What you get with Office LTSC Standard for Mac 2024

Office LTSC Standard for Mac 2024 is the volume licensed, one-time purchase version of Office for macOS. It installs Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote, runs natively on Apple silicon as well as Intel Macs, and is licensed to one Mac. Microsoft’s FAQ says “Office 2024 for Mac and Office LTSC for Mac 2024 will go out of support on October 9, 2029,” and until then it receives security updates on any Mac running one of the three newest major versions of macOS.

There’s no Professional Plus edition for the Mac. On Windows, Professional Plus differs from Standard by adding Access, and Microsoft states that “Access isn’t available for devices running macOS.” Standard is the complete Office suite on a Mac.

Which macOS versions it supports

Microsoft supports Office for Mac on the three most recent major versions of macOS. Its support page says “As of September 2026, the three most recent major versions are macOS Golden Gate 27, macOS Tahoe 26, and macOS Sequoia 15.” Under that policy, Sequoia leaves the list when Apple releases the next major version.

Leaving the list doesn’t stop Office running. In Microsoft’s words, “your Office apps will still work, but you’ll no longer receive any updates including security updates.” To see which version a Mac runs, open the Apple menu and choose About This Mac.

The hardware requirements are modest.

• An Intel or Apple silicon processor
• 4 GB of memory
• 10 GB of free disk space
• A display of at least 1280 x 768

What changed since Office 2021 for Mac

Most of what Microsoft added in the 2024 release reached the Mac as well.

• Excel gained the IMAGE function, 14 new text and array functions such as TEXTSPLIT and VSTACK, charts that grow with dynamic arrays, and better performance with several workbooks open at once.
• Word gained session recovery after a crash and Like reactions on comments.
• PowerPoint gained cameo for showing your camera feed on a slide, Recording Studio for exporting a presentation as a video, and closed captions for video and audio.
• Outlook gained scheduled sending and the Focused Inbox, both listed by Microsoft as Mac additions in this release.
• Across the apps you can insert a photo from an iPhone or iPad through Continuity Camera, and open and save OpenDocument Format 1.4 files.

A few 2024 additions are Windows only. The new default Office theme, the improved Draw tab in OneNote and the search and meeting improvements in Outlook for Windows don’t apply on a Mac.

What isn’t included

• Access, which Microsoft doesn’t make for macOS
• Teams, which is a separate free download from Microsoft
• Copilot and the cloud features that come with a Microsoft 365 subscription
• OneDrive storage, which Microsoft 365 plans include at 1 TB per user

If you’re weighing a one-time licence against a subscription, our cost comparison of Office LTSC 2024 and Microsoft 365 works through Microsoft’s UK prices to 2029.

We also sell the Office 365 Pro Account, a preconfigured Microsoft 365 account whose apps run on a Mac as well as on Windows PCs, tablets and phones. The supplier advertises it with 100 GB of OneDrive storage and Teams subject to the account’s entitlements, and it doesn’t include Outlook. A Mac that already runs Office LTSC Standard for Mac 2024 can move to a Microsoft 365 account “without uninstalling your current version”, in Microsoft’s words. Its steps are to install the latest Office updates, then open any Office app and sign in with the Microsoft 365 account.

How activation works

Volume licensed Office for Mac activates with a small installer called the Volume License (VL) Serializer. Microsoft describes it as “a package (.pkg) file that you run on a Mac where Office is installed”, and for this release the file is named Microsoft_Office_LTSC_2024_VL_Serializer.pkg.

Install the Office apps first, then run the serializer once. It writes a licence file to the Mac, and from then on, Microsoft says, “your Mac users won’t see any activation prompts when they first open their copy of Office.” Nobody has to sign in with a Microsoft account to use the apps.

The licence file belongs to that one Mac. Microsoft explains that it “contains data that’s encrypted by using the serial number of the boot drive on the device where it was generated”, so the same file activates nothing if it’s copied anywhere else.

Retail copies of Office for Mac, such as Office Home 2024 and Office Home & Business 2024, work differently. Their key is redeemed to a Microsoft account, and you activate by signing in to that account inside one of the apps.

If the Mac already runs Office LTSC for Mac 2021, the 2024 serializer can run while people carry on working. Microsoft says that “After users close and reopen the app, Office switches to the Office LTSC for Mac 2024 license.” The apps need to be on version 16.89 or later, which is where Microsoft’s version numbers for volume licensed Office LTSC for Mac 2024 begin.

Keeping it updated

Office for Mac updates through Microsoft AutoUpdate, which installs alongside the apps. In any Office app, open the Help menu and choose Check for Updates. To see which version you have, open Word and choose Word > About Word.

Leave AutoUpdate switched on. It’s how the security updates reach the Mac until October 2029.

Working with colleagues on Windows

Word, Excel and PowerPoint files move between Mac and Windows without conversion, because both use the same .docx, .xlsx and .pptx formats. VBA macros run in Word and Excel for Mac. ActiveX controls are a Windows technology and don’t run in Office for Mac, so a workbook built around ActiveX buttons loses them there. Access databases are the other gap, since an .accdb file can’t be opened on macOS at all.

Office LTSC is licensed per device, so a mixed office doesn’t have to pick one platform. Each Mac gets Office LTSC Standard for Mac 2024, and each Windows PC gets Office LTSC Standard 2024 or Office LTSC Professional Plus 2024, depending on whether its user needs Access. Our comparison of the Windows editions sets out which apps each one has.

Questions about Office LTSC Standard for Mac 2024

Can I install it on more than one Mac?

No. The licence covers one Mac, and the licence file the serializer creates only works on the Mac where it was generated.

Does it run natively on Apple silicon?

Yes. Microsoft supports both Apple silicon and Intel Macs, as long as the Mac runs a supported version of macOS.

Will it stop working after October 2029?

No. The apps keep working after 9 October 2029. They stop receiving security updates.

Do I need a Microsoft account?

Not for the volume licensed version. Once the serializer has run, the apps open without a sign-in. You need an account for OneDrive, or to activate a retail copy of Office for Mac.

Is Outlook included?

Yes. Outlook is one of the five apps, with Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote.

Sources

• Overview of the Volume License (VL) Serializer, Microsoft Learn
• Overview of activation for Office for Mac, Microsoft Learn
• Upgrade macOS to continue receiving Microsoft 365 and Office for Mac updates, Microsoft Support
• Office system requirements for enterprise, business, education and government, Microsoft Support
• Overview of Office LTSC 2024, Microsoft Learn
• Office 2024 and Office LTSC 2024 FAQ, Microsoft Support
• What’s new in Office 2024 and Office LTSC 2024, Microsoft Support
• Deployment options for admins for Office for Mac, Microsoft Learn