I have been asked multiple times by users what is Microsoft office? What does Microsoft Office do or what is the use of Microsoft office in a Windows or MacBook computer?
Therefore, I thought to create a dedicated article on this topic.
If you are a beginner or new in computer technology or wanted to learn to grab knowledge, then, this post will be helpful to you.
What is Microsoft Office Application?
This is the most frequently asked question on the web. So, here is the answer in a simple language:
“Microsoft Office is a package of multiple applications for home and business users to increase work productivity“
It is also known as MS Office or simply Office in general language.
All applications included in this office suite package are well designed in a common interface and are very user friendly and easy to operate.
Microsoft Office is developed and designed by Microsoft Corporation. It was first announced or introduced by Bill Gates on August 1988 in Las Vegas.
By targeting different end-users and computing devices/environments, MS Office is produced in several versions.
However, the most widely used MS Office version is the desktop version which is available for Windows, MacOS operating systems and Linux as well. Available in different languages.
There are several versions of Microsoft Office are available. Few important once are Office 2007, MS Office 2010, Microsoft Office 2013, Office 2016, MS Office 2019 and Microsoft Office 365.
In addition, Office Apps are also available for Android and iOS mobiles.
Microsoft Office Editions
Microsoft Office Suite comes in several editions. To clarify and get your better understanding on this, check out the list of office editions and list of applications on it.
Note: In this chart, we included only core applications. In a few editions, you will have additional office apps.
| Applications |
Home & Student | Home & Business | Professional | Professional Plus | Standard |
| Word | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| Excel | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| PowerPoint | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| Outlook | × | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| Publisher | × | × | √ | √ | √ |
| Access | × | × | √ | √ | × |
| OneNote | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ |
MS Office comes with a few core applications for each of the Office editions as explained in the above chart.
Here is a brief description of each of the applications for your better understanding of this:
- Word: One of the important applications, also known as Word or MS Word, is used to create text-based documents. For example, reports, templates, letters, etc.
- Excel: An excel is a spreadsheet which is used to calculate numeric data like reports, sales data, results, loans, calculations, etc.
- PowerPoint: In PowerPoint, the user can create professional multimedia presentations for public speaking seminars and meeting presentations.
- Outlook: Office Outlook is an email management program wherein users can configure multiple emails and manage them in one place.
For instance, compose emails, send & receive emails, schedule meetings, etc. - Publisher: When Word fails to create complex page layouts, then, this application is especially used to create publishing marketing materials such as newsletters and brochures.
- Access: Access is a complete database management system program that is used to store and organize structured data. i.e., Inventory, personnel information and customer orders.
- OneNote: Microsoft OneNote is your personal notebook and an alternate of your paper notebook. Users can easily organize and manage their notes on it.
Office 365
Moreover, Microsoft 365 has been introduced in July 2017, is a subscription-based services offered by Microsoft.
Office 365 also includes cloud-based productivity tools and artificial intelligence features which are attracting business users nowadays.
Certainly, Microsoft 365 includes apps such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook along with Exchange Server, Skype for Business, SharePoint and few others.
Microsoft’s 365 major editions are Home, Business, Enterprise and Education. More information here
[Read: Download Office 365 with Free Activation]
I hope the question in your mind about what is Microsoft Office has been cleared with the above information and is enough to understand about MS Office.
