Overview of Office LTSC preview

Note

• This article is for a preview program and is subject to change.

• This preview program is intended for organizations that expect to buy and deploy Office LTSC 2024, the new volume licensed (perpetual) version of Office.

• This preview program isn’t intended for organizations that have already purchased and deployed Office from a Microsoft 365 (or Office 365) plan.

• This preview program isn't intended for home users of Office.

Microsoft Office Long Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) preview offers commercial customers a chance to experience the latest perpetual version of Microsoft Office before its official launch later this year. This preview includes Office LTSC 2024 for commercial preview, Visio 2024 preview, and Project 2024 preview. It's important to note that this preview is for commercial users and isn't intended for home use. Commercial customers participating in the preview can explore new features, test compatibility with existing systems, and offer valuable feedback to refine the final release. Preview versions of the following products are available for you to install and test on devices running Windows in your organization.

The following products are available as part of this preview program:

• Microsoft Office LTSC 2024 for commercial preview
• Microsoft Project 2024 preview
• Microsoft Visio 2024 preview

Microsoft Office LTSC 2024 for commercial preview includes Access, Excel, OneNote, Outlook, PowerPoint, Skype for Business, and Word.

For information about installing and activating the preview versions of Office, Project, and Visio, see Install Office LTSC preview.

For information about the preview version of Office for devices running macOS, see Overview of Office LTSC 2024 for Mac preview.

What's new in Office LTSC preview

Office LTSC 2024 builds upon the core functionalities of earlier versions, introducing several advancements to enhance productivity, security, and accessibility. This update includes new options for creating meetings and refined search capabilities in Outlook. Additionally, Excel receives a range of new features, such as Dynamic Charts and Arrays, marking significant improvements over the previous Office LTSC release.

While Office LTSC 2024 provides valuable enhancements for customers who need to keep their Office apps on-premises, it doesn't include the AI and cloud-based functionalities available in Microsoft 365 Apps. As a result, users don't have access to real-time collaboration, AI-driven automation in Excel, PowerPoint, and Word, or advanced security and compliance tools tailored for a hybrid work environment.

Keep in mind that Office LTSC 2024 also won't receive any new features after its release. If you want to get new Office features on an ongoing basis, you should consider moving to a Microsoft 365 plan that includes Office. Many business and enterprise plans include Microsoft 365 Apps. These plans also provide you with Microsoft 365, which includes the same apps as Office LTSC 2024. For more information, see Compare Microsoft 365 enterprise plans, Compare Office 365 enterprise plans, and Compare Microsoft 365 business plans.

What changed in Office LTSC preview

The installation and operation of Office LTSC 2024 for commercial preview remain largely consistent with Office LTSC 2021, showing no significant differences.

However, it’s important to note a couple of changes. Office LTSC no longer includes Microsoft Publisher, as it's being retired. Additionally, the Microsoft Teams app isn't preinstalled but is available for download separately.

What stayed the same in Office LTSC preview

Office LTSC preview keeps the same licensing and use rights as Office LTSC 2021, allowing for a straightforward experience for users familiar with the previous version. The deployment process also remains consistent, using the same software distribution tools, such as Microsoft Configuration Manager, that are currently used for deploying volume-licensed versions of Office LTSC 2021.

Getting support and providing feedback for Office LTSC preview

Microsoft support isn’t available for the preview program.

Use the preview products for testing purposes only. For example, to familiarize yourself with deploying the preview products and using the new features in the Office apps. The preview products shouldn’t be used in your normal production environment or on a production device.

If you want to provide feedback about an Office app or feature, go to File, and choose Feedback in that app.

If you have questions about Office LTSC preview or want to provide feedback, go to the Microsoft 365 and Office forum for business customers on Microsoft Community.