Office LTSC 2024 now available
Despite Microsoft 365, users continue to demand a classic Office 2024, starting with the LTSC version for "niche scenarios" away from the cloud.
(Image: Microsoft)
Office LTSC 2024 is now officially available for Windows and macOS: The Long Term Servicing Channel is aimed at businesses and public authorities and offers such customers a static program package whose update now includes some of the features from Microsoft 365 over the last three years. As part of the Fixed Lifecycle Policy, the LTSC version receives support for five years, which applies to all three editions – Standard, Professional Plus and Embedded –.
New functions
Among the most important changes compared to its predecessor, Microsoft lists support for the OpenDocument format in version 1.4: The list of new functions is long, the central ones include tables in any form in Word, lists that can start with the number 0 and graphics and forms that are explicitly not allowed to overlap. The Microsoft blog lists all the changes. Word, Excel and PowerPoint now automatically save in ODF 1.4, which also applies to imported documents.
The developers have also removed publishing to Power BI directly from Excel. This means that local workbooks can no longer be uploaded and opened there. Instead, users should migrate their Excel workbooks by downloading them manually and importing them into Power BI via OneDrive or SharePoint. Microsoft has also removed the Publisher from Office LTSC 2024, as the program will only be supported until October 2026. MS Teams is also no longer included and ActiveX controls are now disabled by default. Administrators must enable them if required.
Microsoft 365 preferred
Details on the range of functions can be found in the announcement. When Microsoft presented the new Office LTSC 2024 together with the regular Office 2024 in March, it was still unclear which features would remain for the planned "niche scenarios". This is because the developers only envisage the LTSC version for systems that can establish a connection to the internet for longer or not at all – in the medical sector, for example. Accordingly, Microsoft emphasizes that all cloud features are missing – and that regular users in companies should also rely on the 365 suite.
Microsoft has not yet announced a specific release date for the regular Office 2024. Visio and Project will also soon be available as updated local applications. There will be another release in the future, at least for the LTSC version; Microsoft has not provided any information on this for the regular Office.
(fo)
