Microsoft has changed the way it offers Office, seeking to abandon the traditional model and encouraging users to choose subscriptions. Now, with Office 2024 just around the corner, the software giant has announced something new. Microsoft Office 2024 will also be available without a subscription.
Microsoft Office 2024 without a subscription
Microsoft has been releasing updates for Office apps on a recurring basis in recent years. Even though this new feature exists, it has tried to get users to sign up for subscriptions like Microsoft 365. However, for those who no longer want a subscription, Microsoft will launch a new one-time purchase version later this year: Office 2024.
In a recent post from Microsoft, the company confirmed that it will begin testing the upcoming Office Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) in April, with the final version arriving later this year. The subscription-free version is intended for devices that are not always connected to the Internet or that need to run on embedded hardware.
The available information shows that they plan to launch a new version of Office for consumers later this year. Office 2024 will also be supported for five years with the traditional “one-time purchase” model. They have no plans to change the price of these products when they launch.
Not all proposals are accessible
The new Office 2024 should include most of the changes implemented in Word, PowerPoint and Excel since the 2021 version. Microsoft specifically highlighted “dozens of new Excel features and functions, including charts and dynamic matrices”.
There is, however, one detail that stands out especially for the purchase version of Office 2024 and that could be limiting for many. The new AI-based features, the well-known Copilot, and other features associated with the Cloud will not be included in this package for local installation.
Understanding this unique scenario for many users, Microsoft should not impose its subscription as the only offer in the near future. In addition to Office 2024, there will continue to be offers from this suite that the user can simply purchase and install on their PC, at no additional cost.
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