🆕 Overview for Microsoft Office 2021

Microsoft Office 2021 Upgrade – ICC Overview

Tags: Office 2021, Microsoft, Outlook, Excel, upgrade, local install

Beginning November 2021, ICC began upgrading all campus computers from Microsoft Office 2016 to Office 2021. This upgrade ensures continued access to Microsoft 365 email services and brings several feature enhancements to locally installed Office apps.

❓ Why Is ICC Upgrading to Office 2021?

  • Outlook 2016 has reached end-of-life for Microsoft 365 Exchange services

  • Soon, Outlook 2016 will no longer work with ICC email

  • Office 2021 ensures full compatibility with ICC systems and adds modern features

🆚 Office 2021 vs. Microsoft 365 (Cloud)

Feature Office 2021 (Local) Microsoft 365 (Cloud)
Installed on ICC computers ✅ Yes ❌ No (browser-based only)
Constant feature updates ❌ No ✅ Yes
Real-time collaboration ✅ Limited via OneDrive ✅ Full
Teams integration ✅ Basic version ✅ Full version

💡 Reminder: This upgrade affects only the locally installed version of Office on ICC computers, not your cloud-based Office 365 apps.

🆕 New Features in Office 2021

👥 Collaboration

  • Real-time document editing in Word, Excel, PowerPoint (via OneDrive)

  • Share documents and see live changes

💬 Microsoft Teams (Basic Version)

  • Chat, video calls, and integration inside Office apps

  • Lacks full features like channel search and archiving

🎨 Modern Look & Feel

  • Refreshed interface aligned with Windows 11

  • Rounded corners, neutral palette, and improved visual clarity

📊 App-Specific Enhancements

Excel

  • ✅ XLOOKUP – advanced search within tables

  • ✅ LET, XMATCH, Dynamic Arrays – better calculations and search logic

  • ✅ Performance improvements & updated Draw tab

  • ✅ OpenDocument Format (ODF) 1.3 support

PowerPoint

  • 🎥 Record Slide Show with video, ink, and laser pointer

  • ✏️ Replay Ink Strokes – animations of handwritten annotations

  • ♿ Arrange Elements for Screen Readers

  • ✅ Updated Draw tab, ODF 1.3 support, performance improvements

Outlook

  • 🌍 Built-in Translator for over 70 languages

  • 🔍 Global Instant Search across all folders and accounts

  • ✏️ Ink support for emails

  • ✅ Performance improvements

Word

  • ✅ Updated Draw tab

  • ✅ ODF 1.3 support

  • ✅ Performance boosts for large documents

📞 Need Help or Have Questions?

For upgrade support or questions about Office features, contact:

ICC Service Desk
📧 servicedesk@icc.edu
📞 (309) 694‑5457

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