Office 2024 is sold as a one-time purchase, which means you pay a single, up-front cost to get Office apps for use on one computer. One-time purchases are available for both PCs and Macs. However, there are no upgrade options, which means if you plan to upgrade to the next major release, you'll have to buy it at full price.  

Microsoft 365 Personal and Microsoft 365 Family are subscriptions that include powerful productivity apps and creativity tools with AI-powered features. In addition to premium desktop versions of popular Microsoft 365 apps like Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook, you also get spacious cloud storage and cloud-connected features that let you collaborate on files in real time. With a subscription, you'll always have the latest features, fixes, and security updates along with ongoing tech support at no extra cost. You can choose to pay for your subscription on a monthly or yearly basis, and use your apps on multiple PCs, Macs, tablets, and phones. Additionally, the Microsoft 365 Family plan lets you share your subscription with up to five more people. Everyone gets their own apps and storage. (AI features are only available to the subscription owner; usage limits apply.)  

Internet access is required to install and activate all the latest releases of apps and services included in all Microsoft 365 subscription plans. Note that if you are an existing subscriber, you do not need to reinstall or purchase another subscription.

For Microsoft 365 plans, Internet access is also needed to manage your subscription account, for example to install Office apps on other PCs or to change billing options. Internet access is also required to access documents stored on OneDrive, unless you install the OneDrive desktop app.

You should also connect to the Internet regularly to keep your version of Microsoft 365 up to date and to benefit from automatic upgrades. If you do not connect to the Internet at least every 31 days, your apps will go into reduced functionality mode, which means that you can view or print your documents but cannot edit the documents or create new ones. To reactivate your apps, simply reconnect to the Internet.

You do not need to be connected to the Internet to use the Office apps, such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, because the apps are fully installed on your computer.

Your Microsoft account is the combination of an email address and password that you use to sign in to services like OneDrive, Xbox LIVE, and Outlook.com. If you use any of these services, you already have a Microsoft account that you can use or you can create a new account. 

As part of signing up for a trial or purchasing Microsoft 365, you will be prompted to sign in with a Microsoft account. You must be signed in with this account to install and manage your Microsoft 365 subscription, or to use some subscription benefits, including cloud storage.