We’ll be updating that story for Word 2021 soon, but in the meantime, check out “ What’s new in Office 2021?”) Use the Ribbon (If you’re using the perpetual-license Word 2016 or 2019, see our separate Word 20 cheat sheet. We’ll periodically update this story as new features roll out.

This cheat sheet gets you up to speed on the features that have been introduced in Microsoft 365’s Word for Windows desktop client since 2015. For more details, see our comparison of the two Office models.

When you purchase a perpetual version of the suite - say, Office 2019 or Office 2021 - its applications will never get new features, whereas apps in the “365” subscriptions are continually updated with new features. Microsoft sells Office under two models: Individuals and businesses can pay for the software license up front and own it forever (what the company calls the “perpetual” version of the suite), or they can purchase a Microsoft 365 or Office 365 subscription, which means they have access to the software for only as long as they keep paying the subscription fee.

Nearly everyone who uses Office ends up using Word at some point, whether it be for writing memos, typing up agendas, creating reports, crafting business correspondence or any of a thousand other uses. Word has always been the workhorse app of the Microsoft Office suite.

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