365
Behind the public hype around the release of Windows 11, on the same day, Microsoft quietly launched the latest version of the standalone version of their productivity suite, Office 2021.
Unlike the subscription-based Microsoft 365 service, this product is for customers who prefer a one-time purchase.
It is important to note that current Microsoft 365 customers do not need Office 2021, as they already have all the functionality.
Supported Operating Systems
Office 2021 supports Windows 10, Windows 11, and macOS
Office 2021 versions
The latest office client comes in two flavors: Office 2021 or Office 2021 Long Term Servicing Channel (LTSC). The primary differences are that the LTSC is for volume license customers and only has five years of support from Microsoft.
What are the new features in Office 2021?
Document co-authoring
Co-authoring allows users to collaborate effectively by working on documents at the same time.
This feature is available in the following applications:
⦁ Word 2021
⦁ Excel 2021
⦁ PowerPoint 2021
Important note: This feature is NOT available in Office 2021 LTSC
Modern comments
The modern comments feature allows for productive collaboration between co-authors.
This feature is available in the following applications:
⦁ Word 2021
⦁ Excel 2021
⦁ PowerPoint 2021
Important note: This feature is NOT available in Office 2021 LTSC
Image credit: Microsoft
See who is actively working on your documents
This functionality allows you to see who is actively working on your shared documents.
This feature is available in the following applications:
⦁ Word 2021
⦁ Excel 2021
⦁ PowerPoint 2021
Important note: This feature is NOT available in Office 2021 LTSC
Image credit: Microsoft
Updated visuals
Enjoy the updated and user interface with a simplified design to provide easy access to actionable collaboration.
This feature is available in the following applications:
⦁ Word 2021
⦁ Excel 2021
⦁ PowerPoint 2021
⦁ Access 2021
⦁ OneNote 2021
⦁ Outlook 2021
⦁ Publisher 2021
⦁ Project 2021
⦁ Visio 2021
Important note: This feature is NOT available in Office 2021 LTSC
Image credit: Microsoft
XLOOKUP
The new Xlookup function is the latest iteration of Vlookup, Hlookup, and Lookup. In addition, Xlookup functionality offers flexibility in supporting exact matches, partial matches, and wildcards.
This feature is available in the following applications:
⦁ Excel 2021
Image credit: Microsoft
Dynamic arrays
Also known as spilled arrays, dynamic arrays can return results of varying sizes.
This feature is available in the following applications:
• Excel 2021
Image credit: Microsoft
LET function
Traditional formulas that reuse data were required to run the same action if called multiple times.
LET is a new enhanced performance version that does not rerun the action.
This feature is available in the following applications:
• Excel 2021
Image credit: Microsoft
Sheet views
The sheet view feature allows individual users to customize views on different sheets without affecting others who access the same document.
This feature is available in the following applications:
• Excel 2021
Important note: This feature is NOT available in Office 2021 LTSC
Image credit: Microsoft
Accessibility ribbon
Before sharing a spreadsheet, the accessibility ribbon allows users to check if their content is easy to read, has easy-to-understand names to charts and pictures, has no contrast issues, and unmerge cells to create a structured image of the information.
This feature is available in the following applications:
• Excel 2021
Important note: This feature is NOT available in Office 2021 LTSC
Image credit: Microsoft
Improved slide show recording
Microsoft has updated the recording and narration features to ensure smoother presentations.
This feature is available in the following applications:
• PowerPoint 2021
Image credit: Microsoft
Ink replay
Drawing animations can now be embedded directly in presentations, with the ability to alter their playback speed to ensure the user experience you would like to capture.
This feature is available in the following applications:
• PowerPoint 2021
Image credit: Microsoft
Reading order
Ensure effective communication by using the reading order feature to ensure the readers take in the content in the intended order.
This feature is available in the following applications:
• PowerPoint 2021
Image credit: Microsoft
Direct slide link
Collaborate quickly and effectively by sending a link to a specific slide that somebody else needs to work on.
This feature is available in the following applications:
• PowerPoint 2021
Important note: This feature is NOT available in Office 2021 LTSC
Image credit: Microsoft
Outlook translation
Take advantage of the built-in translation feature to translate content into over 70 languages, with the output displayed directly in Outlook.
This feature is available in the following applications:
• Outlook 2021
Image credit: Microsoft
Outlook instant search
Instant search can search all folders for mail content, giving the best search results to date from a Microsoft mail search feature.
This feature is available in the following applications:
• Outlook 2021
Image credit: Microsoft
Line focus
Remove distractions and increase comprehension by focusing on one, three, or five lines of text at a time.
This feature is available in the following applications:
• Word 2021
Image credit: Microsoft
New stock media
With various images, illustrations, people, stickers, and videos to choose from, it is easier than ever to find just the right content to convey your message.
This feature is available in the following applications:
• Word 2021
• Excel 2021
• PowerPoint 2021
• Outlook 2021
• Visio 2021
Image credit: Microsoft
Microsoft search
The latest version of the search tool allows looking for a wide variety of content such as help, plain text, or even commands.
This feature is available in the following applications:
• Word 2021
• Excel 2021
• PowerPoint 2021
• Outlook 2021
• OneNote 2021
Image credit: Microsoft
Accessibility checker
Content creators can ensure that all potential viewers will be able to view their data easily with the handy accessibility checker.
This feature is available in the following applications:
• Word 2021
• Excel 2021
• PowerPoint 2021
Image credit: Microsoft
Improved performance
General speed, stability, and performance have improved across multiple applications. For example, excel can complete calculations faster.
This feature is available in the following applications:
• Word 2021
• Excel 2021
• PowerPoint 2021
• Outlook 2021
Image credit: Microsoft
Autosave
Autosave allows the automatic saving of files to OneDrive, OneDrive for Business, or SharePoint Online.
This feature is available in the following applications:
• Word 2021
• Excel 2021
• PowerPoint 2021
Image credit: Microsoft
OpenDocument format (ODF) 1.3 support
Native support is included for this popular XML-based file format.
This feature is available in the following applications:
• Word 2021
• Excel 2021
• PowerPoint 2021
Image credit: Microsoft
Linked table manager
The linked table manager has been updated to include multiple user suggestions in how data sources are managed.
This feature is available in the following applications:
• Access 2021
Image credit: Microsoft
Extended date/time data types
To enhance accuracy and details, Access 2021 now includes SQL DateTime2, which allows the following ranges:
This feature is available in the following applications:
• Access 2021
Image credit: Microsoft
Visio stencils for Azure and AWS
Easily create infrastructure diagrams for Microsoft Azure or Amazon Web Services with the latest stencils and shapes.
This feature is available in the following applications:
• Visio 2021
Image credit: Microsoft
Image credit: Microsoft
Social distance planning
Visio 2021 comes with new templates and stencils for planning new layouts to assist with replanning office spaces for social distancing.
This feature is available in the following applications:
• Visio 2021
Image credit: Microsoft
Hex color picking
All applications now support the option of selecting hex colors.
This feature is available in the following applications:
⦁ Word 2021
⦁ Excel 2021
⦁ PowerPoint 2021
⦁ Access 2021
⦁ OneNote 2021
⦁ Outlook 2021
⦁ Publisher 2021
⦁ Project 2021
⦁ Visio 2021
Image credit: Microsoft
Conclusion
Microsoft has introduced many new features to Office 2021 to align with the subscription-based Microsoft 365. Still, buyers need to ensure they will get all the functionality they are looking for, as many of these updates are not included in the Office 2021 LTSC release.
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