Upgrading from Word 2013 to Word 2019: Compatibility & What to Expect
Question details
The user is seeking information on compatibility for templates, customizations, macros, and the Quick Access Toolbar when upgrading an organization from Word 2013 to Word 2019.
- Product
- Microsoft Word
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- An organization is migrating to Office 2019 due to Office 2013 reaching its end of support and wants to ensure continued functionality of customized elements.
- Observed behavior
- The goal is to maintain the functionality of existing templates, macros, and custom toolbars seamlessly after the software upgrade.
Before rolling out the upgrade across your organization, securely back up your existing custom templates (.dotm, .dotx) and export your customized Office UI files to an external drive or cloud storage.
Backup and Verify Customizations for Word 2019
Ensuring your templates, macros, and Quick Access Toolbar (QAT) settings migrate correctly requires backing up files and testing them in the new environment.
Most templates, macros, and customizations from Word 2013 will remain perfectly usable in Word 2019. However, add-ins and legacy templates like Word_2007_Menus.dotx should be tested on a small scale before full deployment.
In Word 2013, go to File > Options > Quick Access Toolbar. Click 'Import/Export' at the bottom right and select 'Export all customizations' to save your current UI settings as a file.
Navigate to your Custom Office Templates folder (usually located in your Documents folder) or the AppData/Roaming/Microsoft/Templates directory to copy your .dotx and .dotm files securely.
Install Word 2019 on a test machine, copy your backed-up templates to the corresponding directories, and open them to verify macro functionality and UI scaling.
Upgrade to WPS Office for Seamless Compatibility
If your organization is moving away from unsupported legacy software like Office 2013, consider WPS Office. It provides a lightweight, highly compatible alternative that perfectly supports existing Word documents, templates, and basic macros without the hefty upgrade costs.
- 1. Download and Install: Get the latest version of WPS Office Free from the official website and install it on your device.
- 2. Open Existing Documents: Launch WPS Writer and open your legacy .docx or .dotx templates to verify they maintain their formatting perfectly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is an upgrade from Office 2013 necessary?
Office 2013 has reached the end of its support lifecycle, meaning it no longer receives critical security updates, making upgrades necessary to protect against vulnerabilities and ensure organizational compliance.
Will my Quick Access Toolbar (QAT) transfer to Word 2019?
Yes, you can manually transfer your QAT settings by exporting them from Word 2013 via File > Options > Quick Access Toolbar and importing them identically into Word 2019.
Do legacy templates like Word_2007_Menus.dotx work in Word 2019?
While Word 2019 maintains high backward compatibility, highly customized older templates should be tested individually as changes to the Ribbon XML or underlying code could cause minor UI glitches.
Do I need to rewrite my VBA macros for Word 2019?
In most cases, no. Standard VBA macros written in Word 2013 will run perfectly in Word 2019, though it is highly recommended to run them in a test environment before a full rollout.
