Reviews

Microsoft Office for Mac Preview

A new Office for Mac, but is it worth upgrading to?

10 Apr 2015

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Streamlined Ribbon in Word, Excel and PowerPoint; improved performance and reliability for Outlook

Few new features for Word and PowerPoint; may only run on Yosemite

Is It Worth Upgrading?

Upgrades to Microsoft Office normally arrive trailing a long list of new features for each of its core applications, but the 2016 edition of Office for Mac focuses primarily on its more streamlined interface in order to improve productivity and ease of use. That's not a bad move, though, particularly given the criticisms that were made of the previous version of Office for the Mac. There are few entirely new features that make the new Office for Mac an essential upgrade, but its improved look and feel will be welcomed by Mac users who need to share Office documents with their Windows colleagues.

Verdict

There’s nothing that makes this a ‘must-have’ update, but the interface overhaul that has been given to the Ribbon makes the new Office for Mac feel less cumbersome and should speed up many routine tasks.