The Ultimate Guide to Microsoft Office

Microsoft Office is an Office suite for inter-related desktop applications, servers, and web services for Windows and Mac OS X users. Some products include Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, and many more…

Microsoft Office was first introduced on January 23, 1985, and the products contained in the Suite were Microsoft Office Word, Excel, and Office PowerPoint. Features like Spell-checker, OLE Objects, Microsoft Visual Basic product scripting languages, etc., were added. The latest Microsoft Office for Windows OS release is Office 2013, released in October 2012, and for Mac OS X Office 2011, released in October 2010.

Microsoft Office products:

Microsoft products for Office Suite are categorized into three main components. The components and the products are listed below.

Core Applications:

• Microsoft Word: It is a word processor program used for preparing documents. Earlier versions used the proprietary DOC format to save the documents. From Word 2007 version, a new format called .DOCX was introduced that could use the XML-based Microsoft Office-optimized format. Word is available for both Windows and Mac OS X platforms.
• Microsoft Excel: It is a spreadsheet program used for maintaining records. It includes calculation, pivot tables, graphing tools, and a macro programming language. It comes in separate editions for both Windows and Mac OS X.
• Microsoft PowerPoint: It is a presentation program that can be used for creating slideshows, composing text, and inserting pictures, graphics, and other objects. It is mainly used in business enterprises for presenting their product details to others. It is available for both Windows and Mac OS X.
• Microsoft Outlook: It is a personal information manager and email-communication software organizations use as an inbound email client for managing their mail and other Outlook attributes like calendars, notes, tasks, etc.
• Microsoft OneNote: OneNote is a note-taking application. That allows Microsoft users to save all their important notes, research, plans, Tips and tricks, and other important information in one place.
• Microsoft OneDrive: Microsoft OneDrive is a cloud storage service developed by Microsoft. This service allows users to store important files, folders, and documents on the cloud, which can be accessed from any device.
• Microsoft Teams: Microsoft Teams is a unified and collaborative platform where teams can chat, share files, call, and integrate various applications into a single workspace.
• Other Desktop Applications (Only for Windows): Microsoft Access, Microsoft Project, Publisher, Visio, etc.

NOTE: If you have deleted or lost your MS Office files, read this page and learn how to recover Microsoft Office files.

Server Applications:

• Microsoft SharePoint server: Is a collaboration server and web application platform. It features many services like Excel Services, InfoPath Form services, Microsoft Search Server, and Microsoft Project Server.
• Microsoft Lync Server: It is an enterprise real-time communications server that provides a frame for instant messaging, ad hoc, audio and video conferencing, etc.

Note: Microsoft Teams replaced Microsoft Lync Server in 2016.

• Microsoft Exchange Server: It is a calendaring and mail server.
• Microsoft Skype For Business Server: This is a real-time communications server for instant messaging and video-conferencing.

Web Services:

• Office Web Apps: Web-based applications for Office applications to view, edit, and create documents.
• Microsoft Update: Service provided by Microsoft to provide updates for Windows OS and other Microsoft products, including Internet Explorer.
• Microsoft Office 365: This subscription-based service allows access to various services and products of the Microsoft Office platform in addition to cloud-based services.
• Microsoft Sway: Microsoft Sway allows users to create interactive websites, newsletters, and presentations. It is a part of Microsoft Office.
• Microsoft Delve: Microsoft Delve is a discovery tool that helps users find and organize the most relevant information across Microsoft 365.
• Microsoft Forms: Microsoft Forms is an online web-based survey creator. Part of the Microsoft 365 suite and available for desktops, mobiles, and other web devices. This tool lets users create surveys, polls, and quizzes and share them with other users.
• Microsoft To Do: Microsoft To Do is a part of Microsoft Office, or what is now known as the Microsoft 365 suite. This tool lets you create a list, prioritize tasks, share tasks with other users, and sync tasks across other devices.
• Microsoft Outlook.com: Microsoft Outlook.com is a free web-based personal calendar and email service.
• Microsoft Outlook on the web: Also known as Microsoft Outlook Web App (OWA). This web-based version of the Microsoft Outlook email client allows users to access their Outlook email, calendar, contacts, and tasks from a web browser. Outlook on the web is available to users of Microsoft Exchange Server, Microsoft 365, and Outlook.com.
• Microsoft Planner: Microsoft Planner is a web-based task management application designed for teams. Microsoft users use this tool to create plans, assign and monitor tasks, and let users see the team’s progress.
• Microsoft Stream: Microsoft Stream is a video platform available for premium users of Microsoft 365. This utility allows its subscribers to upload, manage, and share videos with others. It also provides a variety of features such as video trimming, adding captions, and analytics to help users to create and publish high-quality videos.
• Microsoft Bookings: Microsoft Bookings is an appointment booking and management tool. This tool lets businesses create an appointment booking page where customers can book, reschedule, or cancel appointments online.

List of All Microsoft Office Versions Ever Released

As and when newer technologies were introduced, Microsoft Office came up with new and updated versions to be compatible with the latest technology.

Office Versions for Windows:

Office Versions for Mac