Office 2021 vs Office 2024: the differences and which to buy
Both are perpetual licences with a one-off payment, with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote and Access. What separates them is how long they will keep getting security updates, a handful of new features and one app that Office 2024 no longer includes.
The differences
- Support: Microsoft supports Office 2021 until 13 October 2026 and Office 2024 until 9 October 2029. Neither gets extended support after that.
- Publisher comes with Office 2021 but not with Office 2024: Microsoft is retiring it, and its support ends in October 2026.
- Excel 2024 adds 14 new text and array functions, the IMAGE function for pictures in cells, and charts that update themselves with dynamic arrays.
- PowerPoint 2024 lets you present with your live camera feed on the slide, record video in the Recording Studio and add captions to audio and video.
- Outlook 2024 improves search across mail, calendar and contacts; Word 2024 recovers your session if the app closes unexpectedly.
- Office 2024 saves in OpenDocument 1.4 by default and has a new visual theme; Office 2021 uses OpenDocument 1.3.
- Compatibility: Microsoft lists Office 2024 as supported on Windows 11 and the LTSC editions of Windows 10, not on Windows 10 Home or Pro. Office 2021 runs on Windows 10 and Windows 11.
- Neither includes Teams: it is a separate download.
System requirements side by side
| Office 2021 | Office 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows 11, Windows 11 LTSC 2024, Windows 10 LTSC 2021/2019, Windows Server 2025/2022/2019 | Windows 11, Windows 11 LTSC 2024, Windows 10 LTSC 2021/2019, Windows Server 2025/2022 |
| Processor | 1.1 GHz, 2 cores | 1.1 GHz, 2 cores |
| Memory | 4 GB | 4 GB |
| Disk space | 4 GB | 4 GB |
| Screen resolution | 1280 x 768 (64-bit needed for 4K) | 1280 x 768 (64-bit needed for 4K) |
| Graphics | DirectX 9 or later | Direct3D 9.1 with a WDDM 1.3 driver or later |
| Notes | .NET 3.5 / 4.6+; NO Microsoft account required | .NET 3.5 / 4.6+ |
Which one is right for you?
If your PC runs Windows 11, Office 2024 is the one with a future: three more years of security updates and the new Excel and PowerPoint features. Office 2021 makes sense if you need Publisher or work on Windows 10, bearing in mind that its support ends on 13 October 2026.