It’s easy to confuse Microsoft Office with Office 365 or Microsoft 365. Microsoft Office is the standard office suite you’ve been using for years and can include desktop app versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, and Publisher depending on editing. you obtain.
Office Home & Student includes Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Office Home and Business adds Outlook. Office Professional adds Publisher and Access. All are available for Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac operating systems, and it’s a one-time purchase.
Office 365, now known as Microsoft 365, is a subscription service that can provide access to any Office desktop and web application and other services such as OneDrive cloud storage, Teams, SharePoint , Intune, Exchange, and integrated security services. .
To add more confusion, there is also Office Online. This is the free version of Office apps including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and the Office app for Android and iOS devices.
What version of Office do you have?
Other standalone Office products available for purchase include Visio for creating flowcharts and Project for project management.
The latest version of Office is Microsoft Office 2021
For the home user, you might not see a difference between Office 2019 and Office 2021. However, at work, it’s wise to use the latest version to ensure you have the latest features, maximum compatibility and security, especially when exchanging files. with other companies. If you are using versions earlier than 2019, you should update to Office 2021. At least do so for security updates.
Feature updates in Microsoft Office 2021
If you use Microsoft Office, you have noticed that it is becoming a collaboration platform. Whether you’re a small business or a Fortune 500 company, you’ve become dependent on integrated communications with apps like Microsoft Teams. This feature is expanding in Office 2021. We’ll note which Office apps the feature is in and whether it’s available on the Windows desktop, macOS, or both.
Microsoft Office 2021 visual refresh
Office applications: Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Access, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, Visio, Project
Platform: the Windows
When you install Office 2021, you will notice that it is different. Microsoft’s goal is to simplify the look so you can focus on your work. It’s still familiar enough that you can easily find your favorite tools in the ribbon. The Office Visual Refresh doesn’t have too many surprises.
Co-author and collaborators in real time
Office applications: Excel, Word, PowerPoint
Platform: Windows, macOS
No more emailing spreadsheets, with copies clogging up your inbox. Share the file you’re working on and everyone can work in real time. At the top right of the app, you can see who is working on it right now, with you. This requires saving the document to OneDrive or SharePoint.
Automatically save every change
Office applications: Excel, Word, PowerPoint
Platform: Windows, macOS
Use your Microsoft account to get the free or paid version of OneDrive. Then any document you store in OneDrive will automatically save every change as you work on it. Never worry about having to recover a lost file or repair a corrupt document.
Save your eyes with dark mode
Office applications: Word
Platform: Windows, macOS
In addition to the visual refresh, Word now has Dark Mode, and it’s not just the Ribbon. The page itself darkens. Many people find that the Dark Mode reduces eye strain. It can also reduce blue light exposure and aid your sleep.
Read aloud for proofreading
Office applications: Word
Platform: Windows, macOS
An old writer’s trick is to read his writing aloud to see how it sounds. It works great to help find missing words and adjust the tone for your readers. Or maybe you just want to rest your eyes. Word will proofread your document in a realistic male or female voice.
Free Stock Media
Office applications: Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Visio
Platform: Windows, macOS
Keep everyone’s eyes on your great work by using Office’s Premium Creative Content Library. Insert images, icons, photos, illustrations and more with just a few keystrokes. No more searching the web for public domain images for hours.
Go global with Outlook’s built-in translator
Office applications: Outlook
Platform: the Windows
A growing trend is to do global business from home, so having a translator would be really helpful. Outlook can now translate emails in over 70 languages and create a transcription so you can keep the original too.
Stay accessible
Office applications: Excel, Word, PowerPoint
Platform: the Windows
Fortunately, we’ve become more aware of the challenges some people face, and Microsoft is making it easier for us to keep our work accessible with their Accessibility Checker.
How do I update to Office 2021?
Convinced that Office 2021 is worth buying? Great, upgrading is simple and easy.
- Make sure your device meets the Office 2021 requirements:
SE
Windows – Windows 10 or Windows 11
macOS – 3 most recent versions of macOS
CPU
Windows 1.1 GHz or higher with at least 2 cores
macOS – everything supported by the 3 most recent versions of macOS
RAM
Windows – 4 GB
macOS – 4 GB
Disk space
Windows – 4 GB
macOS – 10 GB
Monitor
Windows – minimum 1280 x 768
macOS – minimum 1280 x 800
- Buy the Office 2021 edition you need, using the links to official Microsoft pages.
Family and Student Office 2021 – $149.99
Family and Small Business Office 2021 – $249.99
Office Professional 2021 – $439.99
- Download and install Office 2021. Installing Office 2021 should remove previous versions of Office if you have any. If the installation does not work, uninstall your older versions of Office as you would any other program. If you use Outlook, back up Outlook data files. Security updates for Office 2021 should happen automatically.
What else is new in Microsoft Office 2021?
There are too many feature updates to fit here. Your Windows or Mac version of Office has many pleasant surprises in store for you. Take the time to look at them and research them. What’s your favorite new feature? What would you like Microsoft to include or change in Office? Let us know.