I've been using MS Excel 2000 for a long time now. But just moved up from Windows 10 to Windows 11 on a new (older, but reconditioned) computer.

I use Excel a lot for home or personal use. Inventories, personal databases, graphs of trends of things. I like to think I'm hot shit on a computer, but I'm really probably just medium-competent.

I want to move up to a newer version of Excel. Microsoft sells a one-time, non-transferrable download of Home Office 2024 for $149. Or I could rely on the cloud, free Microsoft365 online. I'm kinda old school, so I like the idea of having my own copy on my own desktop. I'm not spying for Russia or anything, yet I worry about privacy issues with the cloud. But sometimes even old dogs learn new tricks.

Which way should I go? Pro & Cons?

I already have Microsoft Office 2021 but I saw there's an Office 2024 which improves and adds some interesting features such as AI. The costs are very different from one another so I'm wondering if others have found the 2024 version to be vastly improved that comes with the price tag or are the changes incremental and not worth the jump in price.

Hey everyone, I needed some feedback on what I should do about my Excel issues, let me start by saying Excel for the Web is just trash and is hard to work on. Is it worth it to buy the $150 License until roughly 2029? Does this support offline mode as well? I really only need something that supports excel and that is about it. I can't stand the Web Excel lol. Thanks!

Update:

Thank you all so much. Often, when I’m faced with putting out $ and deciding how, I like to ask others for opinions and other options: you have been very helpful here.

To address all your comments/suggestions …

I did download libre office first … and I liked working with it (especially with its menu bar which is the same as the Mac version of Office.) but just had a few snags.

I do use an external drive for backups: since I do everything at home, I don’t need to access my files at another location, which the cloud storage is useful for.

I decided to buy the 2024, full package, rather than a subscription.

I searched online for a better price (the ‘go to’ stores matched the official Microsoft price) and found one where I bought the full Office 2024 suite, with activation key, for $39 CDN … less 15% for a first time purchase! And this allows for installing on a second computer, too.

Before installing it, I uninstalled the original 365 (couldn’t figure out how to delete its license info).

It works perfectly!

Again, thank you.

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Advice needed:

My free subscription ends on the 18th … and I am toying with going for the ‘paid in full’ 2024 option, rather than the 365 subscription.

I don’t use the cloud storage, and I don’t really like Defender, nor do I use AI.

I’m really a Mac person, but my MacBook is from 2011 and I can’t upgrade the OS, so I can’t update the browsers, so I can’t access my government or bank accounts with it … and I can’t get a new MacBook because I have a lot of photo and video software that will likely not work on a new os and replacing everything I use is financially not possible.

Also … I’m retired, 73, and see no responsible reason for doing that.

I bought a PC laptop last year … it’s bearable ( 🙂 ) and I’ve started using it for my documents, as well as the browsers. (I have Office on my Mac, so I’m able to move documents between the two.)

I don’t like the idea of a yearly payment, would prefer just owning the app.

Does the 2024 basically offer all the apps that the 365 does? Is there any real logical reason to subscribe to 365? Or will 2024 be enough for my needs (excel, word, PowerPoint mainly)?

Thank you … just needed to bounce this off someone.

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-365-blog/office-ltsc-2024-is-now-available/ba-p/4244953

I'm looking to buy a perpetual office installation to avoid continually paying for microsoft 365. I did a quick search, and licenses like this come up: Microsoft Office 2024 Professional Plus Key | ESD 10 Sek. Sofortdownlo – Officekey24

What's the catch? There's dozens of these sites with 2024 licenses for crazy cheap prices. Are these all just scams?

I need to install Microsoft Office on my Mac. I have two options: pay a one-time payment for the Word, PowerPoint and Excel package ($150) or pay an annual fee for Microsoft 356 ($70). In principle, I prefer to opt for a single payment rather than being tied to subscriptions. What do you suggest? If I choose Office Home, I can save my .doc, .xls and ppt files in iCloud. But can I edit them on my iPhone? What could I be missing?

https://launchingdeals.com/products/microsoft-office-home-business-one-time-purchase-savings?aid=gcid&subid=NTDWM984B4BBGJG2QC5S8FDYSYMDK6EM&preselect=OR-MSOFFICE2019-WINDOWS&marocid=NTDWM984B4BBGJG2QC5S8FDYSYMDK6EM&maropid=WJF&fbclid=PAQ0xDSwLKhx9leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABpwm9pSGFxih7l97bl9NDMCr3qzaixHubHqYOMMIPQTndhCg-lYy9MNzzgEd7_aem_0r7ZMUkp8wCKC2wEdFWYlQ

I just want to make sure i dont buy something that won't work after purchase because I've never seen a one time purchase for ms office.

I have an old MBP laptop where I run Microsoft 2019 and have reinstalled it a few times when I've formatted my laptop. I'm a solo user. I have a new laptop and was going to install it - but I assume I'd need to uninstall it on my old - I assume it's one license, one device at a time, but not sure. Anyway, I was looking at some deals where you can buy a one-time license for either MS Office 2019 or 2024. These ones seem to say download one time for one computer - which reads different than when I bought 2019. Does anyone know if I can ever reinstall it if I end up reformatting a computer or if I get a new computer in the future, or is it literally one install one time and that's it? Anyone have any experience with both versions - is one better than the other? I am not interested in a subscription model as I don't use it that much to make it worth it, and certainly not interested in saving to the cloud. In the last year, I seem to recall MS announcing some features that seemed kind of invasive for privacy, but I think it was because you saved everything to the cloud. Not interested in that. Thanks for any feedback.

I got all the pdf instructions, somehow when I install it get me the error that it can't install because certain software , i got rid of all office and 365 with revo unistaller, so know its blank.
help.

I am looking to buy a new laptop and get Microsoft office with it. I’m just wondering if 2024 office really is a lifetime? I don’t want to buy and then one day it just doesn’t support anymore? Is it better for me to do yearly ? I do get a 30% discount for first year .

Edit: Some have pointed out that there is a classic subscription without AI. Thanks! For those interested: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/switching-to-microsoft-365-personal-and-family-classic-plans-58342e83-38e7-4cda-b63b-88604a8fb7ef

Original post:

My Office 365 personal subscription is being raised from 69,99€ to 99,99€ a year. A ridiculous hike of a little over 42%. Their reasons stated reasons (innovation), read to me as AI development.

A little while back, I got Co-Pilot shoved down my throat by automatically including it in my subscription. I didn't want it, but I got it since there was no opt-out. I already suspected that this was a way to cover costs for Co-Pilot by introducing it to a large market. And here we are, a 42% increase in a single year for the same product with (to me) a useless addition of Co-Pilot.

Needless to say, I will migrate my stuff as soon as possible.

Do you think this increase is proportional to the value added by Co-Pilot?

I've always been a standalone license holder. Currently using Office 2019 and have been fot 5yrs. I've been eyeing up the 2024 version released earlier this month and I'm blown a way by how expensive it's become considering the limited range of apps included in the Office 2024 suit.

Presumably everyone here uses 365 - but why? Is it because MS has pushed it so hard that we've almost forgotten the standalone installs exist, or because we value the cloud / access to the documents more than we do the rich-featured desktop versions of the apps?

I find the desktop versions are faster, smoother, richer in features and more efficient to use compared to the web versions - what about you?

I am thinking of spending the 250$ to buy office 2024 for home and Bussiness but at the same time I feel its a waist I do have a windows laptop although. I use but I noticed I use my linux machines more then I do my windows. And I am fine and happy with using LibreOffice which is free is their a reason why using office is better then using say something like LibreOffice?

When I buy standalone Office 2024 for one PC, it comes with a lifetime/perpetual license. But then Microsoft says that they're going to drop support for that product in 5 years. Do I understand that correctly?

In other words, when they call it a "lifetime" license, they don't mean *my* lifetime, they mean the product's lifetime. (Of course. Duh.) Which is defined as five years.

Technically, I can *run* the software forever, but Microsoft's gonna kill it by pulling all security support. So ... now I get it. Not complaining. Just being clear.

So *now* when I compare standalone vs 365 ... they're *both* subscriptions. $150 for 3 years using Home standalone. Or $300 for 3 years for Personal 365.

Right?

Might be a dumb question, but I use "new" Outlook app on Desktop.

I understand that if you try and use Word and Excel apps without a subscription or purchase, you are unable to edit documents until you pay.

However as far as Outlook, this is not the case.

And I see on Microsoft's "Office Home & Business 2024" purchase page, it says:
"Classic 2024 desktop versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote"

Since I can download and use Outlook for free already, what does purchasing this do specifically when it comes to Outlook? Any new or extra features that I cannot do on the free app?