Office 2024 is about to launch: LTSC version is already available

Microsoft has apparently already completed Office 2024. While the regular end-user versions will probably still have to wait a few weeks, the LTSC version for corporate customers is already available. Microsoft

LTSC version now available

As Microsoft announced yesterday in a Post in the Office Team Blog announced that Office 2024 LTSC is now available. Corporate customers who do not want to take out a Microsoft 365 subscription can get a version of the office suite with the LTSC variant that does not require an internet connection and the associated regular minor updates.

As part of Office 2024 LTSC, new versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneDrive, OneNote and, at least under Windows, Microsoft Access are included. Unfortunately, Microsoft has not yet published any detailed information about what new features Office 2024 has compared to the previous version Office 2021.

The Long Term Service Channel is no longer what it used to be

The main difference between the LTSC and the Microsoft 365 versions of Office 2024 is that the former edition is not supplemented with new functions at irregular intervals over its life cycle. Instead, the range of functions remains basically unchanged and only maintenance and security updates are provided. This edition is attractive for companies in some cases precisely because it reduces the support effort.

The term “LTSC” stands for “Long Term Service Channel”, which actually means that this Office version is supported for a longer period. However, Microsoft recently reduced support for Office 2021 from ten to just five years. The same applies to Office 2024 LTSC. The version that is supposedly supported for so long is therefore less attractive compared to the continuously updated Microsoft 365 variants.

Ultimately, the support period only corresponds to what Microsoft offers for the versions of Office 2024 that are regularly sold to end customers and companies. Another step backwards that was already taken with Office 2021 is the fact that a standalone version of Office 2024 can no longer be activated on three devices, but only on one.