Apple's response to Microsoft Office, with its Pages, Numbers, and Keynote offerings, is excellent. However, the fact is that more people use Office than any other suite of office tools. That's why many Mac users will be looking for the latest information about the next version of Microsoft Office for Mac.
Microsoft, like so many other companies, offers Office as a subscription, namely Office 365. This version is regularly updated with new features. But not everyone wants to subscribe to software on a monthly or yearly basis.
If you don't need the latest features and functions, an older version of Microsoft Word may suffice. If you work in a field where regular updates are likely to cause problems and interrupt essential workflows, then Office 365 may not be suitable. Likewise, business users who don't want to move to the cloud will be looking for an alternative to the cloud-based Office solution.
Microsoft seems to recognize this, because even when it launched Office 2019, it said it wouldn't be the last time it released a perpetual-licensed version of Office. The company clarified this point in a post in September 2020, when it revealed its intention to launch a new perpetual license version: Office 2021.
In February 2021, Microsoft again confirmed these goals, namely announcing two versions of Office. Then, in October 2021, Microsoft announced that it would launch the new version of Office for Mac on Tuesday, October 5.
There will be two versions: Office 2021, one aimed at home users and small businesses; and a second called Office LTSC (Long-Term Servicing Channel), it targets professionals and customers, unable or unwilling to pay for a permanent subscription.
Office 2021 release date
Microsoft's new version of Office for Mac launched on Tuesday, October 5, alongside the Microsoft Office 365 update. There will be versions for Windows 10 and macOS.
What does Office 2021 for Mac offer?
Office 2021 includes Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint, but also Teams, the video conferencing program, which was previously only included in Office packages for companies.
What is the price of Office 2021?
While some will no doubt opt for the 365 subscription plan, there will always be customers who prefer to buy Office 2021 directly, what is often called a perpetual license. They will therefore not need to take out an annual subscription to use it.
This license gives access to five years of support for Office 2021 (normally Microsoft offers ten years). Office LTSC must be purchased for each device, but the license does not have to be renewed after purchase.
The prices remain unchanged from those of the perpetual license versions of Office 2019, launched at the end of 2018.
| Subscription | Price |
| Office Home and Student 2021 | 149€ |
| Office LTSC, Home and Business 2021 | 299€ |
Microsoft promises that after Office LTSC there will be another standalone version without a subscription, so 2021 won't be the last version of Office you can buy outright.
Microsoft promises that after Office LTSC there will be another standalone version without a subscription, so 2021 won't be the last version of Office you can buy outright.
Is your Mac compatible with Office 2021?
Office 2021 will require a Mac with at least 4 GB of RAM and 10 GB of free storage space. It will only be available in a 64-bit version and currently supports macOS Big Sur, Catalina, Mojave, and Monterey.
The office suite is optimized for Intel processors and the M1 chip.
Office 2021 in detail
Microsoft has revamped the visual appearance of all programs based on Windows 11, with improved dark mode support as well. For all Office programs, Microsoft has extended the collection of graphics, photos, and icons.
Also, Office 2021 includes some features that were previously only available to Microsoft 365 subscribers.
Office 2021 users can, for example, work simultaneously on a Word or Excel document.
Line Focus is a new feature designed to reduce distractions, if you do word processing then it will make you focus on one line at a time.
A new Sketch style outline lets you draw and save unique shapes for your presentations. You will also be able to save in SVG format.
New Excel Features
Excel for Mac now welcomes features that were only offered for the Business variant, including XLOOKUP, which should make it easier to look up left or right column values, as well as position in the table, but also XMATCH or the LET functions (which assign names to calculations).
New PowerPoint Features
PowerPoint presentations can now be saved in GIF format. PowerPoint (Excel and Word) has the ability to save newly created graphics and images in SVG format, especially popular when creating web pages, as images can be scaled arbitrarily without loss of quality .
Microsoft has added creativity to Powerpoint by allowing you to create slideshows with narration, and reproduce your handwritten entries.
New Word Features
Word will be able to predict a sentence from a word you type. This "text prediction" feature has already been introduced in the web version of Outlook. Word displays the suggested word in gray. If you accept Word's proposal, you must press the Tab key or the right arrow key to accept it. To reject the suggestion, just press the Esc key.
Immersive Reader has advanced color support, to avoid eye strain by choosing a background color for a page, for example. Microsoft also added natural voices for read aloud.
Other changes
Accessibility features have been improved. The Skype for Business client application will be available for Office LTSC users to download separately from the Microsoft Download Center.
The two new versions of Office will be accompanied by OneNote and will be available in 32 and 64 bit versions.
