Why Should I Upgrade?

Vernon has put off upgrading to one of the latest versions of Word for as long as he can, primarily because he was so content and productive with Word 2007. He wonders what folks consider to be the best reasons for upgrading to the latest versions of the program, including Word 2019 and Word in Office 365.

This is, obviously, a rather "loaded" question. Why? Because the simple answer is that you shouldn't upgrade unless you have a compelling reason to do so. For most people, compelling reasons should be based on external necessities rather than on new features provided in the software. For instance, the fact that later versions of Word use Building Blocks to extend what used to be done with AutoText should not be a reason to upgrade, as it is a new feature. However, if you are working with a company or clients that utilize portions of that feature (or others) that are not available in your version of Word, then you should strongly consider upgrading.

Similarly, if you are working with other people to any degree, you should use whatever version of Word those people are using. Thus, if they are using one of the newer versions of Word, you should strongly consider upgrading. Why? Because you'll be able to trade files with them easier and you'll be able to use the same tools they do. For instance, one of your coworkers develops a macro that works great in their version of Word 2019, then you have a greater chance of being able to use that tool if you, too, are using Word 2019.

If you do choose to remain with an older version of Word, then over time you'll discover that you are more and more "behind the curve." (I know people who, at the end of 2018, are still using Word 2000, by choice!) As more clients and coworkers upgrade, when you finally decide to take the plunge, you'll be trying to figure out how to use the software at a time when they are already comfortable with it. If you upgrade before they do, however, you'll be ahead of the curve and able to lead rather than follow.

Also, people typically don't upgrade only one program, such as Word. They instead upgrade the entire Office suite. So, you'll also want to consider in your upgrade decision the other members of the suite and how they may affect the work you do.

Understand that if you do choose to upgrade, there will be some pain involved:

• Learning Curve. The learning curve for the ribbon interface is rather steep if you were comfortable with the old menu interface to the point of it being second nature. There are some bright spots (like many of the old keyboard shortcuts that made use of menu options will also work in the ribbon interface), but there are many more less-than-bright spots. This means that your productivity will initially suffer; there is no way around it.
• Customizations. If you implemented extensive customizations in Word (to tools, functions, the QAT, the ribbon, etc.), those customizations may very well be affected by your upgrade. And, if you are upgrading from a very old version of Word (a version before Word 2007, like my acquaintance I mentioned earlier), your customizations will be decimated by switching to the ribbon interface. You may be able to rebuild them (from scratch), but you may not—only experimentation will tell.
• Macros. If you developed and used a plethora of macros to help in the way you work, you'll want to check out whether those macros will work with the newer versions of Word. They may, but they may not. Again, only trial and error will disclose if there is a problem.

These three things aren't mentioned here as reasons not to upgrade, but as things to be aware of when you do upgrade. The brutal truth is that Microsoft isn't going backwards—they keep adding new features to their programs as they move along the path they think best. Resistance to change may be a point of pride, but (to paraphrase a famous television line) resistance is ultimately futile.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (5942) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021.