Table of Contents
Summary
- Upgrade to the latest PowerPoint versions to continue using Captions & Subtitles.
- Unsupported versions will lose access to Captions & Subtitles after the upgrade deadline.
- No changes for users on supported versions; settings remain the same.
- Review and update PowerPoint client versions across your organization.
- Notify helpdesk and accessibility stakeholders about the changes.
Admin Impact: High
User Impact: Low
Release Start: 01 Sept 2026
Release End: 30 Sept 2026
Services: M365 Apps
Category: Plan for change
Tags: Feature Update, User Adoption
History
2/12/2026 Item Added to Message Center
Microsoft Message
Introduction
To maintain a high-quality and reliable experience for live Captions & Subtitles in the Microsoft 365 PowerPoint app, Microsoft is upgrading the backend service that supports this capability. As part of this improvement, older Office client versions will no longer be supported. Updating to the minimum required PowerPoint version ensures continued accessibility, performance, and reliability.
When this will happen
Upgrade by the end of September 2026
How this affects your organization
Who is affected:
- Organizations using Microsoft 365 PowerPoint app (Win32 or Mac)
- Users running PowerPoint versions earlier than:
- Windows (Win32): 16.0.19426.20218
- macOS: 16.103.1207.4
What will happen:
- Users on unsupported versions will lose access to Captions & Subtitles after the listed dates.
- There is no change for users on supported versions.
- No changes to default settings or admin configuration are required.
What you can do to prepare
- Review PowerPoint client versions across your organization (Windows and Mac).
- Update Office clients to:
- Windows (Win32): 16.0.19426.20218 or later
- macOS: 16.103.1207.4 or later
- Plan upgrades ahead of September 2026, especially for environments on managed or restricted update cadences.
- Notify helpdesk and accessibility stakeholders.
Compliance considerations
No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.