Office 2021's collaboration features bring the perpetual version of the software suite up to Office 365 standards.
The days of buying software are coming to an end. Paying monthly fees for access is becoming more common. Since launching Office 365 back in 2011, Microsoft has been one of the leaders of this transition from perpetual licensing to subscription-based licensing.
Though many miss the simplicity of paying for software once and owning it forever, Office 365 has earned many fans since its release. This is largely due to the collaborative features of the subscription-based software suite. The connected nature of O365 apps makes it easy for users to co-author documents, review each other’s content, and collaborate on projects online – invaluable abilities in modern classrooms and workplaces.
However, this kind of online collaboration does not require an Office 365 subscription. There are still perpetual versions of Office out there, and all since Office 2016 have included some collaborative features. And with Office 2021 – the latest perpetual version of the software suite – collaboration is easier and more effective than ever.
Here are three features of Office 2021 aimed at improving collaboration.
Real-Time Co-Authoring
Real-time co-authoring is exactly what it sounds like. With Office 2021, if you upload a document to a cloud-based repository (think Sharepoint or OneDrive), you can then invite others to view and edit the document together, in real time.
Co-authoring has been included in perpetual versions of Office since Office 2016. Initially, though, only select apps supported it (e.g. Word). With Office 2021, users can co-author Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, and Excel spreadsheets, bringing it in line with the level of collaboration possible in Office 365.
Co-Author Visibility
Part of the real-time co-authoring capabilities described above is the ability to see not only who is viewing your document but where they are in the document at any given time.
In the top-right corner of any document that’s been shared for co-authoring, you’ll see icons representing each other person who currently has the document open. By clicking on a co-author’s icon, you’ll jump straight to the exact line, slide, or cell that person is reviewing at the moment. This makes it easy to view edits to your work as they’re being made.
Comment Tagging
The feature described above allow you to view edits to your documents as they’re being made – but there’s no need to follow along within a document to get real-time updates on your editors’ feedback. With Office 2021, you’ll know whenever a co-author leaves feedback in one of your documents.
Placing a comment in a Word doc, Excel spreadsheet, or PowerPoint presentation triggers an email notification to the document’s creator. Replying to a comment triggers a notification to whoever left the comment; tagging someone in a comment triggers a notification to that person. As long as you keep an eye on your inbox, you’ll always know when a co-author or editor has made a comment or asked a question that applies to you.
None of the features covered here are new, of course. Office 365 users have enjoyed these collaborative capabilities for years. The takeaway is that these features are not unique to Office 365 and don’t require a subscription. For those who’d rather own a copy of Office than subscribe to it, Office 2021 makes it possible without sacrificing online collaboration.
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Want Office 2021 at no cost? Find out if your school offers the software free to students. Search for your school.