If you don’t want to subscribe to Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) here we show you how to buy Microsoft Office For Mac as a one time purchase in 2024.
Although Microsoft Office For Mac is now subscription only under the rebranded Microsoft 365, there are still ways to purchase a perpetual license of the Mac desktop version.
Since October 1st 2024, you can now get a perpetual license of Microsoft Office For Mac 2024.
Microsoft Office 2024 is still available as a desktop version despite Microsoft rebranding its online version to Microsoft 365.
There are two standalone desktop versions of Office 2024 available as a one time purchase:
- Office Home & Student 2024 For Mac ($149.99/£119.99)
- Office Home & Business 2024 For Mac ($249.99/£249.99)
These versions are sold as a “digital download” from Amazon which means when you purchase them, you simply receive an email with the download link and license key.
One purchase of either version is valid for one installation of Microsoft Office 2024 on one Mac only.
Note that there is no version of Office Professional 2024 available although there is a one time purchase edition of Office 2021 but it is only available for Windows PCs, not Macs.
Quick Navigation
Office Home & Student 2024 For Mac
Microsoft Home & Student For Mac 2024 gives you a unlimited desktop access to the following Office apps:
- Microsoft Office Word
- Microsoft Office Excel
- Microsoft Office PowerPoint
- Microsoft Office Outlook
- Microsoft Office Teams (Basic Only)
It requires at least macOS Sequoia, Ventura, Monterey or Big Sur to work but is compatible with both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs.
Office Home & Business 2024 For Mac
Microsoft Office Home & Business 2024 For Mac includes everything in the Home & Student version plus Outlook.
The Home & Business version gives you a unlimited desktop access to the following Office apps:
- Microsoft Office Word
- Microsoft Office Excel
- Microsoft Office PowerPoint
- Microsoft Office Outlook
- Microsoft Office Teams (Basic Only)
- Microsoft Office OneNote
What These Versions Of Office Don’t Include
The following apps are not included in the Mac desktop version of Office 2024 as Microsoft has not made a Mac compatible version of them:
- Publisher For Mac
- Access For Mac
- Project For Mac
- Visio for Mac
Windows users can however get Microsoft Publisher and Microsoft Access for Windows included in Microsoft Office Professional 2021 but this is not available for Macs.
Office For Mac 2024 System Requirements
The system requirements for Microsoft Office for Mac 2024 are as follows:
- Operating System: macOS Sequoia, Sonoma or Ventura
- CPU: Intel or Apple Silicon
- RAM: 4GB Minimum
- Hard Drive: 10GB Minimum
Where To Get The Best Deals For Office?
Usually the best discounts for the 2024 desktop version of Office are to be found on Amazon.
You can of course get them both from Microsoft too although usually these are not discounted.
However, sites like Stack Commerce often offer huge discounts of over 50% but only on the older version of Office 2021 for Mac depending on how many licenses you buy.
For example, you can currently get the following deals on Stack Commerce:
- Microsoft Office For Mac 2021 Home & Business for $89.99
- 2 Licenses of Microsoft Office For Mac Home & Business 2021 for $79.99Â
Note that these are labelled as “lifetime licenses” by Stack Commerce which is the same thing as a one time purchase perpetual license.
If you’re based in the UK, you may also be able to purchase these older versions of Office 2021 at a discount via sites such as Currys.
What’s The Difference Between Office For Mac & Microsoft 365?
Microsoft 365 is effectively the new Cloud name given to Microsoft Office For Mac 2024 and Office 365 by Microsoft.
Microsoft 365 is completely Cloud based however and works in a browser plus it requires a subscription to use.
Microsoft Office For Mac 2024 is still desktop based and requires downloading MS Office onto your Mac.
If you’re wondering whether you should buy Microsoft Office For Mac or Microsoft 365 can find out more about the difference between Microsoft Office For Mac vs Microsoft 365 here.
You can also check the comparison table below to see a summary of the key differences between the two products.
| Microsoft Office For Mac 2024 Desktop | Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) | |
|---|---|---|
| Works on a Mac | ||
| Compatible with latest versions of macOS | ||
| Works on M1 Macs | ||
| Works Online | No | |
| Online Storage | No | 1TB of online OneDrive storage per user. |
| Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote | Classic Versions | Premium Versions |
| Install on more than one Mac | No | Up to 5 different Macs on one subscription with Microsoft 365 Family subscription. |
| Mobile app | Free mobile apps but only basic editing features on screens under 10.1 inches. | Extra features included in Microsoft 365 mobile apps. |
| Microsoft Teams | Only Basic version | |
| Outlook | Only Home & Business | |
| Family Safety App | No | Family version only |
| Advanced Security | Security updates included but no new features or upgrades to major updates included. | |
| Ongoing Technical Support | Initial technical support for 60 days only | |
| Pricing | $149.99 Home & Student / $249.99 Home & Business | $69.99 Personal / $99.99 Family |
Buy Now | Free Trial |
Alternatives To Microsoft Office For Mac
If after reading this you don’t want to buy Microsoft Office For Mac then you could consider using an alternative.
We’ve looked at the best Microsoft Office For Mac alternatives many of which can open and edit Microsoft Office files.
However, none of them can preserve the formatting as well as Microsoft Office itself or offer the same level of integration with Microsoft Office.
If you’re dealing with Office files on a regular basis, we recommend biting the bullet and either buying Microsoft Office For Mac or getting a Microsoft 365 subscription.
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