The Windows version of Microsoft Office has actually always been the gold standard for office suites, as far as functions are worried. Office exists on other platforms too, like the Mac– however those versions are missing out on some products and functions.

Microsoft just recently revealed a big update to Office 2016 for Mac. Take a look at that link for a breakdown of updates, but the big stuff includes bringing some long past due features to the macOS version, like collective real-time modifying, automatic saving of files stored in the cloud, and Google Calendar and Contacts assistance in Outlook (lastly). That stated, there are still functions (and whole apps) that you might lose out on if you’re dealing with the Mac variation.

If you’re switching in between Windows and Mac (perhaps utilizing one at the workplace and one in your home), or maybe thinking about moving from Windows to Mac, it’s worth comparing the readily available functions in the 2 variations. The huge question is do you require to install Windows on your Mac utilizing Boot Camp or Parallels so that you can run the Windows variation of Office, or can you manage with simply buying the Mac variation (or, much better, utilizing one of the installations that comes with your Office 365 membership)?

What Products Are Missing from the Microsoft Office Mac Suite?

Microsoft sells Office for Windows in various editions. Almost all editions come with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. Depending on the edition you purchase, you may likewise get apps like Outlook, Publisher, and Access.

If you’re utilizing a Mac, however, there are couple of Office apps (and Office-related apps) that you simply can’t get:

And while we’re on the subject, there are also a couple of greater end “Office-adjacent” apps that aren’t available on macOS:

If you truly require any of the particular apps we’ve noted here, you’re going to require run Windows and the Windows version of Office.

What Features Are Missing from the Mac Versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote?

So what about the core Office apps that are readily available on the Mac? While there are a number of extremely small features missing out on (things that impacts extremely couple of individuals), most of the functions you discover in the Windows versions are present in the macOS variations. Here are the main things you’ll miss out on, though.

There are a number of relatively big features that, while not missing out on entirely from the Office suite for Mac, are not quite up to their Windows counterparts:

There are, obviously, some other missing suite-wide functions, however they actually relate to setups that belong to a company network. For instance, roaming (the capability to utilize Office on different computers and have your setup follow you) is not available for macOS. However, if your system becomes part of a company network, these things have likely been considered beforehand.

Secret features of Word that are missing out on from the macOS variation consist of:

Fortunately, the variation in between the Windows and Mac variations of Excel are minimal. Both variations support all the significant functions. Here are a couple things to note, though:

These are some quite “power user” features, so it’s likely you will not miss them much.

The Windows and Mac variations of PowerPoint are also mostly in parity. That said, there is one function worth keeping in mind that’s missing on the macOS side of things: video and animation triggers. These triggers let you make an animation impact start playing when you click the object being animated, or instantly at the start of an audio or video clip.

Keep in mind that the Mac version does include all the exact same animations, and does let you activate animations with a basic click or by setting a timer. It just does not consist of the sophisticated triggers that the Windows version does.

The majority of the Outlook includes missing out on from the Mac variation have to do with innovative functions you see when connected to an Exchange server. These include things like access to public calendars, circulation lists, retention and compliance features, invoice tracking, and various social features like voting buttons.

There are likewise a couple of other missing out on features worth noting:

That isn’t a great deal of missing out on functions (unless you’re part of an Exchange-based organization), however how essential they are depends on you. And, as we pointed out in the past, the most recent update to Office 2016 for macOS now brings assistance for Google Calendar and Contacts– a pretty huge missing feature for great deals of individuals.

The basic performance of OneNote exists in both the Windows and Mac versions (and, in the mobile variations, for that matter), however there are still a couple of differences:

If you’re not utilizing any of these functions, then you ‘d be fine using the Mac version of OneNote.

As you can see from our lists, the features mainly missing on the Mac side of things are little, rarely-used features or genuine “power user” features mainly used in office settings. If you don’t require those features, and you do not require the couple of apps missing out on from macOS (and we think that uses to over 90% of our readers), you’re probably great going with the Mac version of Office 2016 or Office 365. And it sure beats jumping through hoops to get the Windows variation running on your Mac!