Quick answer: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote exist on both platforms and open the same files. The Windows version still does more: Access, Project and Visio are Windows-only desktop apps, Excel for Windows has Power Pivot and the fuller Power Query, and COM add-ins and ActiveX controls only run on Windows. For everyday documents, both work well.
Written by the Softkeyworld technical team · Updated October 2026
Microsoft has spent years bringing Office for Mac closer to its Windows counterpart, and for most people writing documents, building spreadsheets and presenting slides, the gap is now small. But "small" isn't "none". The differences that remain are concentrated in exactly the places that matter to finance teams, analysts, developers and anyone running macros built on a Windows PC a decade ago.
This guide compares Office 2024 and Microsoft 365 on macOS and Windows: which apps you get, how licensing works across platforms, and the app-by-app differences that matter when a Mac user and a Windows user share the same files.
Key takeaways
- Office Home 2024 and Office Home & Business 2024 are sold for "PC or Mac": one licence, one device, your choice of platform.
- Professional Plus 2024, Access, Project and Visio are Windows-only.
- Excel on Mac lacks Power Pivot and the Data Model and supports fewer Power Query sources.
- VBA works on Mac, but ActiveX controls, COM add-ins and Windows API calls don't.
Which Office apps are available on Mac and Windows?
| App | Windows | Mac | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Word | Yes | Yes | Near feature parity for writing and layout |
| Excel | Yes | Yes | Biggest gap: data modelling and automation |
| PowerPoint | Yes | Yes | Very close; watch fonts and embedded media |
| Outlook | Yes | Yes | Different archive formats (.pst vs .olm) |
| OneNote | Yes | Yes | Free on both; notebooks sync via OneDrive |
| Access | Yes (Pro Plus, Microsoft 365) | No | Windows-only database app |
| Publisher | Older versions only | No | Retired by Microsoft in October 2026; not in Office 2024 |
| Project and Visio (desktop) | Yes | No | Mac users need web versions or a Windows VM |
Microsoft's Office 2024 and Office LTSC 2024 FAQ confirms that Access remains Windows-only and that Publisher is excluded from the 2024 release because of its retirement.
Licensing: can one licence cover both platforms?
This is where buyers most often get caught out, so it's worth being precise.
- Office Home 2024 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote) and Office Home & Business 2024 (adds Outlook and commercial-use rights) are sold for PC or Mac. You redeem the key to your Microsoft account and install on one device, Windows or macOS. It isn't one PC and one Mac.
- Office Professional Plus 2024 is a Windows product. There's no Mac edition of Pro Plus; the Mac equivalent for organisations is the volume-licensed Office LTSC Standard for Mac 2024.
- Microsoft 365 subscriptions let you install on Windows, Mac, tablets and phones simultaneously (up to five signed-in devices per user on most plans), which is the simplest option for households and teams with mixed hardware.
If you're weighing perpetual against subscription for a mixed-platform setup, our comparison of Office 2024 vs Microsoft 365 sets out the trade-offs fairly. For Windows-only buyers deciding between editions, see Office Home & Business 2024 vs Professional Plus 2024.
Excel: the biggest difference
For formulas, charts, PivotTables, conditional formatting and dynamic arrays, Excel for Mac matches Windows closely. Newer functions such as XLOOKUP, LET and the text and array functions added in Office 2024 work on both. The gaps appear in business intelligence and automation:
| Excel capability | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Power Pivot and the Data Model | Yes | No; Data Model workbooks open but can't be edited |
| Power Query | Full editor, wide range of connectors | Available but with fewer data sources |
| VBA macros | Yes | Yes, with limits (no ActiveX, no Windows API) |
| COM and .xll add-ins | Yes | No; Office web add-ins only |
| Analysis ToolPak and Solver | Yes | Yes |
| Keyboard-driven workflow | Ribbon key tips with Alt | No Alt key tips; Command shortcuts instead |
The practical consequence: if your finance team builds models with Power Pivot, or relies on an accounting package's Excel add-in, those users need Windows. In support we regularly see Mac users open a colleague's dashboard and find slicers and data connections greyed out; the file isn't broken, the features simply aren't there. Running Windows Excel in a virtual machine on the Mac is the usual workaround on Apple silicon.
Macros and automation
VBA is supported in Word, Excel and PowerPoint for Mac, so many simple macros run unchanged. Problems arise when code:
- Uses ActiveX controls (common on older Excel forms). These don't exist on Mac; use Form controls instead.
- Calls Windows API functions through
Declarestatements, or usesCreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")and other Windows COM objects. - Hard-codes Windows paths like
C:\Reports\. macOS paths use forward slashes, and Office for Mac is sandboxed, so macros may prompt for permission to access folders. - Automates Outlook from Excel. Outlook for Mac doesn't expose the same object model to VBA.
If you write code for both, test with #If Mac Then conditional compilation and use Application.PathSeparator instead of hard-coded backslashes. For new automation that must work across platforms, Office Scripts in Microsoft 365 is a more portable option.
Word and PowerPoint: mostly about fonts and add-ins
Word and PowerPoint documents move between platforms reliably, and core features such as styles, tracked changes, comments, mail merge, references and Designer are on both. When layouts shift, fonts are nearly always the reason. Office installs its own core fonts on both platforms, but Windows system fonts such as Segoe UI aren't present on a Mac, and some Mac system fonts aren't on Windows. Word substitutes silently, line breaks move, and a 20-page report becomes 21.
To avoid it, standardise on fonts that ship with Office (such as Aptos, Calibri, Arial or Times New Roman), or embed fonts in PowerPoint via PowerPoint > Preferences > Save on Mac or File > Options > Save on Windows. For documents that must look identical everywhere, send a PDF.
Third-party add-ins are the other difference. Reference managers, e-signature tools and document-management integrations often ship a richer Windows COM add-in and a lighter web add-in for Mac, so check vendor support before migrating a team. File recovery behaves differently too: on a Mac, AutoRecovery files live in the app's container folder rather than in AppData, which we explain in our guide to recovering an unsaved Word document.
Outlook: different data files
Both platforms handle Microsoft 365, Exchange, Outlook.com, Gmail and IMAP accounts well. The difference is local archives. Outlook for Windows uses .pst files; Outlook for Mac exports to .olm. Mac Outlook can import a .pst, but Windows Outlook can't open an .olm. If you're moving from Mac to Windows with locally archived mail, plan the migration through an Exchange or Microsoft 365 mailbox rather than files. Shared calendars, delegation and add-ins work on both but are generally more complete on Windows, especially in large Exchange environments. Both platforms are also moving to Microsoft's redesigned "new Outlook", so menus and some options may look different from older screenshots and training material; check which version you're running before following a guide step by step.
Installation, updates and system requirements
| Item | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows 10 or 11 | The three most recent macOS versions |
| Processor | x64 or Arm, 1.1 GHz 2-core minimum | Intel or Apple silicon |
| Memory and disk | 4 GB RAM, 4 GB disk | 4 GB RAM, 10 GB disk |
| Update mechanism | Click-to-Run, File > Account > Update Options | Microsoft AutoUpdate (Help > Check for Updates) |
| Office 2024 support ends | 9 October 2029 | 9 October 2029 |
Requirements are taken from Microsoft's Office system requirements. The macOS rule matters more than people expect: because Microsoft supports only the three most recent macOS releases, an older Mac that can't upgrade macOS will eventually stop receiving Office updates, and a new Office install may refuse to run on it at all. Check your macOS version under Apple menu > About This Mac before buying.
Installation is similar on both: redeem the key to your Microsoft account, download from your account page and sign in to activate. Our Office Home & Business 2024 installation guide walks through the process.
Interface and shortcut differences
Office for Mac follows macOS conventions, which is good for Mac natives but disorienting for people switching from Windows. The differences we field most questions about:
- Command replaces Ctrl for most shortcuts (Command + S, Command + C), but not all. In Excel, editing a cell is Control + U on Mac, while F2 needs the fn key on most Mac keyboards.
- Options live in Preferences. What Windows calls File > Options is Word > Preferences (or Settings) on Mac, in the app menu next to the Apple logo.
- No Backstage view in the same form. Account, version and update information sits under the app menu and the Help menu rather than File > Account.
-
Absolute references: toggling
$A$1is F4 on Windows and Command + T on Mac.
None of this affects files, but it does affect productivity for the first few weeks, so budget for it when moving a team between platforms.
Running Windows Office on a Mac
If you prefer Mac hardware but need Access, Visio, Project or Power Pivot, virtualisation is the realistic route. On Apple silicon Macs, Microsoft supports running Windows 11 Arm in Parallels Desktop, and the Windows versions of Office run well inside it. Bear in mind that you'll need a Windows licence for the virtual machine as well as a Windows Office licence, and Boot Camp isn't available on Apple silicon. For occasional use, the browser versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint are another option, though they have fewer features than either desktop version.
Which should you choose?
- Mac is fine for writing, presentations, email, general spreadsheets and teams that share files through OneDrive or SharePoint.
- Choose Windows if you need Access databases, Power Pivot, heavy VBA with forms, COM add-ins from accounting or industry software, or desktop Project and Visio, such as Visio 2024 Professional.
- Mixed teams work well if you agree common fonts, avoid Windows-only Excel features in shared workbooks, and keep macros simple or cross-platform.
Frequently asked questions
Is Office for Mac the same as Office for Windows?
Not quite. The core apps and file formats are the same, but Windows has extra apps (Access, Project, Visio) and more advanced Excel and automation features.
Can I use one Office 2024 key on both a PC and a Mac?
Office Home and Home & Business 2024 licences cover one device, which can be either a PC or a Mac. To use Office on both at the same time you need two licences or a Microsoft 365 subscription.
Is there Office Professional Plus 2024 for Mac?
No. Professional Plus is Windows-only. Mac users choose Office Home or Home & Business 2024, or Microsoft 365.
Do Excel macros work on a Mac?
Many do. Macros using ActiveX controls, Windows API calls, Windows file paths or Outlook automation need rewriting or won't run.
Can I get Access or Visio on a Mac?
Not as native desktop apps. Options are Visio in a web browser with an eligible subscription, or running Windows in a virtual machine on the Mac.
Will documents look the same on Mac and Windows?
Usually, if both sides have the same fonts. Stick to fonts installed with Office, embed fonts in presentations, and use PDF when exact layout matters.
Our recommendation
If you work on a Mac, or might switch between a Mac and a PC in future, Office Home & Business 2024 for PC or Mac is the flexible perpetual choice: Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, with commercial-use rights, on whichever platform you install it. If your work depends on Access, Power Pivot or complex macros, a Windows PC with Office Professional Plus remains the more capable setup.
Get Office Home & Business 2024
Related reading
| Resource | Why read it |
|---|---|
| Office 2024 vs Microsoft 365 | Perpetual or subscription for a mixed Mac and PC household or team |
| Home & Business 2024 vs Professional Plus 2024 | Compare the two main Office 2024 editions |
| Office Home & Business 2024 installation guide | Download, install and activate on Windows or Mac |