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how to retrieve Word documents on Mac updated to Big Sur

How do you access Word documents after an update on a Mac to Big Sur?

MacBook Air

Posted on Nov 30, 2020 2:26 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Nov 30, 2020 2:33 PM

If you were using Office 2008/2011 and upgraded to Big Sur, then they are toast, as only 64-bit application are supported, and that would require a new Microsoft 365 subscription, or a single-purchase of Office 2019 for Mac — either of which offer 64-bit applications.


Your Office documents are unaffected by the 32/64-bit issue, and can handily be opened by the free 64-bit LibreOffice Suite, an MS Office clone.


Although Apple provides Pages, Numbers, and Keynote v10.3.5 (currently) for Big Sur, these are not clones of MS Office applications, and will have less document compatibility than does LibreOffice.

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Nov 30, 2020 2:33 PM in response to eamarston

If you were using Office 2008/2011 and upgraded to Big Sur, then they are toast, as only 64-bit application are supported, and that would require a new Microsoft 365 subscription, or a single-purchase of Office 2019 for Mac — either of which offer 64-bit applications.


Your Office documents are unaffected by the 32/64-bit issue, and can handily be opened by the free 64-bit LibreOffice Suite, an MS Office clone.


Although Apple provides Pages, Numbers, and Keynote v10.3.5 (currently) for Big Sur, these are not clones of MS Office applications, and will have less document compatibility than does LibreOffice.

how to retrieve Word documents on Mac updated to Big Sur

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