Office 2024 vs Office 2021: What Is New and Should You Upgrade?
Microsoft sells Office as a one-time purchase about every three years. Office 2021 and Office 2024 are the two most recent versions, and both are still on sale. This guide compares Office 2024 vs Office 2021, explains what changed, and helps you decide whether to upgrade.
Office 2024 vs Office 2021: The Short Answer
- Office 2024 is supported by Microsoft until 9 October 2029 and adds new Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook features.
- Office 2021 reached end of support on 13 October 2026. It still works but no longer receives security updates.
In the Office 2024 vs Office 2021 decision, for a new purchase Office 2024 is the better choice for almost everyone. Office 2021 mainly makes sense if you need Publisher or must match existing Office 2021 installations.
Support Dates Compared
| Office 2021 | Office 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | October 2021 | October 2024 |
| End of support | 13 October 2026 | 9 October 2029 |
| Security updates today | No | Yes |
| Payment | One-time | One-time |
What Is New in Office 2024?
Excel
- Dynamic charts that update automatically when a dynamic array grows or shrinks.
- The IMAGE function, which places pictures from the web inside cells.
- 14 new text and array functions, including TEXTSPLIT, TEXTBEFORE, TEXTAFTER, VSTACK, HSTACK, TAKE and DROP.
- LAMBDA, which turns a formula you use often into your own reusable function.
- Faster performance when several workbooks are open.
PowerPoint
Office 2024 adds Cameo, which places your live webcam feed on a slide, plus captions for embedded audio and video.
Outlook and Word
Outlook gets faster Instant Search with filters, and Word adds Line Focus to reduce distraction when reading. Office 2024 also supports OpenDocument Format 1.4.
What Office 2024 Does Not Include
One real Office 2024 vs Office 2021 difference is Publisher: it is not part of Office 2024, because Microsoft is retiring it. Microsoft Teams is also not included. If you rely on Publisher files, Office Professional Plus 2021 still includes it, but remember that Office 2021 no longer receives security updates.
Office 2024 vs Office 2021 on Mac
On a Mac, the same Office 2024 vs Office 2021 advice applies. Office Home and Business 2024 for Mac is supported until 2029, while Office Home and Business 2021 for Mac is no longer updated and may stop working well on future macOS releases.
Should You Upgrade From Office 2021 to Office 2024?
Our Office 2024 vs Office 2021 advice is simple. Upgrade if you handle client or business files on that computer, because unsupported software no longer gets security fixes. Upgrade too if you want the new Excel functions. You can keep Office 2021 for a while if the PC is offline or used only for simple documents, but plan to move before you need help with a problem.
Which Office Licence Should You Buy?
- Office Home and Business 2024 for PC: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote for one Windows PC, licensed for business use.
- Office Home and Business 2024 for Mac: the same apps for one Mac.
- Microsoft 365 Personal: a prepaid 12-month subscription with 1 TB of OneDrive storage, if you prefer always having the latest version.
Your product key and installation steps arrive by email within 30 minutes of payment. For a wider comparison that includes Microsoft 365, read Microsoft 365 vs Office Home and Business vs Office Pro Plus.
Office 2024 vs Office 2021: Frequently Asked Questions
Is Office 2024 a subscription?
No. Office 2024 is a one-time purchase for one PC or Mac.
Can I open Office 2024 files in Office 2021?
Yes. Both use the same file formats. New features, such as IMAGE formulas, may not display correctly in Office 2021.
Will Office 2021 stop working?
No. It keeps working, but it no longer receives security updates or fixes.
Can I install Office 2024 alongside Office 2021?
It is best to uninstall older Office versions first to avoid activation problems.
Official information: Microsoft lifecycle page for Office 2024 and what’s new in Excel 2024.
