On October 5th, Microsoft will release the new Office 2021 version. This gives users of the Office applications, among other things, new collaboration features that were previously reserved for Microsoft 365 subscribers. In addition, Microsoft has given the apps a new design.
Apps get a new design
The new Office version appears in the style of the Windows redesign. Office design chief Jon Friedman had already announced in 2020 that Microsoft will fundamentally change the interface of the Office apps. The current changes are obviously part of a longer-term restructuring.
Most noticeable are the rounded window corners, colored icons and new tabs in the ribbon. Word, Excel, Powerpoint, One Note, Outlook, Access, Project, Publisher and Visio have been redesigned. This applies to both Office 2021 and Microsoft 365.
New collaboration features
Working together works via the One Drive cloud storage service on an Office document. If a document is stored there, it can be shared with others. One Drive automatically saves updates and notifies all employees of changes. The Teams collaboration platform is also part of the new Office version.
Other functions that are now also activated for Office users without a Microsoft subscription are the recording of Powerpoint presentations, an extended library with Powerpoint content and modern Excel Formulas. A Microsoft 356 subscription is still required for features such as the Presenter Coach in PowerPoint or grammar suggestions in the editor.
Prices
Alternatively, the apps are included in the Microsoft 365 subscription, which costs 7 euros per month or 69 euros per year for an individual. Both run on Windows 11, Windows 10 and the three latest versions of macOS.
