Microsoft will release Office 2021 for the general consumers from October 5, the company has announced. The arrival of the upgraded version of Microsoft Office matches the release of its much-awaited Windows 11, which releases on the same day.
Unlike the cloud-based Microsoft 365 that offers productivity experience, Office 2021 will be a one-time purchase offering Office apps for one computer for an up-front price.
The Washington-based company has also announced the Microsoft Office Long Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) for macOS and Windows. Microsoft Office LTSC — Office 2021’s enterprise-centric version — will be available to commercial and government customers.
In a blog post on Thursday, Microsoft announced the release date for both Office 2021 and Office LTSC, which has been available for testing since April.
“Office LTSC is designed for specific scenarios: regulated devices that cannot accept feature updates, process control devices on the manufacturing floor, and specialty systems that cannot connect to the internet,” Microsoft 365 Corporate Vice President Jared Spataro wrote in the blog.
“To meet this need, Office LTSC will provide a locked-in-time version of familiar productivity tools.”
In February, Microsoft announced Office 2021 and Office LTSC as the next perpetual versions of its productivity suite. These versions aim to provide Office app access on a standalone basis for a one-time fee, with the company providing five-year support. However, neither Office LTSC nor Office 2021 have been designed to receive feature updates that regular Microsoft 365 users get.
Alongside Office 2021, the US tech giant will finally release the long-awaited Windows 11 operating system on October 5. The next-generation PC operating system includes a plethora of interface-level changes apart from enhancements such as integrated Teams. Microsoft has also said the new operating system would have Android app support, but that feature will not be a part of the initial launch.
