Searching for "Microsoft Project download" now returns perpetual editions, Planner subscriptions and a retired cloud service, which makes the choice confusing. This guide compares the three paths on licensing model, support life and the type of work each one suits.
| Option | Licence model | Where it runs | Support status | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project 2024 (Standard or Professional) | One-time purchase, one user, one PC | Windows desktop | Supported until 9 October 2029 | New desktop purchases |
| Project 2021 (Standard or Professional) | One-time purchase, one user, one PC | Windows desktop | Retires 13 October 2026 | Matching an existing Office 2021 setup |
| Planner and Project Plan 3 or Plan 5 | Per-user subscription | Web, plus a desktop client | Updated continuously | Teams needing cloud collaboration |
| Project Online | Subscription (closed to new customers) | Cloud | Retired 30 September 2026 | Not available as a new choice |
What is the difference between Project 2024, Project 2021 and Project Online?
Project 2024 and Project 2021 are perpetual desktop applications for Windows that you buy once and keep, differing mainly in support dates, while Project Online was Microsoft's subscription cloud service for portfolio management, which Microsoft retired on 30 September 2026 in favour of Planner subscriptions and Project Server Subscription Edition.
The desktop editions store plans as .mpp files and work fully offline. The cloud services store plans online and are designed around shared access through a browser and Microsoft Teams.
The Standard versus Professional split is a separate decision, covered in our guide to Project Standard vs Professional. This article focuses on version and licensing model.
Has Project Online been retired?
Yes, Microsoft announced that Project Online would retire on 30 September 2026, stopped selling Project Online-only plans to new customers from 1 October 2025, and recommended that existing customers move their data to Planner or to Project Server Subscription Edition before the retirement date.
Microsoft's Planner blog post, Microsoft Project Online is retiring: what you need to know, sets out the dates and migration options. Project desktop, Planner and Project Server Subscription Edition were stated as unaffected.
The practical cause and effect: any process that relied on publishing desktop plans to Project Online needs a new destination. For organisations that want to keep plans on their own servers, Project Server Subscription Edition with Project Professional is the on-premises route.
What replaced Project Online and the old Project Plans?
Microsoft's cloud project management now sits under the Planner brand: Planner Plan 1 (formerly Project Plan 1) adds premium plans with timeline and goals views, while Planner and Project Plan 3 and Planner and Project Plan 5 (formerly Project Plan 3 and 5) add advanced capabilities and include the Project desktop client.
Microsoft's Planner for admins documentation confirms the renaming took effect in September 2024. Premium Planner features listed there include reports, a Timeline (Gantt) view, dependencies, sprints, custom fields, team workload and goals.
- Planner in Microsoft 365: basic plans with Grid, Board, Schedule and Charts views, included with many Microsoft 365 business subscriptions.
- Planner Plan 1: premium plans and extra views for lighter project work.
- Planner and Project Plan 3 / Plan 5: advanced planning plus the subscription Project desktop client, which needs an active Plan 3 or Plan 5 licence to keep working.
What is new in Project 2024 compared with Project 2021?
Project 2024 is an incremental release: it keeps the Project 2021 scheduling engine, views and file format, and adds the updates accumulated since 2021 together with a support window to October 2029, which for most users matters more than any single new feature.
Microsoft's product pages for Project Professional 2024 list pre-built templates, timesheets, what-if scenarios, automatic scheduling from task dependencies and multiple built-in timelines. These capabilities were also present in Project 2021, which is why plans move between the two versions without conversion.
A nuance worth knowing: volume-licensed Project 2024 ships alongside Office LTSC 2024, and Microsoft states that LTSC releases receive security updates but no new features during their life. Buyers who want continuous feature updates are steered towards the Planner and Project subscriptions instead.
How long is Project 2024 and Project 2021 supported?
Microsoft's lifecycle pages list Project 2024 as supported from 1 October 2024 until 9 October 2029, and Project 2021 as supported from 5 October 2021 until 13 October 2026, after which the software still runs but receives no security updates, bug fixes or technical support.
You can confirm both dates on Microsoft's lifecycle pages for Project 2024 and Project 2021. Volume-licensed LTSC versions get five years of mainstream support with no extended support phase.
The effect for buyers is simple. With Project 2021 at or past its retirement date, a new purchase of Project 2021 gives you a working tool with no future security patches, so Project 2024 is the better default unless you need version matching.
Should I buy a perpetual Project licence or a subscription?
Choose a perpetual Project 2024 licence if you plan alone or in a small team, want offline desktop scheduling and prefer a one-time purchase; choose a Planner and Project subscription if your team needs browser-based collaboration, shared plans in Teams and continuous feature updates, accepting an ongoing per-user cost in return.
| Your situation | Recommended option |
|---|---|
| Freelancer or single planner, mainly offline | Project 2024 Standard |
| Resource manager or PMO on-premises, using Project Server | Project 2024 Professional |
| Office 2021 standardised environment | Project 2021, if version matching is required |
| Distributed team working in Microsoft Teams | Planner and Project Plan 3 or Plan 5 |
| Simple task boards only | Planner in Microsoft 365 or Planner Plan 1 |
What we commonly see is small businesses moving from a lapsed subscription to a perpetual desktop licence once they realise they only need Gantt scheduling on one or two PCs.
Do I still need Project desktop for offline or on-premises work?
Yes, if your plans must stay on your own hardware or be edited without an internet connection, a desktop Project edition is the practical option, because perpetual Project 2024 keeps .mpp files on your PC or file server, and Project Professional connects to Project Server Subscription Edition for teams that need shared on-premises resources.
This matters in regulated sectors, construction sites with limited connectivity and organisations with data residency rules. The subscription desktop client, by contrast, depends on keeping an active Plan 3 or Plan 5 licence.
For a perpetual option, see Project 2024 Professional LTSC, and follow our Project 2024 download and activation guide to install it.
How do I download Microsoft Project after buying a key?
For perpetual Project 2024 or 2021, you download the official installer from Microsoft, either through the Office Deployment Tool with a configuration naming your edition, or from the link supplied with your order, then enter your product key to activate. Subscription users install the desktop client from their Microsoft 365 apps page instead.
- Uninstall older Project versions so they do not conflict with the new one.
- Download the installer that matches your edition (Standard or Professional) and version (2024 or 2021).
- Install, open Project and enter the 25-character key when prompted.
- Confirm activation using our guide to checking Office activation status, which also works for Project.
The edition and channel in your installer configuration must match the key type. Our guide to Office product IDs for the ODT lists the Project IDs.
Frequently asked questions
Can I still use Project 2021 after October 2026?
Yes. Project 2021 keeps running after its retirement date on 13 October 2026, and your plans and files remain usable. What stops is support: Microsoft no longer releases security fixes, bug fixes or provides technical help, which is a growing risk on PCs connected to the internet.
Can Project 2024 open files from Project 2021 or 2019?
Yes. Recent Project desktop versions, including 2024 and 2021, share the .mpp file format, so plans normally open between them without conversion. When sharing with someone on an older version, test a copy first, because features unique to the newer release may not display in the same way.
Is Planner a full replacement for Project desktop?
Not for every user. Premium Planner adds timelines, dependencies, sprints and workload views, which covers many team projects. Complex schedules with detailed resource levelling, cost tracking, baselines and earned value still tend to suit the Project desktop application, which is why Plan 3 and Plan 5 include it.
Does Project 2024 require a Microsoft 365 subscription?
No. Project 2024 Standard and Professional are one-time purchases that activate with a product key and do not need a Microsoft 365 subscription. Microsoft describes the perpetual licence as not expiring once activated, though support updates end on the retirement date in 2029.
What happened to Project Online data after retirement?
Microsoft advised Project Online customers to back up their data and migrate to Planner or Project Server Subscription Edition before 30 September 2026. Organisations that still hold questions about archived data should contact Microsoft support or their licensing partner, because data handling after retirement follows Microsoft's service terms.