What is New in Office 2021: All the Information You Need

All the information you require about Office 2021

The upcoming edition of Microsoft Office for consumers and small enterprises, Office 2021, will launch on October 5, 2021.

Microsoft Office 2021 offers new functions, data types, motion graphics, translation and editing tools, inking tools, ease-of-use features, and much more!

Office 2021 is accessible on both Windows and macOS platforms.

This is what we currently know.

Office 2021 Date of Release

Microsoft will release Office 2021 for consumer use and Office LTSC for business users on October 5, 2021.

Microsoft will release Windows 11, the most recent operating system for consumers and businesses, on the same day.

There will be a free version of Microsoft Office 2021 and Windows 11 in place of Microsoft 365 and Windows 365, respectively.

Office 2019 to be replaced by Office 2021?

Office 2021 will, in fact, replace Office 2019.

Microsoft refers to Office 2021 as a “perpetual license” version. No yearly payments (subscriptions) are required; it is a one-time payment for continuous software use.

Individuals and small enterprises will be able to purchase Office 2021 from retail stores.

Commercial or volume licensing clients can purchase Office LTSC, a comparable solution.

Both of them are intended for people and companies who do not wish to purchase the cloud-based Microsoft 365 versions.

Microsoft Office 2021: An Explanation of Its Success or Failure

View the following video to get a summary of Office 2021.

What makes Office 2021 a good purchase?

Microsoft announced that a few new features will be included in Office 2021. Furthermore, it has fulfilled its promise.

Office 2021 introduces a wide array of new features, including enhanced accessibility across multiple apps, improved performance, and additional sophisticated functions. Among them are:

• Support for dark modes
• Excel’s Dynamic Arrays with XLOOKUP()
• The Immersive Reader in Word now has Line Focus.
• Use PowerPoint to record a slide show with narration.

Although the dark mode was previously present in Microsoft 365, Office 2021’s standalone edition is the first to have it.

An even more sinister iteration of the initial mode that was released is the Dark Mode in Office 2021. There will be a change to darker colors for the text and other elements on the page.

Microsoft has incorporated a “Switch Modes” button and will add it to the View menu above the page.

The LTSC version, which is targeted at commercial users, has additional new features. Along with the new capabilities, many apps have improved performance and accessibility.

What is new about the Office app you love the most?

Note: Unless specified differently, Microsoft emphasizes that all feature enhancements are also part of Office LTSC for business users and Office 2021 for Mac.

The new features of Office 2021: What is new

Let us examine the new features added to each individual Office 2021 app!

A Visual Recharge

With Office 2021’s new visual revamp, you can work with updated ribbon tabs and a modernized Start experience.

Now, you will notice a clear, uncluttered style with Monoline iconography that uses basic graphics to convey features and action.

New in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook is a visual refresh.

Archive media

More rich media content has been added to the Office Premium Creative Content library. You may now express yourself with the help of a carefully chosen library of icons, stock photos, and other materials.

Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Visio are new.

Microsoft Lookup

The new Microsoft Search window at the top of your Windows Microsoft Office programs can now help you discover what you need.

Microsoft Search is an effective tool that can help you locate text, commands, and assistance faster. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote are part of the new offerings.

Enhancements in performance

Microsoft wants better functionality, stability, and speed for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook users.

Common Excel functions like SUMIF, COUNTIF, and AVERAGEIF can now calculate more quickly.

Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook are new.

Revised the Draw tab

There is a new look to the draw tab.

All of your inking tool colour selection and manipulation are made in one location. Use the new Point Eraser, Ruler, and Lasso tab enhancements to streamline your ink work.

Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are new.

Better Autosave

Now that autosave has a button.

In Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, you have the option to enable the autosave feature, which automatically saves your changes as you work.

To make sure that all of your updates are immediately preserved, upload your files to SharePoint Online, OneDrive, or OneDrive for Business.

Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are new.

OpenDocument format (ODF) support

Now supported by Office 2021 is the OpenDocument format (ODF) 1.3.

You may enjoy an improved user experience and numerous new features thanks to the ODF 1.3 specification.

Outline in sketched style.

With the latest update, you can now give shapes in your presentations a relaxed, hand-drawn appearance by using the Sketched style outline.

Choose from a variety of outlines, such as Curved, Freehand, or Scribble possibilities, by going to Format Shape > Line > Sketched style.

Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are new.

Choose the colour of your choice.

The new Hex colour value input option in the Colors dialogue lets you choose the ideal colour.

You will not have to waste time translating RGB values from Hex colour values anymore.

You can now put a Hex colour value, such as #444 or #0F4C81, in the hexadecimal box; you can specify the colour for any property.

Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Word, OneNote, Visio and Project have all been updated.

Each app’s new features in Office 2021

Fresh in colour

• XLOOKUP: Use XLOOKUP to search a table or range row by row for anything you need.
• Excel formulas can now produce an array of values when they are written, thanks to dynamic arrays. Excel’s six new functions—FILTER, SORT, SORTBY, UNIQUE, SEQUENCE, and RANDARRAY—allow you to speed up computations and insights.
• LET function: Office 2021 from Microsoft comes with the LET function. In order to store intermediate calculations, values, or defining names inside a formula, it gives names to calculation outcomes.
• Excel’s XMATCH function looks for a given element within an array or range of cells and provides the item’s relative location. You can also return a value in an array with the aid of XMATCH.

Fresh in Outlook

• Outlook’s built-in translator and ink allow you to examine transcripts and translate emails into over 70 languages.
• Drawing/inking: Use your finger, pen, or mouse to annotate email images or draw on a separate canvas.
• Instant search: To locate emails fast in Outlook, utilize Instant Search. To locate email messages anywhere in Outlook, use the search bar (found above the ribbon). The same way you would, example, in Gmail.

Fresh in PowerPoint

• fresh and enhanced Keep a record Slide Show: Slide Show is now recordable. Office 2021 now offers support for recording presenter videos, laser pointers, and ink annotations during presentations. u drew by drawing them again and again. This enables you to provide step-by-step explanations or even mental processes. Additionally, you can choose the moment at which to begin the replay while pausing it.
• Slides should be organized with screen readers in mind. Choose the elements you want to read on a screen, then rearrange them as needed. This enables you to successfully convey your message.

Fresh in View

• To oversee and handle all data sources and linked tables within the database, Access now includes an improved Linked Table Manager, conveniently situated for easy access and management.

• The new Date/Time Extended data type: In order to improve syntactic compatibility with SQL and raise the amount of precision and information in records that contain dates and times, Access has revised its Date/Time data type. Microsoft gave Access Access to the SQL DateTime2 data type.

• Access tab manager: Monitor your database items. You can quickly rearrange tabs by dragging them, check the active tab, and click to quickly close database items.

Fresh in Visio

• More Azure stencils and shapes are now available in Visio, enabling you to design modern Azure diagrams. Azure diagrams for virtual machine settings, network topologies, operations, and more can be created.

• New AWS stencils and shapes: Amazon Web Services (AWS) infrastructure shapes are now available in Visio. Stencils featuring the most recent AWS shapes can be used to make diagrams.

• Content for workplace social distancing planning: Many workplaces need to replan in light of COVID-19. They must adhere to the social distancing rules. To assist with space replanning, this new Visio template and the Workplace Social Distancing stencil offer a variety of shapes, fill patterns, and line patterns that can be scaled or unscaled.

What is new in Mac Office 2021

Office 2021 for Mac adds or enhances functionality exclusive to Mac in addition to new features in general. These are the following:

Advanced colour support for Immersive Reader

Microsoft has included numerous more options for selecting the page colour in Immersive Reader, which makes it easier to scan text and reduces eye strain.

You may see a 4×5 colour picker by just clicking the Page Color button on the Immersive Reader tab.

Then, by selecting More Colors, you may view even more alternatives for choosing your colour, such as a wheel, sliders, colour palettes, image palettes, and pencils.

Fresh in: Word

Read out loud

Voices in Office 2021 now sound natural.

Nevertheless, Word’s Read Aloud function is excellent for both authors and readers.

You can use Read Aloud to “proofread” a document or an email you have drafted to identify problems or just to give your eyes a break. It has more natural-sounding voices for an improved listening experience.

To activate the Read Aloud feature, simply click on the Read Aloud button located on the Review tab.

To navigate between various speech options, click the speech Selection drop-down menu by selecting the Settings icon located in the upper-right corner of your message or document.

Fresh in: Word

Create a GIF.

Office 2021 for Mac introduces the capability to generate animated GIFs directly from a slide show presentation.

You can save a presentation in Office 2021 as an animated GIF, which you can then share on social media or through other online platforms.

Recently added: PowerPoint.

visual renewal

Utilize the updated ribbon tabs and a modernized Start experience.

Experience a crisp, uncluttered look with Monoline iconography, which uses straightforward images to convey features and action.

Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook are new.

Tell me.

You can locate what you are looking for under Tell me, just like in the search box. To discover text, instructions, help, and more, use the search box.

The “Tell me” text area allows you to rapidly access features or actions you want to perform by typing words and phrases describing what you want to do next.

Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are new.

Keep your images and graphics in SVG format.

Pictures, graphs, and other graphics can now be saved in Office 2021 in the SVG (Scalable Vector Graphic) format. In Office 2021, users can now save images, charts, and various graphics in the SVG (Scalable Vector Graphic) format.

Your saved photographs can be resized without sacrificing image quality.

Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook are new.

What is Additional? Office 2021 Mac and Office 2021 Windows

Each Mac and Windows user will always have access to Office 2021. Here’s an overview of Office 2021’s architecture:

• Office 2021 for Windows in both 32- and 64-bit versions.
• Office 2021 Mac 64-bit.

Office 2021 requires Windows 10 or Windows 11, much like Office 2019. Microsoft’s approach to macOS is to support both the previous two and current versions. Mac machines with Intel or M1 processors can use it.

Watch: Microsoft Office 2021: An Analysis of the Success and Failures