incompatibility is the Issue here.

MS Office is 32bit, and is incompatible with a 64bit-only Operating System: macOS X 10.15 Catalina

So, Contact Microsoft Support:

They are the developers of the software. Ask them about uninstalling and about upgrading. If upgrading is not an option, be sure you uninstall MS Office 2011, using uninstaller to do so, then restart the Mac. So, Start Here:  Microsoft Contact Us Virtual Agent - Microsoft Support.

Look into the Free LibreOffice, it handles MS Office files…

https://www.libreoffice.org/

Apple macOS (Mac OS X)

The software and hardware prerequisites for installing on a Apple macOS computer are as follows:

• LibreOffice 6.3.x: macOS 10.10 (Yosemite) or higher
• LibreOffice 6.2.x: macOS 10.9 (Mavericks) or higher
• Intel processor
• 512 MB RAM
• Up to 800 MB available hard disk space
• 1024x768 graphic device with 256 colors (higher resolution recommended)

It is a recommended best practice to back-up your system and data before you remove or install software.

Notes:

• For certain features of the software - but not most - Java is required. Java is notably required for Base.
• Due to an issue, there are the following restrictions with Java: on macOS 10.10 and newer, JRE isn't found, JDK is required
• LibreOffice 4.3 can still run on OS X 10.6+, but please understand that this support ended when 4.3 was retired on May 27, 2015.

https://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/system-requirements/#Apple

Feature Comparison of LibreOffice v6.4 with Office 365/Office 2019 for Mac

https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Feature_Comparison:_LibreOffice_-_Microsoft_Office

Microsoft Office 2008/2011 are 32-bit application suites which are not supported on Catalina, or even by Microsoft. This operating system only supports Microsoft's currently supported 64-bit Office 365, and Office 2019 for Mac suites. You will need to decide if you want a subscription (Office 365), or a single-purchase solution (Office 2019 for Mac) — as you will need one of these newer solutions on Catalina. Or, as BDAqua mentioned, the free 64-bit LibreOffice Suite.

The 32-bit/64-bit application issue on Catalina has no bearing on your Office 2011 documents which will open in the newest Microsoft Office solutions, or LibreOffice.