Microsoft announced that Office Long Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) for Windows and Office 2021 for Mac are now available in commercial preview ahead of an expected late 2021 launch.

“The next perpetual version of Office for commercial customers is built specifically for organizations running regulated devices that cannot accept feature updates for years at a time, process control devices that are not connected to the internet in manufacturing facilities, and specialty systems that must stay locked in time and require a long-term servicing channel,” the Microsoft 365 team explains in the announcement post. “Office LTSC will provide the familiar productivity tools you have experienced with Office 2019, now with faster performance and expanded accessibility.”

Microsoft previously announced its plans for Office 2021 in February, when it noted that it would be supported for five years and offer customers that need such a thing with a way to make traditional one-time Office purchases. It also said that it would not raise the price when compared to Office 2019.

This week, Microsoft is explaining, again, these standalone versions of Office will offer a subset of the new functionality available to Microsoft 365 subscribers and that it will be deployed exclusively via Click-to-Run, just like Office 2019.

Commercial previews for SharePoint and Project Server will be available in the coming months. But those interested in testing the Office LTSC and Office 2021 for Mac previews today can visit the Microsoft Docs website to learn more.

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