Microsoft plans to release a standalone version of Microsoft Office next year
Microsoft released Office 2019 two years ago on September 24, 2018. The new version of Office was released exclusively for Windows 10 and Mac OS X and included a number of fundamental changes to previous versions of Office and Office 365 (now Microsoft 365).
Office 2019 was released as a standalone version that required a one-time payment and no subscription. Customers could use Office 2019 on devices without Internet connection, and Microsoft aligned the support period with that of Office 2016. Both products will run out of support in 2025.
One of the core differences between Office 2019 and Microsoft 365 is that the former does not receive feature updates while the latter is updated on a constant basis. Some customers prefer that as it provides more stability, others prefer to have access to new features as soon as they become available.
Microsoft's stance on the matter was that customers should pick Microsoft 365 over Office 2019.
Microsoft revealed in 2018 that Office 2019 would not be the last standalone version of the Office suite. The company's Exchange team announced yesterday that a new standalone version of Microsoft Office will be released in 2021.
Microsoft Office will also see a new perpetual release for both Windows and Mac, in the second half of 2021.
The new version will be released in the second half of 2021 and likely named Office 2022 because of that. Microsoft did not provide additional details other than the fact that it will release a standalone version of Office in 2021.
We will share additional details around the official names, pricing and availability of all these products later.
What is clear is that the new Office will include features that Microsoft integrated into Microsoft 365 Office applications since the release of Office 2019.
It is also very likely that Office 2022, or whatever it will be called, will again be limited to recent Windows 10 versions and probably Mac OS X, and that it won't receive feature updates after it has been released.
We don't know for how long the new Office will be supported. A three year support cycle seems out of the question and the usual 10 years that Microsoft used in the past with the exception of Office 2019, could mean that it would be supported until 2031.
Now You: Standalone Office, Microsoft 365, or a third-party Office app, what is your preferred option? (via Dr. Windows)
Other than the OS Win7, I have pretty much given up on Microsoft.
Tried Office 2016 Click-to-run briefly when I used Windows 10 due to a heavy discount on it from my employer. But that was a big mistake as it always had a process running in the background that is basically a link to the Microsoft mother ship and makes Office dependent on an Internet connection. Combined with my dislike for Windows 10 in general I dumped both and went back to Office 2007 and Windows 8.1 Pro.
Before that I used to use Office 2003 on Windows XP Pro, loved that Office shortcut toolbar placed at the top of the screen for easy access to favorite programs! Think I still have the CD for it somewhere, I do know still have XP on hand and would probably still be using it on an old laptop if it were not for needing the enhanced HDMI audio support that’s only available with Windows 7.
So always standalone for me! I don’t need/want all the latest features just a stable stand alone product that doesn’t need to talk to its maker in order to work. Thus IMHO, Microsoft can shove their software as a service where the sun don’t shine! :-)
“Microsoft’s stance on the matter was that customers should pick Microsoft 365 over Office 2019.”
MS will always suggest that customers do whatever benefits MS financially. Y’all know this, right?
Of course, Gerald. That’s Microsoft.
I’ve been using WordPerfect as my word processor since version 5.1 for DOS. I can remember the tricks that Microsoft used to establish their user base, which was to force new computer companies to include it on all new computers they sold. I’ve periodically tried to use Word and have always walked away detesting it. I’ve even been forced to use the program in workplace environments, have on at least two occasions convinced my employers that WordPerfect was a better program. Now that I’m retired, I wouldn’t touch Microsoft Office with a barge pole. One of the first things I do on any new computer is to uninstall the trial version of MS Office if it’s installed. I’ve tried LibreOffice, but it’s way too much like MS Office. Not only that, but it takes forever to start and often locked my computer up. I refuse to have a module running in the background that allows for quicker startups of the program. God only knows what it’s also doing as it runs there, unattended. Both LibreOffice and MS Office lack the “Reveal Codes” feature that WordPerfect has. Say what you will, that feature is something that I refuse to do without.
@John C.:
WordPerfect doesn’t support Unicode, which makes it both a technological dinosaur in the 21st century as well as utterly useless for many people around the world.
The main problem with using older Office versions (as some commenters have suggested), is that Microsoft keeps tinkering with the Office file formats and therefore only the latest Office versions tend to have perfect compatibility. This is important both for convenience as well as interoperability (especially in a work setting). LibreOffice, even at v7, still disappoints in that regard.
Office 2003. I also collect and download any resources available online, such as books or websites.
Unfortunately, some of the best Office experts are now dead.
Alternatively, have a look at Free Office and its paid version, Soft Maker Office.
Standalone for me. I prefer to pay for cars up-front too. Paying things off is not a good financial habit. With cars, leasing may be a better alternative if you can claim it on your tax and you pay a high rate of tax. I can’t see why the same would not apply with software.
Microsoft seems mainly seems to appeal to the corporate market. That’s where a lot of people would pick up their desire for Office. 365 is OK for work. full-blown 365 is not OK for home. Fortunately, Microsoft has a free version for John and Jane Doe whose use is mostly Word or Excel.
https://www.office.com/?auth=1
Those who do fit that category should also have a look at OneNote.
https://www.onenote.com/Download
Hmmm
I am curious how many commerical licenses of the various stand alone Office versions are actually in use compared to 365. It would seem that 365 is not doing as well as MS hoped or they wouldn’t bother to release another stand alone version.
2007-2013 is the sweet spot for Office, hopefully this new version won’t be a lot of useless bloat and a convoluted GUI typical of MS’s new “features”.
Office 2019 was basically Office 2016 with a few minor changes. The next Office will probably be the same. Like someone else said, unless you’re a power user buy an older version if it does what you need. Very cheap. Or Libre Office even.
Office 2010 works perfectly fine and still get security updates. Zero reason to upgrade to any new versions with tons of telemetry services in the background.
I have fond memories of Office 2010 myself. The downside is that, officially, support from Microsoft involving security updates (presumably) ceases in 2 weeks. Alas.
Standalone Office, Microsoft 365, or a third-party Office app, what is your preferred option?
None of the above, I have switched to Onlyoffice and I am very happy with it.
Modern interface and no compatibility issues with docx, xlsx and pptx.
For me it’s 365 over the standalone. I also have OpenOffice. What I mostly use is OneNote 2016, the king of ON. The online app and desktop Win10 versions suck in comparison.
I use 2016 and 2010 ProPlusVL since they have modular installers. I only want Excel and Word.
Who needs it? Office 2007sp3+ works fine. No problems at all, no sw validation.
Probably one of the best Office versions ever, it works like a charm in my father’s computer also. Now I use FreeOffice and I think it’s the best alternative to current Office versions. :]
Whatever works. I’d just as soon use LibreOffice or another free alternative myself.
@NeonRobot,
How dare you! Using Office 2007… That’s so old school! I upgraded to Office 2010 ten years ago. You’ve got to learn how to stay with the times!! :>)
2003 here! 2016 was missing useful functions, had crappy UI, poor performance (10sec instead of 1sec for running a VBA macro), filled \tmp with etl files and acted like a spyware. I will never buy M$ Office again, if only I could achieve the same results with Libre or other payware products…
@SpywareFan, what features are you specifically missing 2016? I like 2003 too and the classic menu versions like Office XP as they dropped many features after 2003 (but added some other useful ones, especially in 2016 like Tell me/Search box for any command.)
Well, a little example of dumbing+bloating M$ New Age style: they hidden the useful journal and removed the option to export in excel file, so the only way was export journal in csv, open an excel file and run a macro to achieve the same result… Wait, no, duration time was not exported in minutes so it was a pita to correct all entries. ( howto-outlook.com/howto/timespent.htm )
There were some other issues I can’t remember, since 2016 was uninstalled after 60 days of use.
With the new C2R versions all user operations and software response required more time, so it’s a no-go for those who like to be productive.
M$ seems unable to produce intuitive, fast and small footprint SW anymore.
If I used Microsoft Office, I would prefer the standalone version. I did use part of the standalone version (Access 2013) some years ago, but I switched to LibreOffice Base, because of bugs in Access. I did use WordPerfect Office Standard until recently, but discontinued it because of their poor customer service and the fact that I could not use it on Linux. I use LibreOffice for everything now.
It may not be for everyone, but it mostly meets my needs.
2018, three years ago? Two years ago I think?
Microsoft released Office 2019 three years ago on September 24, 2020.
huh? pls fix
A minor error. The opening line should mention 24th September 2018 not 2020
Thank you, and everyone else. Corrected.