Microsoft Office 2024 or Microsoft 365

loopypenguin92 · Apr 1, 2026

Will there be another perpetual, offline version of Microsoft Office released? Or is everything switching to the cloud-based Microsoft 365?

pseymour · Apr 1, 2026

Ars and Mary Jo say they've committed to at least one more standalone release.

Office 2024 will be the next standalone release, as the Office brand lives on

Consumer prices stay the same; MS promises at least one more standalone release.

arstechnica.com

Microsoft’s subscription-free, ‘perpetual’ Office LTSC 2024 to ship this year

In 2021, Microsoft officials said to expect at least one more subscription-free, “perpetual” version of Office beyond Office LTSC 2021. Last week, they made it official by announcing that a commercial preview of Office Long Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) 2024 would be available in April and reach...

www.directionsonmicrosoft.com

alkaufmann · Apr 8, 2026

I have subscribed to MIcrosoft Office for many years. Usually it cost just over $100 annually. Last time I was charged $144. I just managed my account and it said I would be charged $270 next year. Is that big increase because of their One Drive and Copilot? Those are two things I don't need or want.

I can buy the stand alone version for way cheaper, but even then I don't know if I want to do that. I have had to drop Outlook recently because it stopped working for non-microsoft e-mail addresses and I don't know if I want to go back to it.

Ak

S0C9 · Apr 8, 2026

I have the standalone LTS Office 2024 package (suite?) and it was dirt cheap compared to the O365 version!

loopypenguin92 · Apr 8, 2026

@alkaufmann

alkaufmann said:
I have subscribed to MIcrosoft Office for many years. Usually it cost just over $100 annually. Last time I was charged $144. I just managed my account and it said I would be charged $270 next year. Is that big increase because of their One Drive and Copilot? Those are two things I don't need or want.

I can buy the stand alone version for way cheaper, but even then I don't know if I want to do that. I have had to drop Outlook recently because it stopped working for non-microsoft e-mail addresses and I don't know if I want to go back to it.

Ak

It looks like Outlook still supports other providers, just have to click "Add Account"

MisterEd · Apr 8, 2026

Microsoft 365 Basic: $? > $19.99/year
Microsoft 365 Personal: $69.99 > $99.99/year
Microsoft 365 Family: $99.99 > $129.99/year
Microsoft 365 Premium: $? > $199.99/year

There was a lawsuit about this

Microsoft is facing legal action from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) for allegedly misleading roughly 2.7 million subscribers into paying higher prices for Microsoft 365, bundling it with Copilot AI without clearly disclosing cheaper, non-AI alternatives. The suit alleges users were forced into higher-priced plans during auto-renewal.

I don't have Microsoft 365. Could someone with Microsoft 365 see if there is an option to select the Classic Plan?

Microsoft 365 Classic is a lower-cost, "no-AI" subscription, generally priced at $69.99/year (Personal) or $99.99/year (Family) as of late 2025. It provides core desktop apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and 1TB of OneDrive storage without Copilot AI features, offering savings of $30-$40 annually over standard plans.

Key Details of Microsoft 365 Classic

* Pricing: Approximately $69.99/year for Personal and $99.99/year for Family (USD).
* Features: Includes premium desktop apps, 1TB OneDrive cloud storage, and security features.
* Difference: Lacks the advanced AI capabilities (Copilot) included in standard Microsoft 365 subscriptions.
* How to Obtain: It is not always publicly listed. It is typically found as a "hidden" option when you go to cancel or change your current subscription, often displayed as a "stay and save" option.

How to Find/Switch to the Classic Plan

* Go to the Microsoft 365 subscription management page.
* Select "Manage" and then "Cancel subscription" (you will be given options to switch before finalizing).
* Look for the "Classic" plan option in the list of alternatives.
* Switch to the plan; it requires automatic renewal to be enabled.

Note: Availability can vary based on region, account eligibility, and existing subscription type

alkaufmann · Apr 8, 2026

loopypenguin92 said:
@alkaufmann

It looks like Outlook still supports other providers, just have to click "Add Account"
View attachment 168122

All my non Microspft e-mail accounts were working fine for years until they suddenly stopped working. I tried to set them up, even asked ChatGPT to help set up the accounts. Eventually I gave up and went to T******bird. ChatGTP commented that it will work better for me and it had no problem setting up the all my e-mail accounts.

Ak

idgat · Apr 8, 2026

alkaufmann said:
I have had to drop Outlook recently because it stopped working for non-microsoft e-mail addresses and I don't know if I want to go back to it.

Don't.

The reason why it stopped working probably would be a need to change settings. Microsoft now require all email - whether from MS servers/domains or not - to go through MS Exchange servers i.e. Micrsosft will "see" every bit of email you get and send, whether to/from MS based accounts. That alone in itself is a reason to stop using o/Outlook for non-MS domain-named emails!!

The othre reason is that changes to mail server settings may be have been required

However, there are some domain named email addresses that will never work in o/Outlook because those service providers won't/can't conform to MS o/Outlook email client requirements

EDIT "Services" like ChatGPT are sadly deficient in understanding these machinations, which I think suits MS down to the ground. It drives users to MS email accounts through which MS can invoke its marketing tactics.

glasskuter · Apr 8, 2026

Outlook in Ofc 2021 (so I would bet Ofc 2024 too) does support all email providers. I have @outlook @gmail @yahoo, and @myisp acounts set up in mine. Gmail and yahoo both now require you to use an app password in place of your email account password.

pseymour · Apr 8, 2026

idgat said:
Microsoft now require all email - whether from MS servers/domains or not - to go through MS Exchange servers i.e. Micrsosft will "see" every bit of email you get and send, whether to/from MS based accounts.

lol, whut?

BruceR · Apr 9, 2026

pseymour said:
lol, whut?

Microsoft's new Outlook client quietly moves your email to the cloud

pseymour · Apr 9, 2026

BruceR said:
Microsoft's new Outlook client quietly moves your email to the cloud

Okay so not Exchange.

Hornblower409 · Apr 9, 2026

pseymour said:
Okay so not Exchange.

Just to be clear. With New Outlook for Windows everything is in the Microsoft Cloud. Any emails (IMAP and POP included), Contacts, Calendar, Task, you name it. New Outlook for Windows does not sync with your hosting service. It only syncs with the Microsoft Cloud. The Microsoft Cloud then syncs with whoever has the actual source data, if it's not Microsoft itself already.

Why? Microsoft says it makes everything better, faster, more reliable, etc. But you're not being paranoid if you think maybe Microsoft saw Google harvesting all that valuable information from the data people stored on their servers and wanted a piece of the action.

Slavic · Apr 9, 2026

Hornblower409 said:
Why? Microsoft says it makes everything better, faster, more reliable, etc.

Mails gathered from other accounts are the food to train AI systems. The more food, the better, for MS, of course.

sgayres · Apr 9, 2026

License for Office 2024 ProPlus LTSC is under $20 for "telephone" activation which is now done online. I do several of these a week. I buy my keys at Gamers-Outlet. Installer File is here.

First, using Control Panel>Uninstall a program, uninstall previous versions of Office and Office 365 including OneNote. Go into Apps and make sure it's all gone from there too.

There's a little bit of a learning procedure if you've never done it before. Involves buying the license, downloading and running the Office 2024 ProPlus LTSC installer, waiting a couple of minutes blind before it takes off. Pick the language. Wait until it says done. Once installed, open Word go to Account and click change the product key. Paste the one you bought for $18. Not done activating yet - there's more fun. Close Word, reopen and the Activation screen comes up with a series of numbers. Several sets of 7 numbers. Keep Word and this window open because you will need the numbers.

Ignore the country and phone number step - no longer need to call the phone number for activation. It will text you a link to the activation site. Easier on the computer -> go to Microsoft Support , solve the dumb puzzle, sign in with a Microsoft account (any MS account - not necessarily the one owned by the computer owner). Click "sign in another way" to sign in with your password if you aren't doing the Passkey or face thing.

Then follow the steps according to what you want to activate. When you get to page, you'll know it. This is where you enter the numbers from the activation screen in Word. Put them in the web page carefully and hit submit and it returns with a different set of numbers. Several sets of 6 numbers this time and these numbers get entered in the still open activation screen in Word. You didn't close it, did you? Entered carefully, hit submit and it will say something like "Thank you your copy of Office is activated".

You now own Office 2024 - no subscription.

I think that's pretty accurate for the steps of "telephone activation" but it's by memory so be forgiving.

TraderGary · Apr 9, 2026

I subscribe to Microsoft 365. I opted to stay with family classic for $99.99.

SoFine409 · Apr 9, 2026

alkaufmann said:
All my non Microspft e-mail accounts were working fine for years until they suddenly stopped working. I tried to set them up, even asked ChatGPT to help set up the accounts. Eventually I gave up and went to T******bird. ChatGTP commented that it will work better for me and it had no problem setting up the all my e-mail accounts.

Ak

I tried to set up a new Mac Mini M4 today with MS Office so I could just import my pst folders from my old Outlook and surprise, surprise MS pulled the plug in being able to import pst files. My solution was T-bird. It successfully imported all my Outlook pst files without issues and set up my gmail IMAP addresses without having to use any app-specific passwords. Bye-bye Outlook.

TraderGary · Apr 10, 2026

I've used Outlook for decades. The newest Microsoft 365 Office does not include Outlook Classic and now I have to install Outlook Classic separately.

cereberus · Apr 10, 2026

It is not just a simple choice. The choice depends on your situtation.

If you only want one installation, then buying it is really most suitable, bearing in mind you need to rebuy every 3 years ago if you want latest version.

If you want multiple installation (say 3 or more - only 2 is a bit borderline) then leasing is probably a better deal.

For a family version, you can get up to 6 installations per person for 6 persons each person getting 1 TB of I onedrive cloudspace. Of course, it is always up to date.

If you are running a small business, then MS365 is really a no brainer.

Nobody knows if paid versions will eventually discontinue, but I imagine MS would introduce an entry level MS365 version e.g. one licence only without additional onedrive space.

TraderGary · Apr 10, 2026

Our Microsoft 365 family subscription, for $99 annually, with Office and 1TB of OneDrive for everyone, is an incredible bargain.

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