In an announcement made yesterday, Microsoft revealed the release of Microsoft Office LTSC 2024, featuring key applications like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneDrive, OneNote, and Microsoft Access. The acronym LTSC stands for Long-Term Servicing Channel, which signifies a version of Office that will not undergo feature updates for an extended duration. According to Microsoft, this version acts as a “locked-in-time” solution that incorporates selected features from previous updates, alongside a commitment to provide five years of support starting from its release.
Office LTSC versions are available as one-time purchases, eliminating subscription commitments. Each license allows installation on a single device and does not require internet access. Importantly, these LTSC licenses are aimed solely at businesses and cannot be purchased by individual users; they are obtainable exclusively through volume licensing agreements.
Despite the widespread acclaim for Microsoft 365, the company recognizes that there are still valid scenarios necessitating a non-subscription version of Office. Microsoft elaborates: “We know that some customer scenarios require a different approach. Some devices must never be connected to the internet; others need to remain unchanged for years at a time. We remain committed to supporting our customers and these scenarios.” After a public preview earlier this year, Microsoft is now announcing the general availability of this perpetual version of Office for commercial and government clients.
Office LTSC 2024 will receive five years of support under the Fixed Lifecycle Policy, focusing solely on security updates while foregoing any feature additions. New enhancements in this version include Dynamic Charts and more than a dozen new text and array functions in Excel, along with improved search and meeting creation options in Outlook. The release also boasts advancements in performance, security, and accessibility. A detailed comparison of Microsoft 365 and Office LTSC 2024 is provided, showcasing benefits such as the ability to install apps on up to five devices, access to web app versions, eligibility for the Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on, and 1TB of cloud storage. Microsoft Office 2024 is not available for home users at this time, with corporate customers able to find GVLKs for Office LTSC 2024 on the official Microsoft site.