Is There an Office 2025? The Latest Microsoft Office Version Explained

Short answer: No, there is no Office 2025. Microsoft has never released a product called Office 2025 or Office 2025 Professional Plus. The latest one-time-purchase version is Office 2024, released on 1 October 2024, with the business edition Office LTSC 2024 released in September 2024. Both are supported until 9 October 2029.

If you have seen an "Office 2025 Professional Plus" download or key advertised, treat it with suspicion. Below we explain where the name comes from, what Microsoft has actually said about the next version, and what to install today.

What is the latest version of Microsoft Office?

As of late 2026, the latest version of Microsoft Office you can buy outright is Office 2024. The only Office that changes more often is Microsoft 365, the subscription version, which receives new features every month and has no year in its name.

Dates are from Microsoft's Office 2024 lifecycle page and Office 2021 lifecycle page.

Why do people search for Office 2025?

Mostly because of a reasonable assumption and a confusing version number. Many people expect a new Office every year, like a phone model, so in 2025 and 2026 they search for "Office 2025". Perpetual Office has actually followed a roughly three-year cycle since 2018.

The second source is Microsoft 365's version numbering. Subscription builds are numbered by year and month: Version 2501 means January 2025, Version 2508 means August 2025. Someone who sees "Version 25xx" under File → Account → About may reasonably think they have Office 2025. They have Microsoft 365 on a 2025 build.

The third source is less innocent. Sellers of fake or pirated software invent new version names because searchers can't find an official page to compare against.

Is Office 2025 Professional Plus real or a scam?

Any product sold as "Office 2025 Professional Plus" is not a genuine Microsoft product. At best it's Office 2024 relabelled; at worst it's a modified installer carrying malware, or a key that won't activate.

A common issue we see is buyers who ordered an "Office 2025" key elsewhere, then found it was a KMS activator or a cracked installer. If that has happened to you, our guide to removing KMS activators and switching to a genuine licence walks through the clean-up.

To check a listing, look for these red flags:

• The product name includes 2025 (or any year Microsoft hasn't released).
• The download comes from a file-sharing site rather than Microsoft's servers.
• The instructions ask you to disable your antivirus.
• The listing mentions an "activator", "patch" or "pre-activated" installer.

When will the next version of Office be released?

Microsoft hasn't announced a name or date. When it launched Office LTSC 2024, Microsoft confirmed its commitment to another perpetual release in the future, but gave no timing. Based on the three-year gap between 2018, 2021 and 2024, a release around 2027 would fit the pattern, though that is an inference, not an announcement.

Should you wait for it? For most people, no. Office 2024 still has three years of security updates left, and it's fully current today. Waiting only makes sense if you already run a supported version and don't need anything new.

Office 2024 vs Microsoft 365: which should I choose?

Choose Office 2024 if you want to pay once and keep a stable set of features; choose Microsoft 365 if you want monthly feature updates, cloud storage and AI features such as Copilot, and don't mind paying every year.

Many listings muddy this with "lifetime" Microsoft 365 accounts. We explain exactly what those are in Office 365 lifetime licence explained.

What's new in Office 2024 compared with Office 2021?

Office 2024 adds the Excel features Microsoft 365 users have had for a while, plus refinements across the suite. Microsoft's Office LTSC 2024 overview lists them in full. The highlights:

• Excel: dynamic charts that update with dynamic arrays, new functions such as TEXTSPLIT, TEXTBEFORE and IMAGE, and improved performance.
• Outlook: faster search and new meeting-creation options.
• Accessibility: an improved Accessibility Checker across Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Removed: Microsoft Publisher is not included, as Microsoft is retiring it. Teams is a separate download.

Which Office should I install today?

• One Windows PC, pay once: Office 2024 Pro Plus for Windows.
• Two or three PCs: the Office 2024 Pro Plus LTSC 3-device licence.
• Only Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook: Office 2024 Standard.
• Mac or mixed PC and Mac: Office 2024 Home and Business.
• Still on Office 2021: plan the move before 13 October 2026. You can browse every edition in our Office 2024 collection.

For installation, our Office 2024 download and activation guide covers a single PC, and the Office 2024 offline installer guide covers several PCs or machines without internet.

Frequently asked questions

Is Office 2024 the latest version?

Yes. Office 2024 is the newest perpetual (one-time purchase) version of Microsoft Office. Microsoft 365 is newer in features but is a subscription.

Can I download Office 2025 for free?

No. Office 2025 doesn't exist, so any "free Office 2025" download is either mislabelled or unsafe. Microsoft's free option is Office for the web, which runs in a browser with a Microsoft account.

Will Office 2024 stop working in 2029?

No. It keeps working after 9 October 2029, but Microsoft stops releasing security fixes for it, which makes opening files from unknown sources riskier over time.

Can I upgrade from Office 2021 to Office 2024 for free?

No. Perpetual licences don't include upgrades to the next version. You need a new Office 2024 licence, though your documents and settings carry over.

Does Office 2024 work on Windows 10?

It installs, but Windows 10 itself reached end of support on 14 October 2025, and Microsoft only supports Office on supported versions of Windows. Windows 11 is the recommended platform.

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