Microsoft has confirmed that a standalone desktop version of Microsoft Office for Mac 2024 will be released later this year as a one time purchase.
This will come as good news to those that don’t want to be tied into a subscription for Microsoft 365 and IT administrators that want to manage desktop versions of Microsoft Office.
The news was revealed last week as part of Microsoft’s announcement of Microsoft Office LTSC 2024. LTSC stands for “Long Term Servicing Channel” and is a perpetually licensed version of Microsoft Office that is supported for 5 years.
The last version of Microsoft Office for Mac to be released with a perpetual license was Microsoft Office 2021 which will be supported until October 2026 on the LTSC.
Microsoft claims that some of the new features in Office 2024 include:
New meeting creation options and search enhancements in Outlook, dozens of new Excel features and functions including Dynamic Charts and Arrays; and improved performance, security, and accessibility.
For Windows users, Microsoft Publisher will not be included as it will be discontinued in October 2026 although since Microsoft Publisher isn’t available for Mac, this isn’t a big deal for Mac users.
It’s also important to be aware that the standalone desktop version of Office 2024 will not feature Cloud integration like Microsoft 365 apps.
Microsoft states that:
As an on-premises product it will not offer the cloud-based capabilities of Microsoft 365 Apps, like real-time collaboration; AI-driven automation in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; or cloud-backed security and compliance capabilities that give added confidence in a hybrid world.
It will however be able to use OneDrive but it won’t be integrated with Microsoft’s AI assistant Copilot.
Microsoft says that pricing for Microsoft Office 2024 LTSC will be around 10% more than for Office 2021 although the price of the consumer version will remain unchanged.
Although Microsoft is trying to rebrand Office products under the Microsoft 365 brand, it seems that the company is sticking with it (at least for this release) such has been the difficulty in shifting public recognition of it.
If you’re not planning to upgrade to Office 2024 and want to use an alternative office suite on your Mac, you may find our look at the best alternatives to Microsoft Office for Mac useful.
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