Microsoft Office 2021 Professional Plus is a one-time purchase version of the Office suite that includes the most essential applications for businesses and professionals. Released in October 2021, Office 2021 Professional Plus is designed for users who prefer a perpetual license instead of the subscription-based model that Office 365 (now Microsoft 365) offers. This version is intended for organizations and individuals who want to continue using classic desktop applications without needing to rely on a subscription service.

Key Features of Office 2021 Professional Plus

  1. Classic Office Apps

    Office 2021 Professional Plus includes the familiar, powerful desktop applications that are a staple for productivity, including:

    • Word: Create, edit, and share professional documents.
    • Excel: Manage and analyze data with advanced formulas, charts, and PivotTables.
    • PowerPoint: Design impactful presentations with a wide array of templates and tools.
    • Outlook: Organize emails, calendars, tasks, and contacts in one place.
    • Access: A powerful database management tool for businesses to store, manage, and analyze data.
    • Publisher: A desktop publishing application for creating brochures, newsletters, and other print materials.

  2. Improved Collaboration Tools

    While Office 2021 is a perpetual license product, it still provides some modern collaboration features that improve teamwork.

    • Co-authoring: Users can now collaborate in real time on documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, allowing multiple people to work on the same file simultaneously.
    • Improved Comments: Users can add threaded comments in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, making it easier to track and respond to feedback during collaboration.

  3. Enhanced Excel Features

    Excel 2021 brings several new features to make data analysis and reporting easier:

    • XLOOKUP: A new function that simplifies the process of looking up values in a table or range.
    • LET Function: Allows you to define variables in formulas for more readable and efficient calculations.
    • Dynamic Arrays: New array functions that make it easier to return multiple results from a single formula.
    • Improved Data Types: Access to new rich data types, including stock and geographic data, for enhanced research and analysis.

  4. PowerPoint Enhancements

    PowerPoint 2021 brings new tools for creating dynamic and engaging presentations:

    • PowerPoint Presenter Coach: Provides feedback on your presentation skills, helping you improve your delivery.
    • Improved Animation and Transitions: New and enhanced animations, including motion paths and 3D effects, offer more flexibility for creative presentations.
    • Multi-User Collaboration: Users can now work together on PowerPoint presentations in real time, enhancing team collaboration.

  5. Outlook Improvements

    Outlook 2021 has improved features for organizing communication and managing tasks:

    • Search Improvements: Faster and more efficient search capabilities within emails and contacts.
    • Focused Inbox: Automatically sorts important emails into the "Focused" tab, reducing clutter.
    • Better Calendar Features: Enhanced calendar management with a cleaner interface for easier navigation and scheduling.

  6. Modern Interface

    Office 2021 Professional Plus offers a modern and streamlined user interface that enhances usability. It retains the traditional ribbon design but with more intuitive and cleaner icons and layouts, making it easier to navigate and access key features.

  7. Accessibility Improvements

    Microsoft has focused on improving accessibility in Office 2021 Professional Plus, with tools like:

    • Immersive Reader: A tool designed to help users with reading difficulties, such as dyslexia, by improving the readability of text documents.
    • Accessibility Checker: This tool reviews documents and helps ensure they meet accessibility standards.

  8. Increased Performance

    Office 2021 Professional Plus has improved performance, with faster startup times and more stable applications. The new version is designed to run smoothly even on older hardware, ensuring a responsive experience across different devices.

System Requirements for Office 2021 Professional Plus

To run Office 2021 Professional Plus, your system should meet the following requirements:

  • Operating System: Windows 10, Windows 11
  • Processor: 1.6 GHz or faster processor with at least two cores
  • RAM: 4 GB (64-bit) or 2 GB (32-bit)
  • Hard Disk Space: 4 GB of available disk space
  • Display: 1280x768 resolution or higher

Advantages of Office 2021 Professional Plus

  1. One-Time Purchase

    One of the key benefits of Office 2021 Professional Plus is that it is available as a one-time purchase. This is ideal for businesses or individuals who prefer not to commit to a subscription model like Microsoft 365. Once purchased, the software is yours to use indefinitely.

  2. Classic Desktop Apps

    Unlike Microsoft 365, which relies heavily on cloud integration, Office 2021 Professional Plus is fully focused on classic desktop applications. This makes it a good fit for users who need robust offline functionality and prefer not to rely on cloud-based solutions.

  3. Long-Term Stability

    Office 2021 Professional Plus offers a stable solution without the frequent feature updates that come with subscription services. It provides a reliable and predictable environment for businesses that do not need to continuously update their software.

  4. Business Features

    Office 2021 Professional Plus includes all the essential apps for business, such as Access and Publisher, making it a suitable choice for professionals who require advanced document creation, data management, and communication tools.

Disadvantages of Office 2021 Professional Plus

  1. Lack of Ongoing Updates

    While Office 2021 is a stable and reliable version, it does not offer ongoing feature updates like Microsoft 365. Users will have to wait for the next version of Office to receive major new features or improvements.

  2. Limited Cloud Integration

    Office 2021 offers basic cloud integration with OneDrive, but it lacks the advanced collaboration tools available with Microsoft 365. For users who need real-time co-authoring and more cloud-based collaboration, Microsoft 365 may be a better option.

  3. No Subscription Benefits

    Office 2021 Professional Plus does not come with the subscription benefits of Microsoft 365, such as the ability to install Office on multiple devices, access to cloud storage, and additional features like Teams.

Conclusion

Microsoft Office 2021 Professional Plus is an excellent choice for businesses and professionals who prefer a traditional, one-time-purchase Office suite without relying on subscriptions. It includes the core applications like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, along with powerful features like enhanced Excel functions, improved collaboration tools, and modern design updates.

While Office 2021 is a solid option for those who prefer a more stable, offline environment, it may not offer all the collaborative and cloud-based benefits of Microsoft 365. However, for users who don't need constant updates or cloud services, Office 2021 Professional Plus provides a reliable, high-performance solution for everyday productivity needs.