Microsoft Office 2021 for Mac: Review

The first preview of Microsoft Office 2021 arrived on the Mac, presenting the next generation of the Microsoft Office suite to the public for the first time. Office 2021 brings many changes and improvements for Mac users, with features later rolling out to other platforms as well.

It is clear that Microsoft wants to bring all its products together in a unified Office suite for Mac. Read on to learn about the new features and improvements.

Why is the public preview important?

The Office suite has long been a mainstay of the industry, targeting large companies and selling more than 1.2 billion copies to date.

Today, it is used by organisations around the world as a primary means of collaboration and communication. Any change or update can affect the way these organisations work, which can also affect yours.

Version 2021 is no exception. Office 2019 was the last iteration to bring a number of new features, but Office 2021 brings a whole host of improvements that you should start using right away.

The recent shift towards remote working has meant that collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams have become even more popular than before, with millions of daily active users relying on the service — many from Apple devices.

Pre-release version of Office 2021 for Mac

The full Office 2021 includes many new features as well as a visual overhaul of the entire suite. We already see some of this in the Public Preview for Mac, especially in classic apps like Excel.

What we know for certain is that the suite is much more accessible. One of the focal points of the macOS pre-release is the new text-to-speech technology in Word.

The new technology allows artificial voices to sound much more natural, making them easier to understand. The related Line Focus feature, when using Immersive Reader, lets you focus on each line individually for easier reading.

Excel received most of the updates in the Mac preview version. Two new functions were introduced for testing — XLOOKUP() and LET() — making it easier to sort data, especially when working with large spreadsheets.

Microsoft 365 services, such as OneDrive storage and Office Online integration, play an even bigger role in this version. The new design is the most obvious change: it follows the Microsoft Fluent Design System. The flat appearance with minimalist elements makes room for clearer interfaces.

Microsoft has also talked about plans to make all apps run more smoothly so that even older devices can work seamlessly with Office 2021. In addition, you can expect full dark mode support from the new suite.

Office 2021 Public Preview summary

Here are the key points from the first preview build of the new Office 2021 suite for macOS:

Line Focus. In Word, you can now focus on each line of the document by bringing it closer to the centre of the screen. This helps avoid distractions and gives you more space to work with less scrolling.

New XLOOKUP function. This function makes it possible to search through a table or range row by row, which was more difficult before. The new function simplifies this task considerably.

Improved dynamic array support. A new set of Excel functions gives you greater flexibility in using dynamic arrays for data structures in your worksheets.

Speaker recording. With the new PowerPoint feature, you can record spoken narration directly from the application and create a polished slide presentation without additional editing.

While a Windows preview was not announced at the same time, you could preview Office for Mac and Office LTSC to experience these features first-hand.

Final thoughts

Mac and Windows users can now enjoy the full version of Microsoft Office 2021. Some exciting features have been revealed, and there is no better time to explore them.

We are always excited to share more about how things develop. Stay tuned here at Licendi, where we blog regularly about Office 2021 and other tech news.

Do you have a question?

Our support team is happy to help whenever you need it. Remember that you can always find out more about Office software in our online shop.

Write us a comment or give us a call.

Best regards,
The Licendi Team