Microsoft to release one-time purchase Office for Windows, macOS in 2021

The company said it plans to release both a Long-Term Servicing Channel variant of Microsoft Office and a version designed for consumers and small businesses. Like the previous Office 2019 release, both versions are designed for those who don't want to pay monthly for the cloud-based Microsoft 365 service.

Microsoft said that the LTSC version will include new updates like Dark Mode and accessibility improvements, as well features such as Dynamic Arrays and XLOOKUP in Excel. It's likely to include those features in the consumer Office 2021 too, but Microsoft is holding off on adding any details until closer to the release date. The company did say that it doesn't plan to change the one-time purchase cost.

Additionally, there's a new change to the support window for Office 2021 LSTC. The window is being bumped up to five years, instead of the seven years that it has typically provided. The cost is also increasing by 10%.

The Office 2021 LTSC will become available as a preview version in April, but the consumer version won't. Microsoft is eyeing a release in the second half for LTSC, though it isn't clear if it's planning the same for Office 2021.