What you need to know about this suite of Microsoft Office
Office 2019 is the latest version of the Microsoft Office Suite for Windows PC and Mac Computer. It is the successor to Office 2016, and it was replaced on October 5, 2021, by Office 2021. On September 24, 2018, it was made generally available for Windows 10 and macOS. It includes previous Office suite applications (such as Office 2013 and 2016), such as PowerPoint, Excel, Word, and Microsoft Outlook, and servers such as Skype for Business, SharePoint, and Exchange.
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Office 2019 Requirements
To install the new Office suite, you’ll need Windows 10 or 11. The main reason is that Microsoft intends to update its Office apps twice a year. The technology must mesh for everything to work smoothly.
Furthermore, Microsoft intends to phase out earlier versions of Office because they do not follow the twice-a-year cadence. Microsoft is now aiming for this timeline for almost all of its software.
The advantage for you, the user, is that you will always have the most up-to-date versions of both Windows 10 and Office 2019 at all times, as long as you allow Windows Updates to install. Microsoft also states that Office 2019 will be supported for five years, followed by approximately two years of extended support. You can buy Office 2019 now and use it until around 2026.
Office 2019 Editions
Microsoft Office 2019 has the exact perpetual SKU editions aimed at different markets as its predecessor Microsoft Office 2016. Microsoft Office 2019, like its predecessor, includes PowerPoint, Excel, Word, and OneNote and is licensed for use on one PC or Mac.
- Office Home & Student: This retail package only includes the core applications – Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and OneNote.
- Office Home & Business: This Office suite includes the core applications and Outlook.
- Standard: Only available through volume licensing channels; this suite includes the core applications and Outlook and Publisher.
- Office Professional: In addition to the core applications, this suite includes Outlook, Publisher, and Access.
- Office Professional Plus: In addition to the core applications, this Office suite includes Outlook, Publisher, Access, and Skype for Business. This edition is available through retail channels (Developer tools subscriptions such as MSDN and Visual Studio subscriptions) and volume licensing channels.
Office 2019 vs. Microsoft 365
Microsoft has stated unequivocally that Microsoft Office 2019 will be “perpetual.” It means that, unlike Microsoft 365, you can buy and own the Office suite. You will not be required to pay a monthly subscription fee to use it (as is the case with Microsoft 365).
Microsoft is doing this because they recognize that not all users are ready for (or trust) the cloud and prefer to keep their work offline and on their machines. Many users do not believe the cloud is secure enough and desire to control their data on their terms. Of course, some people oppose paying a monthly fee to use the product.
There’s no reason to buy Office 2019 if you already have Microsoft 365. Unless, of course, you want to cancel your subscription and move all of your work offline. You can still save your work to the cloud using OneDrive, Google Drive, and Dropbox if you do this. As a result, you can eliminate the monthly subscription fee for Microsoft 365 that you currently pay.
New Features
Many of the features previously published via Office 365 are now available in Office 2019:
- Microsoft Office 2019 has improved inking features and LaTeX support in Word.
- PowerPoint 2019 has new animation features, including morph and zoom features.
- Excel 2019 has new formulas and charts for data analysis.
- OneNote is missing from the suite because the Universal Windows Platform (UWP) version of OneNote included with Windows 10 has taken its place. OneNote 2016 is available as an optional feature through the Office Installer.
- For Mac users, Microsoft will add Focus Mode to Word. Add 2D maps to Excel, new Morph transitions, SVG support, and 4K video exports add to PowerPoint, among other features.
- Updates to Exchange, SharePoint, and Skype for Business include improvements to usability, voice, security, and IT management.
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Office 2019 includes classic core apps such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
Microsoft 365 plans include premium versions of these apps plus other internet-enabled services, such as 1 TB of cloud storage with OneDrive and Skype minutes for home use.
Office 2019 for Home and Students is $149.99 for a one-time purchase. Office 2019 Home and Business is a one-time purchase of $249.99. If you prefer a Microsoft 365 subscription, you can get a family tier for $99.99 per year or $9.99 per month. The annual cost of Microsoft 365 Personal is $69.99, or $6.99 per month. Microsoft 365 Apps for Business costs $8.25 per month per user (on an annual basis). In contrast, Microsoft 365 Business Standard costs $12.50 per month per user (with an annual commitment).
Depending on your internet connection, downloading and installing Microsoft Office 2019 can take 15 minutes to two hours.
While Microsoft Office 2019 is not free, you can get free Office tools by using Office on the Web and a Microsoft account. You’ll be able to use Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, OneDrive, Skype, and other programs for free, albeit with limited functionality.
