Office 365: A guide to the latest updates
Office 365 and Microsoft 365 subscribers always have the latest version of Microsoft Office – currently Office 2019. They also get more frequent software updates than those who have purchased Office 2019 without a subscription, which means subscribers have access to the latest features, security patches and bug fixes. But it can be hard to keep track of the changes in each update and know when they are available. We are doing this for you, so you don’t have to.
The following are summaries of the most recent updates to Office 365/Microsoft 365 for Windows, with the latest releases shown first.
Version 2005 (Build 12827.20336)
Release date: 9 June 2020
This build fixes a number of issues and has several security updates. In Excel, a bug was fixed in which Excel could crash when PivotTables were inserted into a chart sheet. In Project, an issue was fixed in which the ProjectBeforeTaskChange event did not fire when there was a change to the project summary task.
This build includes security fixes for two Microsoft Excel Remote Code Execution Vulnerabilities, a Microsoft Outlook Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability, a Microsoft Project Information Disclosure Vulnerability, and a Microsoft Office Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. For details, see these release notes.
What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.
Get more info about Version 2005 (Build 12827.20336).
Version 2005 (Build 12827.20268)
Release date: 2 June 2020
This build offers multiple feature updates and fixes a number of issues. In Excel, when you type a data value that resembles a stock or a geographic location, Excel offers to convert it to the right data type, either Stocks or Geography. Outlook’s Calendar has gotten a makeover that makes it easier to scan. PowerPoint lets you use Surface Earbuds to control your presentation. Teams has many new features, including one that allows participants to raise a virtual hand in meetings, and another that lets them customise meeting video backgrounds. Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint and Word can now use animated GIFs.
Among the resolved issues are one in which Excel could become unresponsive after using Ctrl+Shift+Arrow keys to scroll when the Excel window is shared through Teams, one in Outlook that caused users to experience a crash when submitting feedback from an Admin Notification, and one throughout the Office suite in which in Visual Basic for Applications in Microsoft Office, certain VBA projects that contained references to code libraries with DBCS characters in the library name or library path would be viewed by the Office application as corrupt on load.
Get more info about Version 2005 (Build 12827.20268).
Version 2004 (Build 12730.20352)
Release date: 21 May 2020
This minor build fixes several bugs, including one in Excel in which the external link stopped working after the file was reopened if the file path was too long, one in Outlook that that caused users to experience crashes when submitting feedback from an Admin Notification, and one that affected the entire Office suite, in which Visual Basic for Applications projects with references that were expected to be found by searching locations specified in the PATH environment variable would not be found properly at runtime, leading to VBA runtime errors.
Get more info about Version 2004 (Build 12730.20352).
Version 2004 (Build 12730.20270)
Release date: 12 May 2020
This build fixes an Outlook issue that caused users to experience a crash when displaying toast notifications. It also includes a security fix for a Microsoft Excel Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. For details about the security fix, see these release notes.
What IT needs to know: Because this is a security update, it should be applied relatively soon. Over the next few weeks, check for reports about problematic issues, and if all seems well, apply the update.
Get more info about Version 2004 (Build 12730.20270).
Version 2004 (Build 12730.20250)
Release date: 4 May 2020
This minor update fixes an issue in Visual Basic for Applications throughout Microsoft Office in which certain VBA projects that contain references to code libraries with DBCS characters in the library name or library path were viewed by the Office application as corrupt on loading.
Get more info about Version 2004 (Build 12730.20250).
Version 2004 (Build 12730.20236)
Release date: 29 April 2020
This update includes a variety of minor updates and bug fixes. Excel no longer supports external data connections that use the Facebook connector, Outlook now lets you join meetings without leaving your Inbox, and Access offers several new improvements to help be more productive working in Query Designer, SQL view, and the Relationships window. Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint and Word now have access to thousands of royalty-free stock images, icons, and stickers.
Among the bugs fixed are one that caused cause Excel to crash in some cases after copying a sheet containing a PivotTable, another that caused some users to experience a hang while exiting Outlook, and one that affected the entire Office suite, preventing users from restricting access and protecting files with a password simultaneously.
Get more info about Version 2004 (Build 12730.20236).
Version 2003 (Build 12624.20466)
Release date: 15 April 2020
This update introduces several new features and fixes a number of bugs. In Outlook, you can now drag email to a group, and also more easily log into Wi-Fi networks. Co-authoring in Word has been sped up so that collaborators see changes more quickly. And throughout the Office suite, you can now apply sensitivity labels to prompt you for custom permissions.
Among the bugs fixed are one in which Excel crashed in certain cases when reopening a workbook embedded in Word or PowerPoint, and another in which copying a shape in PowerPoint slide might fail.
Get more info about Version 2003 (Build 12624.20320).
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