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3 min read

It’s easier to create together with Microsoft 365 and Office 2021

By
  • Liat Ben-Zur, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft 365 Consumer and Web Experiences

Today, we’re announcing more details about what consumers, students, and small businesses can expect from both Microsoft 365 and Office 2021 on October 5, 2021.

Microsoft 365 is the best way to get access to the latest apps and features that help you stay productive, protected, and connected. Plus, it’s the best value—in addition to premium versions of the Office apps, you get 1 TB of cloud storage, the ability to use the apps on all your devices, advanced security features, and much more. However, we know some customers still prefer a non-subscription version of the core Office apps for PC and Mac, which is why we’re releasing Office 2021.

The past year and a half have proven it’s more important than ever that our tools provide the flexibility to connect and create together virtually. This is why in both Microsoft 365 and Office 2021 we’re including Microsoft Teams for personal use so you can engage with anyone at any time, whether it’s chat, calls, or video. We’re also incorporating many of the collaboration features already available to Microsoft 365 subscribers into Office 2021.

Co-author documents easily with family, friends, and classmates

Creating together virtually is part of the new normal. We want everyone who uses Office to be able to do so, regardless of whether they are using Microsoft 365, Office 2021, Office.com, or the Office mobile app, so we’ve incorporated many of the collaboration features already available to Microsoft 365 subscribers into Office 2021. With real-time co-authoring, you can work with others in the same document at the same time. There’s no need to send extra notes or emails because everyone will be notified when a file is updated.

OneDrive, our cloud storage service, powers these collaboration features, so you’ll need to save your documents to OneDrive before you share them. OneDrive also ensures your updates are automatically saved. Sign in to the Office apps with your Microsoft account and get 5 GB of OneDrive cloud storage for free. There is also the option to buy more storage if needed.

Life’s better together with Microsoft Teams

With Microsoft Teams, it’s easier to get connected with everyone in your life so you can make plans and manage tasks big and small, together. Chat and video call with anyone, meet virtually in a cafe or a family lounge, assign tasks to help with chores at home, create and respond to polls, and much more—without ever leaving the app. While Microsoft Teams comes with Windows 11, we’re adding it to both Microsoft 365 and Office 2021, so you can use it on Windows 10 and macOS.

Stay focused with a fresh user experience tailored for Windows 11

Starting on October 5, 2021, in both Microsoft 365 and Office 2021, our apps are getting a fresh look. This visual update is modern yet familiar, designed to help you focus on your best work. You’ll notice a neutral color palette, softer window corners, refreshed tabs in the ribbon, and colorful presence indicators so you can easily see who’s working on a document with you. App themes will stay in sync with your Windows light or dark mode by default. Updated apps include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Access, Project, Publisher, and Visio. We’ve also intentionally aligned this visual update with the availability of Windows 11 to provide a coherent and seamless experience on a new Windows 11 PC. And yes, this update is also available to people using Windows 10.

Access other features previously exclusive to Microsoft 365

Finally, we’ve added several other features to Office 2021 that are already available to Microsoft 365 subscribers. Modernize your formulas in Excel, record PowerPoint presentations with ease, and beautify your work with an expanded collection of creative content. With an upgrade to a Microsoft 365 subscription, you can access even more creative content and a growing collection of premium features, from advanced grammar suggestions in Microsoft Editor to Presenter Coach in PowerPoint.

Purchase options, pricing, and availability

Microsoft 365 includes premium versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, OneDrive, Microsoft Editor, and Microsoft Family Safety for PC, Mac, and mobile, plus Access and Publisher for PC. For individuals, Microsoft 365 Personal is $6.99 USD per month or $69.99 USD per year. For families and households of up to six people, Microsoft 365 Family is $9.99 USD per month or $99.99 USD per year. Subscribers will automatically receive the visual updates to the apps starting October 5 and will receive Microsoft Teams throughout October and November. Sign up for a free trial today.

Office Home and Student 2021 is $149.99 USD and includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Microsoft Teams for PC and Mac. Office Home and Business 2021 is $249.99, comes with everything in Office Home and Student 2021, plus Outlook for PC and Mac and the rights to use the apps for business purposes. You can buy Office 2021 from retailers worldwide and via Microsoft.com starting October 5, 2021.

Both Microsoft 365 and Office 2021 run on Windows 11, Windows 10, and the three most recent versions of macOS. Note that Office 2013 won’t be supported on Windows 11, so now is the right time to upgrade to Microsoft 365 or Office 2021 if you’re planning to upgrade to Windows 11. Finally, to use Microsoft 365 or Office 2021, both a Microsoft account and an internet connection are required.