Which Office fits the Mac? For a current Mac, Office 2024 is the right choice: Office Home 2024 for Mac includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote, Office Home & Business 2024 for Mac additionally Outlook. The requirement is one of the three most recent versions of macOS. Access, Publisher, Project and Visio are not available for the Mac. Older Mac versions of Office no longer receive updates.
Quick decision
- Documents, spreadsheets, presentations: Office Home 2024 for Mac.
- Additionally email and calendar with Outlook: Office Home & Business 2024 for Mac.
- Your Mac no longer receives a current macOS: first check which macOS version is running. Office 2024 requires one of the three most recent versions.
- Only a document now and then: the free LibreOffice is also available for macOS.
- Several devices, for example Mac, iPad and iPhone: that is what a subscription is intended for, see Office 2024 or Microsoft 365.
Mac editions of Office 2024
| Feature | Office Home 2024 for Mac | Office Home & Business 2024 for Mac | Office LTSC Standard for Mac 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Word, Excel, PowerPoint | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| OneNote | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Outlook | No | Yes | Yes |
| Access, Publisher | No | No | No |
| Devices | one Mac | one Mac | one Mac |
| Target group according to Microsoft | school, studies, family | family, small businesses | businesses, government organizations |
| Updates until | October 9, 2029 | October 9, 2029 | October 9, 2029 |
Microsoft describes the one-time purchase as a license for “one PC or Mac”. In retail, the editions for Windows and Mac are usually separate products. When ordering, look for the addition “Mac”; platform restrictions are stated on the product page.
What is missing on the Mac
- Access is available for Windows only.
- Publisher is not available for macOS; Microsoft has since discontinued the program.
- Project and Visio are offered by Microsoft as desktop programs for Windows only.
- The Mac version of Office is available in 64-bit only. The question of 32-bit or 64-bit does not arise on the Mac.
If you need one of these programs, you need a Windows PC or a Windows environment.
System requirements for Office 2024 on the Mac
| Feature | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Operating system | the three most recent versions of macOS |
| Processor | Intel or Apple silicon, as far as supported by these macOS versions |
| Memory | 4 GB |
| Free disk space | 10 GB |
| Display | 1280 × 800 |
| Internet | for redeeming, activation and updates |
| Account | Microsoft account for assigning the license |
The rule of the three macOS versions is a moving one: when a new macOS is released, Microsoft drops the oldest of the previously supported versions. A Mac that no longer gets a current macOS therefore falls out of support over time. Microsoft points out that the feature set and the availability of individual features may differ on older systems.
New in Office 2024 for Mac
Among other things, Microsoft names: a new default theme, inserting photos directly from the iPhone or iPad, 14 new text and array functions and the IMAGE function in Excel, the camera feed on the slide and the recording studio in PowerPoint, delayed sending and the Focused Inbox in Outlook, and the recovery of open documents in Word.
Older Mac versions: support ended
| Version | End of support |
|---|---|
| Office 2016 for Mac | October 13, 2020 |
| Office 2019 for Mac | October 10, 2023 |
| Office 2021 for Mac | October 13, 2026 |
| Office 2024 for Mac | October 9, 2029 |
For the Mac versions of 2016 and 2019 there was no extended support as there was on Windows. Older versions only make sense if your Mac no longer receives a current macOS and you consciously accept the risk of missing security updates. All dates at a glance:
Office end of support.
Installation and activation on the Mac
- Redeem the product key with your Microsoft account.
- Download the installer package from the account and open it in the Downloads folder.
- Open an Office app, for example Word, and select Sign in.
- Sign in with the account you used to redeem the key. Office checks the license and activates.
The detailed guide is under
Install Office: redeem the key and download.
Typical cases
MacBook Air for your studies. Term papers in Word, analyses in Excel, presentations in PowerPoint: Office Home 2024 for Mac is enough.
Self-employed with an iMac. Several mailboxes, appointments and contacts are to come together in one program. Choose Office Home & Business 2024 for Mac.
Older Mac without a current macOS. Office 2024 cannot be used. Check whether the free LibreOffice is enough before you buy an older Office version without support.
Mac in the office, colleagues work with Access. Access is not available for the Mac. The database has to stay on a Windows PC.
Office for Mac at VivaKeys
Older versions, if your macOS requires them:
Office Home & Student 2021 for Mac,
Office Home & Business 2021 for Mac,
Office Standard 2021 for Mac and
Office Home & Business 2019 for Mac.
All Mac offers are in the
Office for Mac category. The editions for Windows are shown in the
comparison of the Office 2024 editions.
Frequently asked questions
Is Office 2024 available for the Mac? Yes. Office Home 2024 and Office Home & Business 2024 are available for macOS, and for businesses also Office LTSC Standard for Mac 2024.
Can I buy Office 2024 for the Mac as a one-time purchase? Yes. Both editions are one-time purchases for one Mac, without a subscription.
Which macOS does Office 2024 need? One of the three most recent versions of macOS. As soon as Apple releases a new macOS, support for the oldest of these three is dropped.
Is an Office 2021 license for the Mac still worth it? Only in exceptional cases. Support for Office 2021 for Mac ended on October 13, 2026. For current Macs we recommend Office 2024.
Does Office run on Macs with an Apple processor? Yes. Microsoft names Intel and Apple silicon as supported processors.
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/what-s-new-in-office-2024-and-office-ltsc-2024
- support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-activation-licensing/office-install/activate-office-for-mac
- learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/microsoft-office-2019-for-mac
- learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/microsoft-office-2016-for-mac
- learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/office-2021