It seems possible that Office 2021 is really installing Microsoft 365 with the license details controlling what features are available. In some cases, it’s an important difference to keep in mind.
A few bits of information suggest that there’s more commonality between Office 2021 and Microsoft 365 than you might expect.
Microsoft 365 features ‘leaking’ into Office 2021
We’ve had a few reports from Office 2021 users seeing exclusively Microsoft 365 features appearing. Most notably Excel’s Stock and Currency data options.
One reader was seeing and using the Lambda() function in Office 2021, which is only supposed to be in Microsoft 365 releases.
He managed to get an admission from Microsoft support “… issues with Excel’s license authentication that may have caused these functions to appear in non-365 versions”
Office 2021 gets new Microsoft 365 feature – why?
It was pleasantly surprising that Office 2021 customers received a new feature recently. That’s despite Office 2021 being officially ‘feature locked’ at release.
Updated Search options (from title bar) were announced in June 2023 for Office 2021 users as well as Microsoft 365.
That suggests there are common modules between the two versions of Office. Though it’s a mystery why this feature was unlocked for Office 2021 customers. Perhaps there’s some technical reason for this uncharacteristic Microsoft generosity?
Why are there shared Office 365/2021 parts?
It may be that parts of the installation are shared between Office 2021 and Microsoft 365, not the whole download. At least for Windows. What Microsoft does on a Mac is a lot less clear.
From Microsoft’s point of view, a combined install would make sense. It means fewer separate components to manage for the never-ending security and other bug fixes.
Why it matters
It’s worth keeping in mind, especially for Office 2021 users who might see and use features that later disappear.
Office software might get confused if there’s a mix of Microsoft 365, Office 2021 or other installations done, over time, on the same computer. For example, switching from Microsoft 365 to Office 2021.
There are two ways to view all the Office licences installed on a computer. Hidden license info with vNextDiag.ps1 or the older ospp.vbs VBScript reveals Office licence details.
Tidying up old licences can help, see Fixing extra licence problems in Microsoft Office
Hidden license info reveals good news for Microsoft 365
Fixing license problems in Microsoft Office
