Microsoft is set to release the desktop version of Office 2021 as well as Windows 11 on October 5, 2021. The list of new features includes new Excel functions and support for OpenDocument format (ODF) 1.3 (file extensions .odt, .ods, and .odp).
A list of the differences between Microsoft 365 and Office 2021 may be found here.
Microsoft Office apps such as Excel, Word, and PowerPoint are available as free downloads for iOS , Android and Windows smartphones and tablets that have a screen size of 10.1 inches or smaller. Users can view, edit and create new Office format files with these free apps once they login with a Microsoft user account, but they must subscribe to Microsoft 365 (formerly known as Office 365) to unlock all app functionality. Free web brower versions of Office apps are also available for users logged into OneDrive.
Students and teachers with a valid school email address are also eligible for the free Office 365 Education version.
Apple device users can run the iWork productivity apps, which includes Pages, Numbers, and Keynote.
Office Apps for Windows 10 Mobile will no longer be supported by Microsoft as of January 12, 2021.
Microsoft is currently testing a new Excel for Android feature that will allow you to take a picture of data with your phone or tablet and paste the photo’s data into an Excel worksheet. Insert Data from Picture is currently being tested by select Office Insider users.
The desktop version of Microsoft Office 2019 is now available for Windows and Mac. This non-cloud based product has different options from the cloud subscription versions of Microsoft Office 365 and generally has fewer features than Office 365.
A list of frequently asked questions about Office 2019 may be found here.
Microsoft Office programs such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint create files in Open XML formats by default. The file extensions for OpenXML format include XLSX (Excel), DOCX (Word), and PPTX (PowerPoint).
Files with names that end with “.xlsx” ,”.docx” or “.pptx” can be renamed to “.zip”. These ZIP files can be uncompressed to reveal multiple files and folders.
Information on how to read the contents of the Open XML format for Microsoft Office may be found at docs.microsoft.com/en-us/office/open-xml/understanding-the-open-xml-file-formats.
The Microsoft Office Online browser extension for Edge and Google Chrome browsers allows you to open and create files for Excel, Word, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Sway in your browser without needing Office installed.
This free extension is available from Microsoft Store and Chrome Web Store.
Microsoft has provided some web pages that list Excel and Access functions and keyboard shortcuts:
The Microsoft Excel and Access Tech Community sites have additional helpful hints.
Microsoft has released a list of products that will no longer be supported in 2018, including:
A full list can be found at https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4043450/products-reaching-end-of-support-for-2018.
Free online versions of Microsoft Office applications can be found at https://products.office.com/en-us/office-online/documents-spreadsheets-presentations-office-online. These include:
Users are required to sign in using their Microsoft account.
Microsoft has released an updated set of free Technology e-Books on various subjects. The full list can be found here.