Microsoft Office 2021 announces new design

Microsoft has begun rolling out the new design of its Microsoft Office 2021 office suite on Windows to the general public, the company has announced.

Recall that Microsoft initially announced this new design for Microsoft Office 2021 applications last summer; it is intended to align with Windows 11, which was released just two months ago. It is called FLUENT DESIGN.

Fluent Design presents a cleaner look with less emphasis on the characteristic colour of each application (red for PowerPoint, blue for Word or green for Excel, for example). Instead, the window frame, as well as the rest of the application, will follow the system's default dark or light theme. It can be changed, though.

The ribbon also looks a little different, and now looks more like a floating pane coming out of the window. It also uses rounded corners in typical Windows 11 style.
In addition, in the new design you can see that the quick access toolbar will be hidden by default. The intention is to take some of the visual burden off the applications.

Microsoft says it is also working on adding support for the Mica transparency effect that is characteristic of Windows 11. If you're not familiar with it, this is the effect seen in the Windows 11 Start menu, the Settings application and other parts of the operating system that use transparency.

Although the new Office design is inspired by Windows 11, Windows 10 users also have access to it (although the Mica effect will not be available to them). In addition, Windows 11 users are apparently being prioritised for this design.

How do I activate the new Office 2021?

If you are running the new operating system and have an active Microsoft 365 subscription or if you have a Microsoft Office 2021 perpetual licence, then you can access the update right now using the "Coming Soon" button in the title bar of the Office applications. You can also go to File>Account> and check that you have the latest updates installed.

Remember that you can purchase a permanent license of Microsoft Office 2021 at the best price on the market on our website. You have the Office 2021 Standard version and you also have the Office 2021 Professional Plus version.

If you are still running Windows 10, only some users can currently do this, and the update will continue to roll out over time. Microsoft says the update is currently available to 50% of users running the latest version of Office.

I want to activate it once and for all!

If you are trying to activate this feature, there are a few things worth keeping in mind. The "Coming soon" button is only available in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and Outlook, but Outlook does not allow you to activate the new look.

You will need to activate it in the other four applications, but once you do, it will apply to all your Office applications, including Access, Outlook, Project, Publisher and Visio.
If you still have questions, leave a comment below!
Greetings,
Your Licendi team.
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