Unveiling Microsoft Office Suite 2024: A Comprehensive Review and Download Guide

Microsoft Office Suite 2024, also known as Office LTSC 2024, is set to be the next major release of the widely used productivity software package from Microsoft ¹. The highly anticipated Microsoft Office Suite 2024 is currently in development and can be tried out by users eager to explore its new features and enhancements ². The testing for this upcoming Office Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) release is scheduled to commence in April, with the full release slated for later in 2024 ³. Microsoft has reaffirmed its commitment to delivering another standalone Office release, ensuring that users have access to the latest tools and functionalities ³.

The Microsoft Office Suite 2024 is expected to bring a host of improvements and additions to its core applications, including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, and Teams. Users can look forward to a more streamlined and intuitive user experience, enhanced collaboration features, and advanced capabilities powered by artificial intelligence, such as Microsoft Copilot. The forthcoming release aims to cater to the evolving needs of businesses, students, and individuals alike, offering a comprehensive solution for productivity, communication, and data management. As the excitement builds for the Microsoft Office Suite 2024, this article will provide a detailed review of its key features, installation process, compatibility, pricing plans, and user experience, serving as a comprehensive guide for those looking to upgrade their office software or explore the capabilities of this powerful suite.

Core Features and Enhancements

The Microsoft Office Suite 2024 brings a host of new features and enhancements to its core applications, including:

1. Outlook: New meeting creation options and search enhancements ¹.
2. Excel: Dozens of new features and functions, including Dynamic Charts, Arrays, and the XLOOKUP function (previously exclusive to Office 365 users) ^1 5.
3. Word and PowerPoint: Improvements in performance, security, and accessibility ¹.
4. Clipchamp: A user-friendly video editing tool with core editing tools, timeline editor, webcam and screen recording, high-quality exports, and a free library of audio, images, and video stock ⁴.
5. Microsoft Loop: A new collaborative app designed to revolutionize teamwork with components, pages, and workspaces ⁴.
6. Microsoft Teams App: Enhanced performance, flexibility, and intelligence with a simplified user interface, lightning-fast performance, integration of collaborative apps, and multi-device availability ⁴.
7. Microsoft 365 Copilot: An advanced AI network that integrates with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and more, offering enterprise-level security and privacy and seamless integration into Microsoft 365 ⁴.
8. Real-time collaboration: Allowing multiple users to work on documents simultaneously ¹⁰.
9. AI-powered insights: Available to enhance productivity and efficiency ¹⁰.

The suite comes with 1500 fonts, 120 professional templates, thousands of clip art images, PDF user guides, over 40 language packs, an easy-to-use PixelClassics installation menu (PC only), email support, and more ⁷. The new design of Microsoft Office Suite 2024 is more modern and user-friendly ¹⁰.

It’s important to note that while Office LTSC 2024 offers many improvements, it does not include cloud-based capabilities like real-time collaboration, AI-driven automation, or cloud-backed security and compliance capabilities ¹. Additionally, Microsoft Publisher is being retired and will not be included in Office LTSC 2024, and Microsoft Teams is not included but can be downloaded separately ¹.

Installation and Compatibility

Microsoft Office Suite 2024, also known as Truly Office 2024, is available in various versions, including Home & Student, Home & Business, Professional, and Professional Plus ¹. The Microsoft Office Suite 2024, specifically Microsoft Office LTSC Professional Plus 2024 Preview, is a Perpetual version, or a one-time purchase, and does not require any additional payments to Microsoft after the initial purchase ^2 5. The target audience for this version includes organizations that prefer offline software, such as government and school organizations ⁵.

The suite is compatible with Microsoft Office 2021, 2019, 365, 2023, 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other applications on Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista, XP, and Mac OS X ^7 12 13. It can open a variety of file formats including .doc, .docx, .odt, .txt, .xls, xlsx, .ppt, .pptx, and many more ⁷. The suite can be installed on a PC that already has Microsoft Office Latest Version – Home and Business, but a separate license for MS Access might be required ¹³. The setup will automatically detect and configure your existing Office installation when you install the standalone apps ¹³.

The system requirements for Microsoft Office Suite 2024 include:

• Windows 11 or Windows 10
• 1.6 GHz or faster processor
• 4 GB RAM
• 4 GB available hard disk space
• Screen resolution of 1280 x 768 ¹⁰
• Internet connection for certain features ¹⁰

The process to download and install the Microsoft Office 2024 preview involves using two open-source projects by a developer named abbodi1406 ². The final settings can be confirmed before starting the installation ². Once installed, the Office 2024 branding can be seen in any Office app under File > Account ². Visually, Office 2024 is similar to Office 2021 ². The Office Scrubber project can be used to revert back to the retail/volume build of Office if needed ². Currently, this version of Office 2024 cannot be activated with a retail key; only KMS keys would work, meaning it can only be used in a business environment ².

Pricing Plans and Options

Microsoft Office Suite 2024 offers a range of pricing plans and options to cater to different user needs and budgets:

1. Microsoft 365 Family: $9.99/month or $99.99/year, suitable for one to six people ¹⁹²³. It includes:
   • Up to 6 TB of secure cloud storage (1 TB per person) ^19 23
   • Apps with premium features and offline access ¹⁹
   • Identity, data, and device security ^19 23
   • Ad-free secure email ^19 23
   • Microsoft Editor for spelling, grammar, and writing assistance ²³
   • Clipchamp video editor with premium filters and effects ²³
   • Expanded content library of high-quality photos, icons, fonts, videos, and audio ²³
   • Contact support via chat or email ²³
   • Works on PCs, Macs, phones, and tablets ^19 23
2. Microsoft 365 Personal: $6.99/month or $69.99/year, designed for one person ¹⁹²². It includes:
   • 1 TB of cloud storage ¹⁹
   • Latest versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint ²²
   • Access on PC, tablet, and mobile ²²
3. Office Home & Student 2021: One-time purchase for PC or Mac at $149.99 ¹⁹. It includes:
   • Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook ¹⁹
   • Access to support experts ¹⁹

Microsoft 365 also offers flexible pricing plans tailored to business use cases ¹:

• Microsoft 365 Business Basic: $6.00 per user/month, includes web and mobile versions of Office apps, 1 TB of cloud storage per employee, and Microsoft Teams ²⁰.
• Microsoft 365 Business Standard: $12.50 per user/month, includes desktop versions of Office apps, webinars, and collaborative workspaces ²⁰.
• Microsoft 365 Business Premium: $22.00 per user/month, includes advanced security features and enterprise-grade device protection ²⁰.
• Microsoft 365 Apps for business: $8.25 per user/month, includes desktop versions of Office apps and 1 TB of cloud storage per user ²⁰.

Users have praised the software for its ease of use and lower cost compared to competitor software ^17 18. The product is available for $14.99 and includes a professional premier office suite with word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, graphics, database, and math apps ⁷. It offers free for life updates with a lifetime license and unlimited users, allowing installation on both desktop and laptop without any additional cost ⁷.

It’s important to note that there will be a price increase of up to 10% for Office LTSC Professional Plus, Office LTSC Standard, Office LTSC Embedded, and individual apps, although the price for these products will not change at the time of release ^1 3.

User Experience and Ease of Use

Microsoft 365, previously known as Microsoft Office 365, has received high praise from users, boasting a 4.7 out of 5 rating based on 13,556 reviews ¹. The software is considered professional-level and suitable for any office or school setting ¹. Users appreciate the user-friendly interface, smooth collaboration experience, and the ability to use the suite both online and offline ².

The Microsoft Office Suite 2024 has garnered a 3.9 out of 5-star rating based on 429 global ratings, with 52% of users giving it a perfect 5-star rating ³. While the beta preview is not yet officially released for the general public, users are encouraged to wait for the official release to ensure the best experience ⁴. Several users have shared their positive experiences with the software:

• Joshua Turney gave a 4.0 out of 5 stars rating, noting the similarity to MS Office and praising the new tab ribbon feature for making the transition easy ⁵.
• jbrot awarded a 5.0 out of 5 stars rating, stating that the word processor works well for their needs ⁶.
• Mike in PA and Jerry R. Olsen both gave 5-star ratings, appreciating the product’s functionality and great value ^7 8.
• Lyn T. Roberts gave a 4-star rating, expressing satisfaction with the product but mentioning some issues with copying cells in Calc on Windows 11 ⁹.

The product has received a 3.9 out of 5-star rating based on 2,331 global ratings ¹⁰. Users appreciate the simplicity and features of the app ¹¹, although a few have expressed dissatisfaction with limited functions and missing fonts ¹². PixelClassics offers exclusive extras, including:

• 1500 fonts
• 120 professional templates
• PDF user guides
• A gallery pack consisting of thousands of clip art images for Writer, Calc, and Impress ¹³

The bundle includes two items: Office Suite 2024 Compatible with Microsoft Office 2021, 2019, 365, 2023, 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007, Word, Excel, PowerPoint on CD DVD Powered by Apache OpenOffice for Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista, XP, PC & Mac OS X, and LibreOffice 2024 Home and Student 2021, 2023, Professional Plus Business Compatible with Microsoft Office Word Excel PowerPoint Adobe PDF Software CD for Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP 32 64-Bit PC & Mac ¹⁴. The bundle is an Apache License v2, Mozilla Public License, and GNU Licensed product ¹⁵.

Conclusion

The Microsoft Office Suite 2024 promises to be a feature-rich and user-friendly productivity solution, catering to the needs of businesses, students, and individuals alike. With its enhanced collaboration capabilities, AI-powered insights, and compatibility across multiple platforms, this suite is set to revolutionize the way users work and interact with their documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. The pricing plans offer flexibility and value for money, making it an attractive choice for a wide range of users.

As the excitement builds for the official release of Microsoft Office Suite 2024, it is evident that this powerful software package will continue to be a vital tool for productivity and efficiency. Whether you are a long-time user of Microsoft Office or considering upgrading from an older version, the forthcoming release is definitely worth exploring. With its comprehensive set of features, ease of use, and commitment to delivering a seamless user experience, Microsoft Office Suite 2024 is poised to be a game-changer in the world of office software.

FAQs

Will there be a Microsoft Office 2024 release? Yes, Microsoft has confirmed that they will be releasing Office 2024, which is the latest iteration of their standalone office software suite, following the trend of subscription-based models.

How does Office 2024 differ from Office 2021? Office LTSC (Long Term Servicing Channel) 2024, set to enter preview next month and to be released later in the year, introduces several new features, including enhanced meeting options in Outlook and a multitude of new functions in Excel. Additionally, it boasts improved performance and heightened security compared to its predecessor, Office LTSC 2021.

What are the steps to download the latest version of Microsoft Office for free? To download Microsoft 365 or Office for free, you should:

1. Visit www.office.com and sign in if you haven’t already.
2. Use the account associated with your version of Microsoft 365 to sign in.
3. After signing in, follow the on-screen instructions that correspond to your account type.

What is the latest available version of the Microsoft Office suite? The current standalone version of the Microsoft Office suite is Office 2021, which is available for both Windows and Mac operating systems. It is sold as a one-time purchase, offering a lifetime* license that includes familiar applications such as Microsoft Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Teams.