Which edition of Office 2024 do you need? If you only use Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote, choose Office Home 2024. If you also need Outlook, Office Home & Business 2024 is the right choice. Office Professional Plus 2024 (Microsoft’s name: Office LTSC Professional Plus 2024) additionally includes Access and runs on Windows only. All editions are a one-time purchase for one device and, according to Microsoft, receive updates until October 9, 2029.
Quick decision
- Office Home 2024: documents, spreadsheets, presentations and notes. You read your email in the browser or in another mail program.
- Office Home & Business 2024: like Home, plus Outlook for email, calendar and contacts. Microsoft names this edition for families and small businesses.
- Office Professional Plus 2024: additionally with the Access database. Microsoft aims this edition at businesses and government organizations; it is installed without a Microsoft account and activated with the product key.
- Mac: Home and Home & Business are each available as a separate Mac edition. Access is not available for the Mac.
- Do you always need the latest features, or Office on several devices? Then a subscription fits better, see Office 2024 or Microsoft 365.
Editions and included programs
| Feature | Office Home 2024 | Office Home & Business 2024 | Office LTSC Professional Plus 2024 | Office LTSC Standard for Mac 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Word | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Excel | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| PowerPoint | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| OneNote | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Outlook | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Access | No | No | Yes | No |
| Publisher | No | No | No | No |
| Platform | Windows or Mac | Windows or Mac | Windows only | Mac only |
| Devices | one PC or Mac | one PC or Mac | one PC | one Mac |
| Target group according to Microsoft | school, studies, family | family, small businesses | businesses, government organizations | businesses, government organizations |
| Updates until | October 9, 2029 | October 9, 2029 | October 9, 2029 | October 9, 2029 |
Office Home 2024 was called “Home & Student” in earlier versions. Microsoft does not offer an “Office Professional 2024” edition for consumers; if you need Access, choose Professional Plus or buy Access on its own. Publisher is no longer included in any edition of Office 2024, because Microsoft has discontinued the program. Microsoft Teams is no longer preinstalled with Office LTSC 2024, but can be downloaded separately. With Professional Plus you can optionally install Skype for Business during the installation.
Microsoft also offers Office LTSC Standard 2024 for Windows. This edition includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote, i.e. the scope of Professional Plus without Access. What LTSC means and who these editions are intended for is explained in
Office LTSC 2024 explained.
System requirements
| Feature | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows 11 (on ARM devices, Windows 11 is mandatory) | the three most recent versions of macOS |
| Processor | 1.1 GHz or faster, 2 cores | Intel or Apple silicon |
| Memory | 4 GB | 4 GB |
| Free disk space | 4 GB | 10 GB |
| Display | 1280 × 768 (for 4K and higher: 64-bit Office) | 1280 × 800 |
| Graphics | Direct3D 9.1 with WDDM 1.3 driver | – |
| Internet | for redeeming, activation and updates | for redeeming, activation and updates |
According to Microsoft, Office LTSC 2024 also supports Windows 11 LTSC 2024, Windows 10 LTSC 2021, Windows 10 LTSC 2019, Windows Server 2025 and Windows Server 2022. In its frequently asked questions about Office 2024, Microsoft still names “Windows 10 and later”, but points out that Windows 10 was only supported until October 14, 2025. You should therefore plan with Windows 11.
Office 2024 is available for Windows in 32-bit and 64-bit versions. Which one you should install is covered in Office 32-bit or 64-bit.
One-time purchase: what is included and what is not
Office 2024 is a one-time purchase. You pay once and use the programs on one device. Microsoft describes the limits as follows:
- You receive security and quality updates, but no new features. The feature set stays as it was at release.
- Services of a subscription are not included, such as cloud storage or Microsoft’s chat and phone support.
- There is no discounted upgrade to the next major version.
- You need internet access for redeeming, activation and updates. According to Microsoft, Office 2024 is not intended for computers that are permanently disconnected.
How long each version receives updates is shown in the
overview of Office end of support.
Typical cases
Family computer or studies. You write documents, keep spreadsheets and give presentations. Office Home 2024 is enough. If you only write a letter now and then, the free
LibreOffice is often sufficient too.
Self-employed with an email mailbox. You work with appointments, contacts and several mailboxes every day. Choose Office Home & Business 2024, because it is the only edition for consumers and small businesses that includes Outlook.
Office with an Access database. An existing Access application has to keep running. For this you need Office Professional Plus 2024 or Access 2024 as a standalone program, see
Buying Word, Excel and Outlook individually.
MacBook. Make sure you choose the Mac edition. The differences and requirements are covered in
Office for Mac.
Office 2024 at VivaKeys
Redeem with a Microsoft account (guide:
Install Office and redeem the key):
- Microsoft Office Home 2024
- Microsoft Office Home & Business 2024
- Microsoft Office Home 2024 for Mac
- Microsoft Office Home & Business 2024 for Mac
With installation file and product key (guide:
Install Office Professional Plus):
All offers with current prices are in the
Microsoft Office 2024 category, further office programs under
Office software. You do not receive a physical medium: the product key arrives by email, and you download the software.
More guides on Office, Project and Visio
- Office 2024 or Microsoft 365: one-time purchase and subscription compared.
- Office 2024 or Office 2021: what has changed.
- Office 2021 editions compared: the previous version at a glance.
- Office LTSC 2024 explained: the edition for businesses.
- Office for Mac: which version fits on the Mac.
- Buy Office once instead of subscribing: all ways without recurring costs.
- Buying Word, Excel and Outlook individually: when a standalone program is enough.
- Office end of support: all dates from 2016 to 2024.
- Transferring an Office license to another PC: how Microsoft describes the move.
- Office activation: fixing common errors: messages and solutions.
- Office 32-bit or 64-bit: which version to install.
- Project Standard or Professional: the differences in project planning.
- Visio Standard or Professional: templates and data connectivity compared.
Frequently asked questions
Can I buy Office 2024 once, without a subscription? Yes. Office Home 2024, Office Home & Business 2024 and Office Professional Plus 2024 are one-time purchases without a term. Which other ways there are is covered in
Buy Office once instead of subscribing.
What does Office 2024 Home and Business include? Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and Outlook for one PC or Mac. Compared with Office Home 2024, Outlook is added.
Is there an Office 2024 Professional? For consumers, Microsoft only offers Home and Home & Business. The edition with Access is called Office LTSC Professional Plus 2024 and, according to Microsoft, is aimed at businesses and government organizations.
Is Office 2024 available for the Mac? Yes, Home and Home & Business are available for macOS. The three most recent versions of macOS are supported in each case. Access and Publisher are not available for the Mac.
Where do I download Office 2024? With Home and Home & Business, you redeem the key with your Microsoft account and then download Office from the account. With Professional Plus, you receive a download link to the installation file with your order.
How long does Office 2024 receive updates? According to Microsoft, until October 9, 2029. After that the programs continue to run, but no longer receive security updates.
Sources
Checked on 2026-11-10 against the publisher’s information:
- support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/office-2024-and-office-ltsc-2024-faq-1c454a7d-3d0a-4139-b1bd-c61725ea436c
- support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/system-requirements/office-suites-for-individuals-and-families
- support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/system-requirements/office-suites-for-enterprise-business-education-and-government
- learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/ltsc/2024/overview
- learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/office-2024
- learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/office-ltsc-2024
- www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/enterprise/microsoft-office-volume-licensing-suites-comparison