Should I Upgrade to Microsoft Office 2021 Professional?
Have you considered upgrading to the latest Microsoft Office 2021 Professional suite? Read on to learn more about the latest office suite update.
I use my computer daily; therefore, I must make the experience smooth. Microsoft office is one of the applications which make my work seamless. However, I have to keep up with updates now and then.
The latest office update is Microsoft Office 2021 Professional; like previous upgrades, it has better additional features. Microsoft Office 2021 Professional has Microsoft Teams as an inclusive and is faster; these are some of the new updates. The review below highlights all new features in Office 2021, comparisons with previous ones and answers frequently asked questions about Microsoft Office 2021 Professional.
About Microsoft Office 2021 Professional
The Microsoft Office 2021 Professional suite was released on 5th October 2021 for consumers, while business users had early access on 16th September 2021. The latest upgrade has a set of new features that are a notch higher than previous versions. You can co-author while working on projects such as a presentation, a spreadsheet and a word documents.
Unlike previous versions, it comes with Microsoft Teams. It is faster and more powerful compared to
other Office versions. Office 2021 works similarly to other versions; therefore, you will not encounter challenges handling the features; it has a low learning curve. Once purchased, there are no monthly charges/subscriptions applied. Unlike Office 365 which is a subscription-based service/office suite.
Microsoft Office 2021 latest features
1. Improved setup of commenting on documents
The comment section in Word, PowerPoint, and Excel in the 2021 version is better and advanced,
where you can comment on work done by other authors.
2. Co-authoring
You can co-author the same document in Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. Microsoft will notify each
writer of any changes immediately.
3. Visual refresh
The Start button is modern with better-refreshed tabs. The window corners exhibit a clean style
with a neutral colour palette.
4. Dark mode
There is an upgrade on Word with the inclusion of Dark Mode, which changes the canvas to black.
5. Microsoft Search
On each Microsoft Office app, you will see the new search box, which helps when you want to
search, for example, while writing in Word.
6. XLOOKUP
You can find anything using XLOOKUP row by row, table or range.
7. Ink and Translator in Outlook
You can make up to 70 email language translations on Outlook and look at the transcript. The new
version always allows you to annotate images on your emails.
8. Increased performance
The speed on Office 2021 is faster. You get quick results while working on Excel, the response on
Word is efficient and PowerPoint features are on time.
9. Accessibility Checker
There is an accessibility checker which identifies anything new that would help if you looked at it.
10. Line Focus
You can improve the focus on your document by going through it line by line through adjusting the
focus to be selected lines at a given time.
11. New Draw Tab
New Draw tab additions, Ruler, Lasso, and Point Eraser, are in one place. Therefore, you can make
changes to the colour faster.
12. Saving changes immediately
You can upload your documents to SharePoint Online and OneDrive, which ensures all updates are
immediately saved.
13. Sketched Style outline
There are new Sketched style options, Scribble, Freehand, and Curved, that add a natural, casual
look to presentations.
14. New HEX colour values for the Colour dialogue
Another new feature is the Hex box. Here you enter the Hex colour values, unlike in previous
versions where you had to convert the Hex colour values into RGB values.
15. OpenDocument Support Format
The new Office version includes OpenDocument format support (ODF) 1.3, which adds support for
its various new features.
16. Stock Media
There are new additions to the Office Premium Creative Content collection, including a stock of
icons, images and other tools that improve your self-expression.
17. Arrangement of slides
On PowerPoint, you can arrange the slides in order of how you want them to be, communicating
your message easily.
18. LET function
With the new LET function in Excel, you can assign names to the results of calculations.
How does Microsoft Office 2021 compare to the rest?
There are several differences between Microsoft Office 2021 and other versions. Below is a breakdown of some notable differences.
Office 2019 vs. 2021
There are some differences between Office 2021 and 2019 versions. You can make real-time co-
authoring on Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. While in Microsoft 2019, you can do this on Word only.
Another difference is in Office 2021, users can access Microsoft Teams, which was only available in
Microsoft 365. New additions to Office 2021 are absent in the Office 2019 version, such as Xlookup, LET, Dynamic Arrays, Dark Mode, and more.
Office 2016 vs. 2021
Since Microsoft Office 2021 is the latest Office upgrade, some changes set it apart from the previous
Office 2016 version. The 2021 version is faster and more powerful. You get responses on the Excel
functions, Word features and PowerPoint setup. Unlike Office 2016, you can co-author while working on Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. There are various feature additions in Office 2021, such as Visual refresh, Line Focus and Accessibility Checker, which are absent in Office 2016.
Verdict: Is it worth getting?
Microsoft Office 2021 Professional is the latest Office update with new features. Undoubtedly, getting the upgrade is a good purchase and good value for your money. It comes with Microsoft Teams and an option for language translations. You don’t have to worry about adjusting to its new features; it has a low learning curve. It’s a faster and more reliable office suite and Microsoft are bringing out regular updates to build on the reliability and security of the suite. With the cost of living rising and we all having to watch the pennies each month the savings are obvious. An office 365 subscription ranges from £59.99 to £165 a year dependent on version and features. Office 2021 professional plus suite can be purchased from Ecokeys.co.uk for a one-off fee of £18.49 so as you can see the savings are obvious. Other than cost and the raft of new features you should bear in mind what you use Microsoft office for. If your use is just to send a quick email and an odd word document once in a while the upgrade would not be worth it. If you use office apps daily for business or personal use the upgrade to office 2021 would make sense taking advantage of the power and reliability.
FAQs
Is the recommended office 2021 the fastest office suite produced?
Yes, Microsoft Office 2021 is the fastest and most powerful Office version produced.
Is Office 2021 an updateable suite?
Yes, office updates are released for the Office 2021 version. There are security, performance and reliability updates that are regularly available. To check for office updates, go to an office application then “File” (top toolbar) then account (bottom left) on the right-hand side of the screen you can select the update options and configure as required.
Does Office 2021 come as a one-time purchase instead of monthly subscription
charges?
Yes, you get to pay once. Afterwards, there are no monthly charges applied.
What is the minimum machine specification for office 2021 Professional Plus?
Office 2021 will only install on machines that have Windows 10/11. This is Microsoft’s unofficial way of getting you to upgrade to a newer operating system. Starting with Office 2019 a minimum spec of operating system was put in place for Microsoft’s office suites and other software they produce such as Microsoft Project Pro 2019.
System Requirements
Operating system: Windows 10 / 11
Computer and processor; 1.6 gigahertz (GHz) or faster, 2-core.
Professional Plus: 2.0 GHz or greater recommended for Skype for Business.
Memory; 4 GB RAM; 2 GB RAM (32-bit)
Hard disk; 4.0 GB of available disk space.
Display; 1280 x 768 screen resolution.
Is office 2021 Professional Plus an easy install?
You can purchase the office 2021 Professional plus suite which includes official download link and genuine license from https://ecokeys.co.uk/office-2021-professional-pl...
It is recommended to remove all office versions before performing your install of office 2021 Professional Plus. This can be done by using the Microsoft office removal tool below
Once removed restart your machine and start your installation. This involves downloading and running the install from the official download link provided. Once installed open an office application
such as word and an activation screen will appear, enter the product code supplied and you will have office 2021 Professional installed and activated.
Summary of survey
Ecokeys sent out a quick customer survey to customers 2 months after purchasing office 2021 pro plus. This was sent out to 150 customers with an age range of 25-65. The results were
Ease of install - 86% advised they were able to install Office 2021 Pro plus easily
Ease of use – 92% advised the learning curve for Office 2021 Pro plus is low
Most common office application used – 61% advised Word was the most used office application
Did you find the office suite faster or more reliable – 72% found the office suite to have a faster more reliable experience.
For more information on how our customers fared with Office 2021 Pro plus see the reviews onsite.
All in all, Ecokeys clients have found Office 2021 Pro plus to be a good upgrade on Microsoft’s previous offerings of office. With the changes since covid and more and more people working remotely Microsoft needed to bring more features to the suite for remote work and they have. The take off of video calling and Facebook’s concentration on meta portal plus other companies such as Zoom trying to corner this market has made Microsoft step up. Microsoft Teams which is now included in their office suites and is a welcome feature. With cost of product being an important factor in decision making in this current climate Office 2021 Professional is a good option saving on monthly subscription fees which are required with Microsoft flagship Office 365.
