Microsoft plans to release a standalone version of Microsoft Office next year

Microsoft released Office 2019 two years ago on September 24, 2018. The new version of Office was released exclusively for Windows 10 and Mac OS X and included a number of fundamental changes to previous versions of Office and Office 365 (now Microsoft 365).

Office 2019 was released as a standalone version that required a one-time payment and no subscription. Customers could use Office 2019 on devices without Internet connection, and Microsoft aligned the support period with that of Office 2016. Both products will run out of support in 2025.

One of the core differences between Office 2019 and Microsoft 365 is that the former does not receive feature updates while the latter is updated on a constant basis. Some customers prefer that as it provides more stability, others prefer to have access to new features as soon as they become available.

Microsoft's stance on the matter was that customers should pick Microsoft 365 over Office 2019.

Microsoft revealed in 2018 that Office 2019 would not be the last standalone version of the Office suite. The company's Exchange team announced yesterday that a new standalone version of Microsoft Office will be released in 2021.

Microsoft Office will also see a new perpetual release for both Windows and Mac, in the second half of 2021.

The new version will be released in the second half of 2021 and likely named Office 2022 because of that. Microsoft did not provide additional details other than the fact that it will release a standalone version of Office in 2021.

We will share additional details around the official names, pricing and availability of all these products later.

What is clear is that the new Office will include features that Microsoft integrated into Microsoft 365 Office applications since the release of Office 2019.

It is also very likely that Office 2022, or whatever it will be called, will again be limited to recent Windows 10 versions and probably Mac OS X, and that it won't receive feature updates after it has been released.

We don't know for how long the new Office will be supported. A three year support cycle seems out of the question and the usual 10 years that Microsoft used in the past with the exception of Office 2019, could mean that it would be supported until 2031.

Now You: Standalone Office, Microsoft 365, or a third-party Office app, what is your preferred option? (via Dr. Windows)

.