Microsoft Office product key: get lifetime Mac or Windows access for $29.99
Save big and avoid subscriptions with the lifetime version of Microsoft Office
➡️ The Shortcut Skinny: Buy once, Excel forever
💰 Save big on a Microsoft Office key, both for Windows and Mac
📠 Includes up to 8 tried-and-true office productivity apps
❌ Lifetime license is for one computer, and won’t get future updates
⏳ 30 days to redeem or return the digital code
Microsoft Office key discount for Mac and PC
Microsoft may have switched to offering its Microsoft Office suite of products as a subscription long ago, but has been slyly offering the software license since then as a buy-once-use-forever package, though with a catch: you won’t get updates or access to new features. If you’re good with that, I’m here to tell you that (inhale) Microsoft Office Home & Business for Mac 2021 and Microsoft Office Pro 2021 for Windows are frequently up for grabs at StackSocial at massive discounts.
Prices range, but as of this writing, it’s definitely on the low end for these packages at $29.99. Unless I miss my math, that’s a far sight better than the $439.99 Microsoft charges for the PC version of Office Pro 2021 or the $249.99 Office Home & Business 2021 for Mac.
What do you lose when you buy this version versus the subscription? As I said above, you won’t get software updates, but you also won’t be entitled to a working version of the app if an update to your operating system breaks the old one – this software is a lot like the old days when buying a program meant whatever was on the CD or floppy disk set was what you got, bugs and all.
It can also potentially be a pain if you switch computers but leave the app associated with the other one, as you can’t use the product key on a new computer until it’s disassociated with your old Mac.
Caveats aside, here’s what you get with each of those licenses.
Microsoft Office Pro 2021 for Windows
Professional apps for Windows
Windows users picking up Microsoft Office Pro 2021 will get Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams and OneNote. That’s everything you need to create documents, keep track of inventory or contacts, stay in touch with your personal and professional associations, conduct video interviews, present pitches and proposals and take notes. Office 2021 Professional adds Publisher and Access for crafting layouts to publish and manage databases.
Most importantly though, you’ll save the $69.99 yearly cost of Microsoft 365 Personal, which gives you access on up to five devices like tablets, other computers and phone, but not everyone needs or wants to pay for all of that, making this a fantastic deal for a simpler office setup.
PC users will need Windows 10 at minimum, as well as 4GB of available storage.
Microsoft Office Home & Business 2021 for Mac
The whole package for the freelance work-from-home professional
Microsoft Office Home & Business 2021 for Mac is a more basic package that includes everything from the Professional edition of Office 2021 minus Publisher and Access – two advanced apps that simply don’t suit most home offices. Home & Office, then, is more suitable for keeping track of finances or staying in touch with contacts, particularly if you’re moving over to Mac from PC and prefer the familiarity of Office over Apple’s own office programs or using Google’s less-fully-featured office suite. But for those times when you need them, Word, PowerPoint, Teams and OneNote are there to give you a professional solution when it’s needed.
Office Home & Business 2021 is compatible with the most recent three versions of Mac OS – that is, MacOS Monterrey, Big Sur, and Catalina.