Skip to content Skip to site navigation Skip to service navigation

Which Version of Office Should I Use?

Stanford provides a number of options for getting Microsoft Office.

Help me choose Office for Windows

I want to: Office  365 Pro Plus*
Install Office on any computer
Your Microsoft 365 account lets you install Office on up to 5 PCs or Macs, 5 tablets, and 5 smartphones
Recommended
Download Microsoft 365 ProPlus 

Help me choose Office for Mac

I want to: Microsoft 365 Pro Plus
Use OS X 10.12 or later Recommended
Use OS X 10.10 and 10.11* Not appropriate
Download Office  365 ProPlus
*Microsoft 365 provides access to its apps in the browser, including Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. See How to Access Office Online and OneDrive.
  •  =  Recommended

More information

For Windows users

  • Microsoft 365 Pro Plus is not compatible with the Windows installer versions of Visio 2016 and Project 2016 that are available from Essential Stanford Software. See Office installed using Click-to-Run and Windows Installer on same computer isn't supported for more information. (Click-to-run is the technology used to install Microsoft 365 Pro Plus; Windows Installer  technology (MSI) is the technology used to install Visio 2016 and Project 2016.)
  • Microsoft 365 Pro Plus is fully compatible with Project 2019 Professional and Viso 2019 Professional, available on Essential Stanford Software.  Click-to-Run technology is used to install Project 2019 and Visio 2019.
  • Make sure all versions of Office, Visio, and Project  are either 32-bit or 64-bit. You can’t have a mix of both. (Essential Stanford Software distributes the 32-bit version of all.)
  • See Microsoft Office Resources for information about activating Microsoft Office Professional Plus.