Microsoft released a new version of Office this week, designed for users who don't want to subscribe to Microsoft 365. The standalone version of Microsoft Office 2024 is now available for consumers and small businesses, including unlimited versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Outlook on Mac and PC.
Office 2024 includes a number of updates that Microsoft has delivered to Microsoft 365 users over the past few years. Microsoft last released a standalone version of Office in 2021, and the newly released Office 2024 includes improvements to core apps, as well as accessibility and UI changes.
Office 2024 has a new default theme that adopts Microsoft's latest fluid design principles to match the visual changes of Windows 11. Microsoft has also added accessibility-focused improvements to help Office users spot potential accessibility issues in documents, slides, workbooks, and emails.
Excel 2024 now allows you to reference dynamic arrays
The biggest changes in Office 2024 are in Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Microsoft has added a new function in Excel that uses text and arrays in worksheets, as well as a new IMAGE function that can get pictures from the web. Excel 2024 now also allows you to reference dynamic arrays in charts, which can be updated automatically instead of being fixed to a set data point. According to Microsoft, the overall speed and stability of Excel 2024 will also be improved.
In PowerPoint, Microsoft has added a cameo feature that allows users to insert live camera feeds into slides. PowerPoint also adds studio features, including the ability to record narration, animations, transitions, and ink. You can also add closed captions or subtitles to the video and audio files in your slides to make your presentation easier to understand.
Outlook 2024 has improvements to search.
Outlook 2024 has improvements to search so you can get more search results related to messages, attachments, contacts, and calendar items. The latest release of Outlook also includes more meeting options, including the ability to automatically shorten meeting hours. Mac users can also customize swipe left and right gestures in Outlook.
In Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, you can now easily insert pictures from your Android mobile device, and Microsoft also supports version 1.4 of the OpenDocument format (ODF), which includes a variety of new improvements. Word and PowerPoint also have the ability to like and react to annotations in documents.
Word 2024 has improved file recovery.
Word 2024 users can also resume sessions if their PC crashes. Word automatically opens any documents that were opened before your computer crashed, lost power, or closed unexpectedly. OneNote 2024 users will also get a new inking and drawing experience.
Microsoft says that Office 2024 requires a Microsoft account and an internet connection, but if it's the same as Office 2021, then you'll only need an internet connection to install the suite, activate it, and get any security updates. Office 2024 will run on Windows 10 and 11, as well as the three latest versions of MacOS.
Office 2024 will have two different editions. Office 2024 Home Edition costs $149.99 and includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote for PC or Mac. If you want Outlook, you'll need to purchase the $249.99 version of Office Home and Business 2024, which also includes the right to use these apps for business purposes.