Microsoft 365 is available in Family and Personal editions (previously known as Office 365 Home and Personal, respectively) that are intended for use by families, students, and individuals for personal, non-commercial use.Īlso: 7 ways you can (maybe) get Microsoft Office 365 for free If your subscription is current, you get the latest versions, with security releases monthly and feature updates every six months, on the same calendar as Windows 10. Second, it combines a suite of online services, including business-class email, cloud file storage, and secure communication tools along with the traditional desktop apps.Īlso: Microsoft 365 Family and Personal subscriptions now available for purchaseīecause it's a subscription offering, those desktop programs are updated automatically when a new version is available. Microsoft 365 (previously known as Office 365), which has been available since 2011, differs from that old-fashioned bundle in two respects: First, it's sold as a subscription (billed monthly or yearly), rather than as a perpetual license with a fixed one-time payment. Here are ZDNet's current top picks for a variety of use cases.Īs a product line, Microsoft Office dates back nearly three decades, with early versions essentially combining Word, Excel, and PowerPoint into a discounted bundle. The best Windows 10 laptops: Top notebooks, 2-in-1s, and ultraportables
