Microsoft Office 2007 for Windows

Microsoft Office 2007 is a version of the Microsoft Office suite for Windows, released on 30 January 2007 and supported until 10 October 2017. If you are looking for an Office 2007 download for Windows, know that the suite has had no security updates for years and Microsoft now points users to Microsoft 365.

Quick facts

• Developer: Microsoft
• Released: 30 January 2007
• End of support: 10 October 2017
• Last listed build: 12.0.6713.5000 (25 October 2011)
• Systems: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7
• Licence: paid; listed as demo in the catalogue
• Successor: Microsoft 365
• Size: about 388.15 MB according to catalogue data

Why Office 2007 mattered

Office 2007 changed the way people worked with Word, Excel and PowerPoint more than almost any release before it. It replaced classic menus and toolbars with the ribbon, a band of tabs that groups commands by task, and introduced the Office Open XML formats: docx, xlsx and pptx instead of doc, xls and ppt. Both decisions shaped every later version, and the file formats are still the standard in offices today. At the time, many users disliked the ribbon, and people who received docx files in older versions needed a compatibility pack to open them. Looking back, Office 2007 is the point where the modern Office began. Its age is now the problem: it was built for Windows XP, Vista and 7, and after support ended, vulnerabilities in Word, Excel and Outlook stopped being fixed. Attackers still send documents crafted for such old versions, because unpatched copies are an easy target.

Can you still get it?

Microsoft no longer sells or distributes Office 2007. The official Office 2007 page now leads to upgrade options rather than an installer, and Microsoft's own Word 2007 page recommends moving to Microsoft 365. Installers offered on unofficial sites are often cracked and bundled with malware; do not use them.

How to move to a supported version

1. Copy your documents, spreadsheets and presentations to a backup location.
2. Export Outlook mail and contacts to a PST file if you still use Outlook 2007.
3. Uninstall Office 2007 through Settings or Control Panel.
4. Install Microsoft 365 or a free suite and open your files there; docx, xlsx and pptx work as they are.
5. Convert any very old doc or xls files you edit regularly to the modern formats.

Requirements

Office 2007 targets Windows XP, Vista and 7. It may start on newer Windows versions, but it was never designed or tested for them, and Microsoft does not help if something breaks.

Safety and price

An unsupported office suite that opens files from mail and the web is a real security risk. If you must keep it on an old machine, keep that machine offline. Office 2007 was a paid product; the successor Microsoft 365 is a subscription, while LibreOffice and WPS Office have free editions.

Pros and cons

• Pro: introduced the ribbon and modern file formats.
• Pro: light on resources by today's standards.
• Con: no security updates since end of support.
• Con: not sold or distributed by Microsoft.
• Con: no cloud features or collaboration.

Alternatives

Microsoft 365 Office is the official successor. Free desktop suites on our site include LibreOffice and WPS Office, and Google Sheets works in any browser. Standalone Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint are also available.