The most useful new features in Office 2024 Professional Plus are dynamic charts and 14 new text and array functions in Excel, Cameo and Recording Studio in PowerPoint, session recovery in Word, and faster search in Outlook. Together they remove workarounds that Office 2021 and 2019 users have relied on for years, without adding a subscription.
The list below is ordered by how much everyday time each feature saves, based on the questions we hear most from customers. Each entry says what it does, where to find it and who benefits.
| # | Feature | App | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 new text and array functions | Excel | Anyone cleaning or reshaping data |
| 2 | Dynamic charts | Excel | Reports that change every week |
| 3 | Faster workbooks | Excel | Large or linked files |
| 4 | IMAGE function | Excel | Product lists and catalogues |
| 5 | Cameo | PowerPoint | Presenting on video calls |
| 6 | Recording Studio | PowerPoint | Training and recorded pitches |
| 7 | Captions for audio and video | PowerPoint | Accessible presentations |
| 8 | Session recovery | Word | Everyone, after a crash |
| 9 | Better search and meeting options | Outlook | Busy inboxes and calendars |
| 10 | Accessibility ribbon and ODF 1.4 | All apps | Shared and public documents |
1. What are the new Excel functions in Office 2024?
Office 2024 adds 14 text and array functions: TEXTBEFORE, TEXTAFTER, TEXTSPLIT, VSTACK, HSTACK, TOROW, TOCOL, WRAPROWS, WRAPCOLS, TAKE, DROP, CHOOSEROWS, CHOOSECOLS and EXPAND. They split, combine and reshape data in a single formula, replacing the long nested formulas that older versions needed.
A practical example: splitting "Surname, First name" into two columns used to need LEFT, MID and FIND wrapped together. Now =TEXTSPLIT(A2,", ") does it. VSTACK is the other standout, because it appends lists from several sheets into one without copy and paste.
2. What are dynamic charts in Excel 2024?
A dynamic chart is a chart built on a dynamic array, so it resizes itself when the underlying results change. If a FILTER or SORT formula returns 12 rows this week and 20 next week, the chart follows along. You no longer edit the chart's data range by hand each time.
This matters most for recurring reports. Build the chart once on top of a formula, and refreshing the data is all that is needed from then on.
3. Is Excel faster in Office 2024?
Yes, according to Microsoft, which reports improved speed and stability when several workbooks are open and recalculating at the same time. The gain is most noticeable with large files, heavy formulas and workbooks that link to each other, where older versions could freeze while one file recalculated.
4. What does the IMAGE function do?
IMAGE places a picture inside a cell from a web address, so the image moves, sorts and filters with its row. For a product list, a stock sheet or a staff directory, that means pictures which stay attached to the right record, unlike floating images that drift out of position.
5. What is Cameo in PowerPoint?
Cameo inserts your live camera feed into a slide as an object. You can resize it, crop it to a shape, and place it beside your content. On a video call, your audience sees you and the slide together in one frame, which holds attention better than a small thumbnail in the corner of a meeting window.
Find it under Insert, then Cameo. It behaves like any other object, so you can apply transitions and position it differently on each slide.
6. What is Recording Studio?
Recording Studio records your presentation with narration, camera, ink and animations, then exports it as a video. It includes a teleprompter view for your notes and lets you retake a single slide without starting again. For training material and recorded pitches, it removes the need for separate screen recording software.
7. Can PowerPoint 2024 add captions to video and audio?
Yes. You can attach closed caption files to video and audio inside a presentation, so viewers can follow without sound. It helps people who are deaf or hard of hearing, and it also helps anyone watching in a quiet office or a noisy one.
8. What is session recovery in Word?
If Word closes unexpectedly, session recovery reopens every document you had open when it restarts, not only the one you were typing in. Earlier versions recovered files one at a time through a side panel, and it was easy to miss one. This is the feature nobody notices until the day they need it.
9. What changed in Outlook 2024?
Search returns more relevant results for messages, attachments, contacts and calendar entries, and there are more options when creating meetings, including automatically shortening them to leave a gap before the next one. For anyone with a crowded calendar, that small setting adds up over a week.
10. What are the accessibility ribbon and ODF 1.4 support?
The accessibility ribbon puts the tools for checking contrast, alt text and reading order in one place across Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. Office 2024 also supports OpenDocument Format 1.4, which improves compatibility when exchanging files with LibreOffice users and with public bodies that require open formats.
Office 2024 also has a refreshed look across the apps, and Access gains a Dataverse connector. Microsoft lists every change on its page covering what is new in Office 2024 and Office LTSC 2024.
What is not in Office 2024 Pro Plus?
Copilot is not included, and neither is Publisher. Office 2024 is a one-time purchase with a fixed feature set, so AI features stay with Microsoft 365 subscriptions. Publisher is being retired by Microsoft in October 2026. If either is essential to you, read our comparison of Office 2024 Pro Plus vs Office 365 before buying.
Is Office 2024 Pro Plus worth it for these features?
If you use Excel for more than simple lists, or you present regularly, yes. The Excel functions alone save time every week, and the PowerPoint tools replace software you might otherwise pay for. If you mostly write letters in Word, the gains are smaller, and the stronger reason to move is support: Office 2021 leaves Microsoft support on 13 October 2026.
We set the two side by side in Office 2024 Pro Plus vs Office 2021 Pro Plus. When you are ready, the Office 2024 Professional Plus licence is delivered by email, and our guide on how to download and install Office Professional Plus 2024 covers setup.
Frequently asked questions
Which apps are included in Office 2024 Professional Plus?
Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote and Access. Publisher is not part of the volume-licensed Office 2024 release, and Teams is a separate free download. Check the app list on the product page for the specific licence you are buying.
Does Office 2024 have XLOOKUP and dynamic arrays?
Yes. XLOOKUP, LET, FILTER, SORT, UNIQUE and dynamic arrays arrived with Office 2021 and remain in Office 2024. The 2024 release builds on them with the 14 new text and array functions and with dynamic charts.
Will new features be added to Office 2024 later?
No. Office 2024 receives security and quality updates until 9 October 2029 but no new features. Our post on the latest Office 2024 update explains how its updates work.
Do files using the new functions work in older Office versions?
The file opens, but cells using functions that the older version lacks show an error such as #NAME?. If you share workbooks with people on Office 2021 or earlier, avoid the new functions in those files or paste the results as values before sending.
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