6 Ways to Find Your Microsoft Office Product Version

Microsoft Office apps include Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Access, Publisher and OneNote. These are the must have apps for many PC users whether for personal or professional purposes. However, the problem comes when you want to get help as these apps have different product versions. In this article, we will explain different ways to find your Microsoft Office product version details. Also, check out how to find Windows and macOS versions, if you want to use operating system details together with Office product version.

Microsoft Office Product Versions

Before finding the product version, you should understand different business models of Microsoft for selling Office products. Earlier Microsoft was selling these app independently like Word, Excel or PowerPoint. However, the latest Microsoft 365 (renamed from Office 365) is a subscription-based service that comes with a package. It includes all Office apps and OneDrive cloud storage which you can get for paying a yearly fee.

Another point is that you can also purchase the subscription from Apple stores and use the app by logging into your Microsoft account. Though you can install the apps up to 5 devices simultaneously under personal subscription (like Mac, iPhone, Windows, Android), the renewal needs to be done only through Apple store and cannot be renewed from your Microsoft account.

So, when you refer product information, it indicates the following details:

• License – like Microsoft 365 or Word 2021
• Version – like 2206
• Build – number like 15330.20266 Click-to-Run
• Belongs to – product owner’s Microsoft account
• Purchased from – Apple store or Microsoft store

Find Office Product Version

Overall, you can find the product information of Office apps like Word 2021, Microsoft 365 Subscription or Microsoft Word for Mac. This is generally referred as license information. However, each app like Word, Excel or Outlook had its own version number which will be helpful to find relevant product support and help. Follow the below instructions to find the product and version information of Office products you use.

1. Check Version When Starting an Office App

The easiest way is to open any Office app and find its products details. Whenever you launch an Office app, you will see a startup dialog initializing the app. You can find the product license is showing in the startup dialog. For example, the below screenshot shows “Microsoft 365” on top left corner of the startup dialog while launching the Excel app.

2. Find Product Version from App

When you open apps like Word, Excel or PowerPoint, you will see a backstage view. From here, you can select “Account” menu to see the product details.

If you are not seeing the backstage view like in Outlook, or if you are already viewing a document or email, then go to “File” menu and select “Account” option (the menu may show “Office Account” in Outlook). On the right pane under “Product Information”, you can find the details of your license like “Subscription Product – Microsoft 365”. It will also show the product belong to which Microsoft account holder. You can click on “Change License” button to upgrade your Office version from here.

Microsoft 365 is the license detail and if you want to know the product version, then check beside the “About App” box. It should be “About Word” or “About Excel” depending upon the app Office app you have opened.

The product version will show something like “Version 2206 (Build 15330.20266 Click-to-Run) along with the channel like “Current Channel”. You can also click on the “About Word” button to open a dialog box which will show the product license and version details.

Remember, product license, version and build details are common at Office package level and hence same for all Office apps. Therefore, you can check these details from any of the installed Office apps on your computer.

3. Get Information from Office User Info Meu

The next option is useful when you have logged into your Microsoft account while using the Office apps. Simply click on the username showing on the title bar and select “Office user info” menu. This will take you to the same account information page as explained above (accessible through File > Account menu).

4. Find Details from Installed Apps

If you just wanted to find the product license information like “Microsoft 365”, then it is easy to find it from the installed app section.

• Right-click on Windows Start menu icon and select “Settings” option to open Windows Settings app.
• Navigate to “Apps” section and type “word” or “365” or some relevant keyword in the “App list” text box. This will filter the app installation packages which will show you the complete details of license, version and build number.

As you can see, the list will show the product details of all language packs of Office apps installed on your computer.

5. Check Your Microsoft Account

The above options will be not useful when you want to find product details on a fresh PC before new installation. In addition, the above methods will not show if you have purchased the product for Apple store or Microsoft store. In fact, we have a Microsoft 365 purchased from Mac App Store and you cannot find this detail in any of the above screenshots as they are taken from Windows PC. To find this detail, login to your Microsoft account from any PC or mobile and go to “Services & subscriptions” menu.

As you can see in the below screenshot, it shows the Office license as “Microsoft 365 Personal” along with a hint as “Purchased from Apple”.

You can click on “Manage” link to open Office website to manage your documents online. Similarly, click on “Install premium Office apps….” option to find the list of devices currently you have installed Office apps.

6. Office Product Information in Mac

If you are using Office apps on Mac, open any Office app like Word. Go to “Word > About Microsoft Word” menu to open a dialog box. Here you can find all details of your Office product like version, license and the product belong to which Microsoft account.

Final Words

It is important to understand which Office product and version you are using to make use of their features. For example, the old spelling & grammar checker is now available as Editor which you can install as a separate add-on for Word. This can easily confuse you if you are trying to refer Microsoft 365 documents and compare it with your Word 2021 product. This is the same situation with Mac and Windows versions that you cannot use some of the function available in Word or Excel Windows versions in Word or Excel for Mac versions. Therefore, make sure to understand which Office product you are using and update the product if required to get the latest features.