What Is Microsoft Office 2019?

Microsoft Office 2019 is the latest version of the Microsoft Office Suite. It was released in October 2018, and a preview version was available prior to that, in the second quarter of that same year. It includes the applications available in previous suites (such as Office 2016 and Office 2013), including Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint, as well as servers including Skype for Business, SharePoint, and Exchange.

Office 2019 Requirements

You’ll need Windows 10 to install the new suite. The main reason for this is that Microsoft wants to update its Office apps twice a year from now on, in a similar manner in which they currently update Windows 10. In order for it all to work seamlessly, the technology needs to mesh.

Additionally, Microsoft aims to eventually phase out earlier versions of Office because they are not on the twice-a-year cadence. Microsoft is eyeing this schedule for almost all of its software now.

The upside for you, the user, is that you’ll always have the most up-to-date versions of both Windows 10 and Office 2019 at any given time, provided you allow Windows Updates to install. Microsoft also says they will support Office 2019 for five years, and then offer approximately two years of extended support after that. This means you can purchase Office 2019 now and use it until sometime around 2026.

Office 2019 vs. Microsoft 365

Microsoft has clearly stated that Microsoft Office 2019 will be “perpetual.” This means, that unlike Microsoft 365, you can purchase the Office suite and own it. You won’t have to pay for a monthly subscription to use it (as is the case with Microsoft 365).

Microsoft is doing this because they realize now that not all users are ready for the cloud (or perhaps don’t trust it) and want to keep their work offline and on their own machines. Many users don’t believe that the cloud is secure enough and want to be in charge of their own data on their own terms. Of course, there are those that don’t want to pay a monthly fee to use the product too.

If you are currently a Microsoft 365 user, there’s no reason to purchase Office 2019. Unless that is, you want to opt out of your subscription and also move all of your work offline. If you decide to do that though, you can still save your work to the cloud if you like, using options like OneDrive, Google Drive, and Dropbox. In doing so, you can get rid of the monthly subscription fee you pay now for Microsoft 365.

New Features

A few of the new features that were introduced in the Microsoft Office 2019 suite:

• Microsoft Office 2019 has new and improved inking features, such as pressure sensitivity.
• PowerPoint 2019 has new visualization features, like Morph and Zoom.
• Excel 2019 has new formulas and charts to make data analysis more powerful.
• Enhancements to Exchange, SharePoint, and Skype for Business also include updates to improve usability voice, security, and IT management.