In addition to releasing Windows 11 version 2024 or "2024 Update," Microsoft launched Office 2024 for consumers. The latest non-subscription-based bundle of Microsoft"s productivity apps is now available for purchase for $149.99 (Office 2024 Home & Student) or $249.99 (Office Home & Business) on the Microsoft Store.
Unlike Microsoft 365, which is a subscription-based product, Office 2024 is a one-time purchase for customers who are not ready to move to a subscription.
Office 2024 includes many features and updates that are currently available for Microsoft 365 subscribers. In a post on the official support website, Microsoft outlined some of the updates for those coming to Office 2024 from previous perpetual releases.
For example, there is a new default theme that better matches Windows 11"s visuals, OpenDocument Format 1.4 support, improved accessibility features and checkers, the ability to easily add images from mobile devices, dynamic charts and new functions in Excel, better document recovery in Word, new drawing tools in OneNote, closed-caption support in PowerPoint, better search in Outlook, performance improvements, customizable left and right swipes on macOS, and a lot more.
It is worth noting that Office 2024 is the first Office release without Publisher, which was discontinued earlier this year.
Office 2024 is available on systems with Windows 10 and 11 and the three latest versions of MacOS: Sequoia, Sonoma, and Ventura. The suite requires an active internet connection and a Microsoft Account. As for the difference between bundles, the more expensive version includes Outlook and gives rights to use programs for commercial purposes.
Office 2024 Home & Student and Office 2024 Home & Business have a five-year support lifecycle. Microsoft promises to update applications with fixes and security patches from October 1, 2024, through October 9, 2029.
You can learn more about Office 2024 and Office 2024 here.