Microsoft Office 2024 unveils new Fluent design, updates apps to match latest Microsoft 365 release

Subscription-based software isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Some of us would prefer to pay a one-off fee upfront for a software package we know will last us years without any significant changes. Thankfully, Microsoft caters to both types of user, both with the subscription-based Microsoft 365 range of products and now with a brand new version of its flagship product, Microsoft Office 2024.

Office 2024, which starts from $149.99 for its Home edition, replaces Microsoft Office 2021 and brings the feature set bang up to date. It’s also joined by a new Office LTSC 2024 release aimed firmly at larger organizations who want an on-premises edition for a disconnected or restricted environment.

For those looking to upgrade from Microsoft Office 2021, there are numerous new features and improvements -- basically everything that’s been rolled out across the Office 365 packages after Office 2021 was released.

Highlights include a new default Office theme, described as "more natural and consistent", and applying Fluent Design principles to provide a more seamless experience between Office apps.

Other suite-wide updates include support for ODF 1.4, the file format used by LibreOffice, plus users can now simply ‘like’ comments in documents.

Individual apps also gain new features. Word 2024’s recovery tools now extend to being able to recover all documents that were open prior to a crash. Elsewhere, Excel users gain new image tools, including the ability to copy and paste pictures into workbooks alongside a new function – IMAGE – for pulling images from the web.

Excel users also benefit from faster (and more stable workbooks), 14 new text and array functions, and the ability to reference Dynamic Arrays in charts, which allows charts to update automatically with the array.

PowerPoint users can now insert live camera feeds directly into PowerPoint slides using Cameo. Feeds can be subject to the same effects available to pictures and other objects, including styles, formatting and transitions.

This feature is accompanied by a new tool -- Recording Studio -- to facilitate the recording of live slideshow presentations, which can then be exported as video files for wider sharing. Other video features include support for closed captions for both audio and video recordings.

Outlook 2024 promises improved search tools across email, contacts and calendars and more options when creating meetings. OneNote 2024 debuts improved Draw tab and ink features.

There are also some new features reserved for the LTSC build: Office LTSC 2024 adds support for the Accessibility ribbon, plus makes it possible to insert pictures into documents directly from mobile devices. The LTSC build comes with the promise of five years of mainstream support, but no additional extended support thereafter.

Microsoft Office 2024 and Microsoft Office LTSC 2024 are both available now to purchase for PCs running Windows 10 or 11, and Macs running the three most recent versions of macOS. Microsoft Office Home 2024 costs $149.99 for a 1-PC, non-expiring license that includes Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. Microsoft Office Home & Business 2024 costs $249.99 and adds Outlook and the right to use Office in a commercial environment. Microsoft Office Long Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) 2024 is available for businesses with five or more users.