Microsoft Office Includes: All Editions & What’s Inside

Microsoft Office includes different apps and features depending on which version you buy. Whether you’re thinking about microsoft office includes Word and Excel, or you want the full suite with Outlook and Access, the answer depends on your edition. Let me walk you through exactly what comes with each one.

The confusion is real. Microsoft now offers two completely different paths: Office 2024, a one-time purchase, and Microsoft 365, a subscription. They overlap but they’re not the same thing. Understanding what you actually get matters before you commit.

Here’s the practical breakdown so you know what you’re paying for.

• What apps come with Office 2024 Home and Office 2024 Home & Business
• What Microsoft Office includes in Microsoft 365 Personal and Microsoft 365 Family
• Key differences: subscription vs. one-time purchase
• Why the edition matters for your workflow
• Which one makes sense for your budget and needs

What Microsoft Office 2024 Includes

Office 2024 includes updated, locked-in-time versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Outlook for PC and Mac. But hold on—Outlook only comes in one edition. Let me break this down by edition because what microsoft office includes varies.

Office Home 2024

Office Home 2024 includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote for one PC or Mac. That’s it. It’s the base edition.

This is the budget-friendly pick if you just need to write documents, build spreadsheets, and create presentations. OneNote is free to download separately anyway, so the real value here is the desktop versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. In my experience, most people who need to work with files across devices find this edition does the job fine—as long as you don’t need email management in the same license.

Office Home & Business 2024

Office Home & Business 2024 comes with everything in Office Home 2024 plus Outlook and the rights to use the apps for commercial purposes.

If you run a small business or freelance, the commercial rights matter. And Outlook is the real difference—it handles your email, calendar, and contacts all in one app. When configuring this, you’re getting five core productivity apps for a single upfront cost.

Office Professional Plus 2024 (Enterprise)

For businesses buying volume licenses, there’s Office 2024 Professional Plus, which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, and Access. Access is the database app that lets you build custom data management tools and automate workflows without needing a full database server. Most home users won’t need it, but if your business tracks inventory or manages customer records, this matters.

One thing to know: Publisher is no longer included, because Microsoft is retiring it in October 2026. If you were expecting Publisher to be part of the suite, it’s gone as of now.

What Microsoft 365 Includes

Here’s where things get bigger. Microsoft 365 includes apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote, along with OneDrive cloud storage, real-time collaboration, and Microsoft Copilot AI experiences.

This is subscription-based, not a one-time purchase. And what microsoft office includes here goes well beyond just the desktop apps.

Microsoft 365 Personal

Microsoft 365 Personal is designed for 1 person and includes premium Microsoft 365 apps, 1 TB of cloud storage, and Copilot features.

You get Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote on the desktop—same core apps as the higher-end Office 2024 editions. But you also get 1 TB of OneDrive cloud storage (enough for most of us), and you can use Copilot AI inside the apps to draft text, write formulas, and generate slide outlines. The most frustrating part about the free AI alternatives is they require copying and pasting. Copilot built into the apps saves that step.

Microsoft 365 Family

Everything in Personal, plus you can share the subscription with up to 6 family members, each getting their own 1 TB of storage. It’s the best value if multiple people in your household need Office apps.

Microsoft 365 Business Plans

Business Standard and Premium packages include mobile, web and desktop versions of Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, OneNote, OneDrive, SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, Exchange, Microsoft Lists, Microsoft Forms, Access, Publisher, and Microsoft Defender.

The full toolbox. Business Premium also includes device management and advanced security. This is overkill for solo users but essential if you’re managing a team or handling sensitive company data.

Comparison: What You Get Side-by-Side

The Big Difference: Subscription vs. One-Time Purchase

Office 2024 is “locked-in-time,” meaning you receive security and bug fixes only. You won’t get new features added later. It’s stable, predictable, and doesn’t change unless Microsoft issues a security patch.

Microsoft 365 requires a monthly or annual subscription, while Office 2024 is purchased once with no recurring payments. Microsoft 365 receives continuous feature updates, while Office 2024 receives security and stability updates only.

This is the core trade-off. Office 2024 is cheaper upfront but frozen in time. Microsoft 365 costs money every month or year but evolves constantly. Microsoft 365 now integrates Copilot AI features across Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote, while these AI-powered capabilities are not available in Office 2024.

Cloud Storage and Online Features

Neither Office Home 2024 nor Office Home & Business 2024 offer cloud storage, with files stored locally only. If you want to sync files to the cloud, you’ll need OneDrive (which is free but has limited storage unless you buy a subscription).

Every Microsoft 365 subscription includes OneDrive storage, so files sync automatically if you want them to. Even better, Microsoft 365 includes OneDrive cloud storage. You can work on a file on your laptop, and it syncs to your phone without lifting a finger.

Which Edition Should You Buy?

Start with your actual needs.

Choose Office Home 2024 if: You’re writing documents and building spreadsheets, you don’t need Outlook, and you don’t want a monthly bill. You want to own the software outright.

Choose Office Home & Business 2024 if: You need Outlook for email, or you run a small business and need commercial use rights. You’re happy with a one-time purchase and don’t need cloud features.

Choose Microsoft 365 Personal if: You want Copilot AI in Word and Excel, you value 1 TB of cloud storage, and you’re okay with a yearly or monthly subscription. You use Office on multiple devices and want files to sync automatically.

Choose Microsoft 365 Family if: Multiple people in your home use Office, and you want to split the cost. Everyone gets their own 1 TB of cloud storage.

If you’re buying Office 2024 for the first time, consider a genuine Office 2024 Professional Plus key at buydigital.fun—cheap prices and instant digital delivery mean you’re up and running in minutes.

Do You Need Microsoft 365 Instead?

The main difference is that Office 2024 only gets security updates and bug fixes. It does not get major new features added later like Microsoft 365 does.

If new features matter to you—better Excel functions, improved Copilot capabilities, faster performance—Microsoft 365 gets them automatically. Office 2024 doesn’t. You’re locked into what shipped in October 2024.

For most home users and small businesses that don’t need bleeding-edge features, Office 2024 is fine. Power users and teams benefit more from the subscription model.

What About Mac?

Both Office 2024 and Microsoft 365 run on Mac. Both Office 2024 and Office LTSC 2024 have both Windows and Mac versions. The apps are the same—same features, same performance. If you switch between a Windows PC and a MacBook, you’ll feel at home on both.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Microsoft Office 2024 include Outlook?

Not in the Home edition. Office Home 2024 includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote for one PC or Mac, while Office Home & Business 2024 comes with everything in Office Home 2024 plus Outlook. You have to buy the Business edition if you want Outlook included.

Is OneNote included free, or do I have to buy Office?

OneNote is available as a free download for everyone. But the desktop version is cleaner and more integrated when it comes with Office. If you’re already buying Office, you might as well use the OneNote that’s included.

Can I install Office 2024 on multiple computers?

Office 2024 licenses permit installation on only one computer. If you have a laptop and a desktop, you’d need two licenses. Microsoft 365, on the other hand, lets you install on up to 5 devices per subscription.

Does Office 2024 include Copilot?

No. Microsoft 365 now integrates Copilot AI features across Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote, while these AI-powered capabilities are not available in Office 2024. If you want AI assistance built into your apps, you need a Microsoft 365 subscription.

Is Publisher still included in Office?

Publisher is no longer included, because Microsoft is retiring it in October 2026. Microsoft removed Publisher from Office 2024 because it is retiring the app. If you need Publisher for design work, you’d have to use an older version or find an alternative.