Office version vs. version number

Question

I have been a Microsoft Office user for decades. I am glad Microsoft still offers this software as a client-based application that people can install on their machines locally. Recently, I have been considering upgrading my current version of Office to the latest Office 2021 version. However, I am getting confused by the difference between Office version versus the version number.

Unfortunately, on the Mac, Microsoft no longer appears to list the "Office version" when I go to Word/Powerpoint/Excel>About. Instead, I only find a version number (eg. 15.33). Is there a way to easily identify which "Office version" this is (eg. Office 2016 for Mac, Office 2019 for Mac, etc.)?

I did find a table on Wikipedia which lists "Office versions" along with "version numbers". However, for Mac, there seems to be a problem when it comes to Office 2016, 2019, and 2021 for Mac. Specifically, all three of these "Office versions" can correspond to version number 16! If all three of these Office versions for Mac can have a version number of 16, then how can an end-user accurately identify which "Office version" they have? Does Microsoft have a more comprehensive table somewhere that adds more clarity to the issue?

Answer 1

Hi Mike457,

Thanks for your valuable feedback and sharing updates with us and I really appreciate your effort and your precious time doing. 

 And I appreciate your kind words.

Yes, you are correct , the version16.16 and lower = Office 2016 for Mac and16.17 and higher = Office 2019 for Mac.

Regarding to, "What version number does Office 2021 for Mac begin?" Microsoft Office 2021 was released on September 16, 2021, and Office for Mac 2021 official release, version 16.53.

On the Mac, Office 2019, Office 2021 and Office 365, have the same version number but you can vary based on the License type displayed in the About Word to check the name at the License type.

Here is summary:

16.16 and lower = Office 2016 for Mac

16.17 and higher = Office 2019 for Mac

16.53 and higher= Office 2021 for Mac

Regarding to, "If Office 2019 for Mac and Office 2021 for Mac are essentially the same, then why did Microsoft brand it as a new "Office version"?" generally, the two versions of Microsoft Office are quite similar: they offer the same applications in their respective editions.  However, Office 2021 is a one-time purchase that comes with classic apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for PC or Mac

For reference: Office 2021 and Office LTSC for Windows and Mac FAQ

Your understanding and patience will be highly appreciated. I hope that you are keeping safe and well!

Sincerely,

Waqas Muhammad

Answer 2

Dear Mike457,

Good day! Thank you for posting to Microsoft Community. We are happy to help you.

As per your description, please don’t worry, we can work together to narrow down and resolve the situation.

 First, please allow me to explain:

Office 2016 for Mac come with both series (15.xx and 16. Xx). Office 2016 for Mac Version is "16.16". When you click on click Word > About Word on your Mac OS, in the opened dialog box if you see version number starts with “16.16. “this means you're on Office 2016 for Mac.

Microsoft 2019 and 2021 are the same as far as features and upgrades are concerned (Office 2021 for Mac is a continuation of the same code base that Office 2019 for Mac ran under). The latest release is V16.63. And 16.xx versions of Office 2019 and 2021 and Office 365.

Microsoft released Office 2019 for Mac on September 24th, 2018 (Version 16.17).  When you click on click Word > About Word on your Mac OS, in the opened dialog box and if you see a version number that starts with "16.17" or higher that’s mean license type is Retail/ Volume License of Office 2019.

Here is table of Release history for Office for Mac

Your understanding and patience will be highly appreciated. I hope that you are keeping safe and well!

Sincerely, 

Waqas Muhammad

Answer 3

Thank you for your reply, Waqas.

So to recap:

16.16 and lower = Office 2016 for Mac

16.17 and higher = Office 2019 for Mac

What version number does Office 2021 for Mac begin? If Office 2019 for Mac and Office 2021 for Mac are essentially the same, then why did Microsoft brand it as a new "Office version"?

I think Microsoft is making this unnecessarily complex. Most people relate to the "Office version" rather than "version number", at least for the client-based install. I have seen the "Release history for Office for Mac" link that you posted. However, that table only lists the "version numbers" while excluding the "Office version", which makes it impossible to link "version number" with "Office version".

Thanks again for your reply. I am grateful for the information, but I guess I'm just a bit puzzled why Microsoft decided to maintain two different version naming schemes without clearly listing where the boundaries are for the "Office version" that most people identify with.