Microsoft Office has become a leading platform to drive productivity at home and in the workplace. Whether it's managing email in Outlook, or building analysis spreadsheets in Excel, Office has made carrying out many computer based tasks easier for all of us.
Four major versions of Office 2019 for Windows and 2 for Mac OS were released for Office 2019: Home & Student for PC/MAC: Includes core applications only. Home & Business for PC/MAC: Includes core applications plus Outlook. Professional: Includes core applications plus Outlook, Publisher and Access.
Buying a Microsoft Office subscription will be unavoidable for those who have a lot of more complex files to create and edit, like students or professionals.
Microsoft's suite of productivity software -- including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Microsoft Teams, OneDrive and SharePoint -- typically costs $150 for a one-time installation (as Office 365), or between $70 and $100 every year for subscription service access across devices and family members (as Microsoft 365)
It's no secret that the future of IT is cloud-based subscription services and Microsoft has announced some serious changes coming in 2020. Beginning October 13, 2020, in order to connect to Office 365 you will need to be on Office 365 ProPlus or have upgraded to Office 2019.
Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) is the best option for anyone who needs access to the full range of Office apps and additional benefits on multiple devices.
A one-off price for Microsoft Office Home and Student 2016 may be the best option if you want to pay up front for an office suite. This suite gives you the most recent versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote, meant for one PC only (Mac also comes with Outlook)
Microsoft 365 plans for home and personal include the robust Office desktop apps that you're familiar with, like Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. Office 2019 is sold as a one-time purchase, which means you pay a single, up-front cost to get Office apps for one computer.
Microsoft Office 2019 is a standalone, local (not cloud-based, like Office 365) version of the Microsoft Office software suite. It is a “perpetual” release, which is just a fancy way of saying you buy the software once and own it forever, rather than having to pay an annual subscription fee to access it.
Here are some ways to get Microsoft Office cheaply versus buying it full-price at the store.
Use Microsoft's Student Office Plans.
Use Microsoft's Office Online Website.
Use the Mobile Office Apps for Android and iOS.
Use Third-Party Retailers and Hunt for Sales.
Get Microsoft Office Cheap on Gray Market Stores.
Step 1: Open the Office program. Programs such as Word and Excel are pre-installed on a laptop with a year of free Office.
Step 2: choose an account. An activation screen will appear.
Step 3: Log in to Microsoft 365.
Step 4: accept the conditions.
Step 5: get started.
All Office 365 plans are time-limited, usually for a year. Office 365 Home or Personal can be extended for up to five years by buying multiple yearly plans and adding them to your account. There's no such thing as a 'lifetime' Office 365 product key.