The difference between the Office 2021 editions comes down to three things: the applications included, the right to commercial use and Mac compatibility. Home & Student is limited to Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote for strictly private use; Home & Business adds Outlook and allows business use; Professional Plus brings together the whole suite (including Access and Publisher) but only installs on Windows. Everything else, the interface, new features and lifespan, is identical from one edition to the next.
At support, this is the question we hear most often before a purchase, and almost always for the same reason: a customer bought the cheapest edition, then discovered that Outlook wasn't included or that they weren't allowed to use it to invoice their clients. Here is how to choose without getting it wrong.
What are the Office 2021 editions?
Office 2021 is a suite sold under a perpetual licence: you pay once, install it on a device, and it keeps working without a subscription. Microsoft released it in several editions that share exactly the same technical foundation (same engine, same Excel functions such as XLOOKUP and dynamic arrays, same dark mode in Word). The full list of new features is on the official What's new in Office 2021 page.
- Office Home & Student 2021: the entry-level edition, for home, homework and personal documents.
- Office Home & Business 2021: the same base plus Outlook, with the right to use it for business activities.
- Office Professional 2021: the full edition sold at retail, with Access and Publisher, PC only.
- Office Professional Plus 2021: the most complete edition, historically aimed at organisations. It is available as an individual licence (“retail” key) and as a volume licence, called Office LTSC Professional Plus 2021.
The Home & Student and Home & Business editions also exist for Mac, sold as separate products: a Windows licence key does not activate Office for Mac, and vice versa.
Which applications are included in each edition?
This is the most tangible criterion. The table below lists the desktop applications each edition installs on Windows.
| Application | Home & Student | Home & Business | Professional Plus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Word | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Excel | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| PowerPoint | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| OneNote (desktop) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Outlook | No | Yes | Yes |
| Access | No | No | Yes |
| Publisher | No | No | Yes |
| Commercial use | No | Yes | Yes |
| Mac version | Yes | Yes | No |
Two observations from experience. First, the lack of Outlook in Home & Student doesn't stop you reading your emails: the free new Outlook built into Windows or your provider's webmail will do the job. But if you manage several accounts, sorting rules, a shared calendar or PST files carried over from an old computer, you need desktop Outlook. Second, Access is only of interest to a specific audience (internal databases, small business applications); if nobody has ever sent you an .accdb file, you probably don't need it.
As for Publisher, note that Microsoft announced the end of its support in October 2026, at the same time as Office 2021. The installed application can still be used to open and edit your .pub files, but it is wise to plan to export your layouts to PDF or rebuild them in Word or PowerPoint.
Commercial use: why Home & Student is not suitable for a business
This is the point most often overlooked. The Office Home & Student 2021 licence agreement restricts its use to personal, non-commercial purposes. In practice, a sole trader writing quotes in Word, a charity keeping its accounts in Excel or a freelancer preparing client presentations is not covered by this licence, even though the software technically works in exactly the same way.
Home & Business and Professional Plus include the right to business use. For a micro-business, a tradesperson or a professional practice, these are therefore the only two consistent options. The simple rule we give our customers: if the document you produce helps you earn money, you need a business edition.
Which Office 2021 edition should you choose on a Mac?
On macOS, the choice is shorter: only Home & Student 2021 and Home & Business 2021 exist as consumer Mac versions. Professional Plus 2021, Access and Publisher do not exist on Mac. If you see an “Office 2021 Pro Plus for Mac” offer, it is at best a mix-up.
For most Mac users, Office 2021 Home & Business for Mac is the most complete choice: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and Outlook, with business use rights. Installation goes through your Microsoft account; simply sign in, enter the key and then run the Mac installer.
In terms of compatibility, Office for Mac only supports recent versions of macOS. Before buying for an old MacBook, check your system version under Apple menu > About This Mac.
Professional Plus: who is it for, and which licence type?
Professional Plus is the edition we recommend on PC whenever there is mixed personal and business use, or as soon as a “business” application comes into play (Access for a customer database, Publisher for flyers). It also has the advantage of a single installation that covers all the computer's needs.
It comes in two licence families:
- The individual (retail) licence: one key for one PC, activated online. This is the case for Office 2021 Professional Plus for 1 PC, or its multi-PC version if you are equipping a household or a small office.
- The volume licence (LTSC, MAK key): designed to deploy the same version on several computers with the Office Deployment Tool. It has its own deployment and feature specifics, which we compare in detail in a dedicated article.
In both cases, installation uses Click-to-Run, with no DVD. Our Office 2021 Pro Plus download, installation and activation tutorial covers the download, the 32- or 64-bit choice and entering the key.
How can you tell which edition is installed on your PC?
This is useful when you take over a second-hand PC or are unsure before buying another licence. Three methods, from simplest to most technical:
- Open Word, then File > Account. Under “Product Information”, the exact edition name is shown (for example “Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2021”) along with “Product Activated”.
- Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps and search for “Office”: the edition name appears in the list.
- In a Command Prompt, run
cscript "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16\OSPP.VBS" /dstatus(or theProgram Files (x86)folder for a 32-bit installation). The LICENSE NAME line shows the edition, and the last five characters of the installed key are displayed.
If the File > Account window shows “Unlicensed Product” or a red banner, the installed edition does not match your key: a Home & Student key cannot activate a Professional Plus installation, and vice versa. You then need to uninstall and reinstall the correct edition.
Office 2021 in October 2026: is it still worth buying?
Support for Office 2021, across all editions, ended on 13 October 2026, as stated on the Microsoft lifecycle page. In practical terms, this means Microsoft no longer releases security fixes. Your applications do not deactivate, your documents remain open and editable, and a perpetual licence remains valid. We cover everything in our article on the end of support for Office 2021.
Office 2021 therefore remains a sensible choice for a personal computer, a low-exposure office PC or a tight budget. For intensive business use, with lots of email attachments coming in, Office 2024 is the forward-looking option: same edition logic, same perpetual licence, and support until October 2029. Our comparison Office 2024 vs Office 2021 details what really changes between the two.
Frequently asked questions
Can you upgrade from Home & Student to Professional Plus without reinstalling everything?
No. They are two separate products. You need to uninstall the current edition (Settings > Apps), restart, then install Professional Plus with the new key. Your documents, stored separately, are not affected.
Does Home & Student include Outlook?
No. Desktop Outlook is only included from Home & Business upwards. Home & Student contains Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote.
Can one Office 2021 licence be installed on both PC and Mac?
No, an Office 2021 perpetual licence is tied to one platform. A Windows key activates Office for Windows; a Mac key activates Office for Mac. Only a Microsoft 365 subscription lets you switch freely between systems.
Will a file created with Home & Student open in Professional Plus?
Yes. All editions use the same formats (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx). Only Access (.accdb) and Publisher (.pub) files require the corresponding applications.
How many PCs can you activate with an Office 2021 key?
A retail key covers the number of devices stated on the product, usually a single PC. For several computers, you need a multi-PC licence or a volume licence.
Choose the edition that fits how you work
To put it simply: Home & Student for purely private use, Home & Business if you need Outlook or work on a Mac, Professional Plus if you are on a PC and want the full suite with business use rights. If you are still torn between a perpetual licence and a subscription, our article Office 2021 or Microsoft 365 will help you decide. And if you are unsure which edition suits your computer, our support team will answer before you buy.