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Comparison

Office 2024 for Mac vs Windows

Office 2024 for Mac vs Windows: which apps ship, Outlook parity, Access & Publisher availability, and what's still better on Windows.

Office 2024 for Mac vs Windows — Are the Apps Really the Same?

Office 2024 ships separately for macOS and Windows. The core apps are functionally equivalent in 2026, but two big things still differ: Access and Publisher are Windows-only, and Outlook on Mac uses a different (newer, simpler) codebase.

If you switch between Mac and Windows, Office 2024 Home & Business is the only SKU that covers both — Pro Plus is Windows-only.

How do Office 2024 — Mac and Office 2024 — Windows compare side by side?

FeatureOffice 2024 — MacOffice 2024 — Windows
Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote✓✓
Outlook✓ (new Outlook)✓ (classic + new)
Access —✓ (Pro Plus)
Publisher —✓ (Pro Plus)
VBA macrosPartial (sandboxed)Full
Power Query in Excel✓ (since 2024)✓
PowerPoint Designer✓✓
File format.docx / .xlsx (identical).docx / .xlsx (identical)
Apple Silicon native✓n/a

Which one should you buy?

Office 2024 on Mac is genuinely Office now — no asterisks for everyday use. Only Access, Publisher and the deepest VBA macros are still Windows-exclusive.

Buy Home & Business 2024 if you cross between Mac and Windows on the same license.

Before choosing a licence

  1. 1. Check the exact edition, Windows or macOS compatibility and number of devices covered. A Windows-only key does not install Office for Mac.

  2. 2. Distinguish personal, commercial and server use. Virtual machines, shared devices and remote access can require additional licences.

  3. 3. Keep the invoice and licence terms. Check transfer rights and support dates: a perpetual licence does not mean perpetual security updates.

Successful activation alone does not prove permission for every use. The applicable Microsoft licence terms take precedence.

Frequently asked questions

Does my Office 2024 license activate on both Mac and Windows?

Only Home & Business 2024 and Microsoft 365 are dual-platform. Pro Plus is Windows-only.

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