Subscription-based software is not everyone’s cup of tea. Some of us would prefer to pay a one-time fee upfront for a software package that we know will last us years without significant changes. Fortunately, Microsoft caters to both types of users, both with the subscription-based Microsoft 365 line of products and now with an all-new version of its flagship product, Microsoft Office 2024.
Office 2024, which starts at $149.99 for its Home edition, replaces Microsoft Office 2021 and brings the feature set up to date. It is also accompanied by a new Office LTSC 2024 release targeted at larger organizations that want an on-premise edition for a disconnected or constrained environment.
For those looking to upgrade from Microsoft Office 2021, there are several new features and improvements — pretty much everything that has been rolled out across the Office 365 suites since Office 2021 was released.
Highlights include a new default Office theme, described as “more natural and consistent,” and the use of Fluent Design principles to provide a more seamless experience between Office apps.
Other suite-wide updates include support for ODF 1.4, the file format used by LibreOffice, plus users can now simply ‘like’ comments in documents.
Individual apps also get new features. Word 2024’s recovery tools now extend to being able to recover all documents that were open before a crash. Elsewhere, Excel users get new image tools, including the ability to copy and paste images into workbooks, along with a new function – IMAGE – to pull images from the web.
Excel users also benefit from faster (and more stable) workbooks, 14 new text and array functions, and the ability to reference Dynamic Arrays in charts, allowing charts to update automatically with the array.
PowerPoint users can now insert live camera feeds directly into PowerPoint slides using Cameo. Feeds can be subject to the same effects available to images and other objects, including styles, formatting, and transitions.
This feature is accompanied by a new tool — Recording Studio — to facilitate the recording of live slideshow presentations, which can then be exported as video files for wider sharing. Other video features include support for closed captions for both audio and video recordings.
Outlook 2024 promises improved search tools across email, contacts and calendars, and more options when setting up meetings. OneNote 2024 debuts improved Draw tab and ink features.
There are also some new features reserved for the LTSC build: Office LTSC 2024 adds support for the Accessibility ribbon, plus allows images to be inserted into documents directly from mobile devices. The LTSC build comes with the promise of five years of regular support, but no additional extended support after that.
Microsoft Office 2024 and Microsoft Office LTSC 2024 are both available now for purchase for PCs running Windows 10 or 11 and Macs running the three latest versions of macOS. Microsoft Office Home 2024 costs $149.99 for a 1-PC, non-expiring license that includes Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. Microsoft Office Home & Business 2024 costs $249.99 and adds Outlook and the right to use Office in a commercial environment. Microsoft Office Long Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) 2024 is available for businesses with five or more users.