How to Know your Microsoft Excel Version and What It Can Do for You
Mar 19, 2024
Microsoft Excel is one of the most popular and powerful spreadsheet applications in the world. Whether you use Microsoft Excel for personal or business purposes, you should ensure that you have the most up-to-date version available. Knowing which version of Microsoft Excel, you are using can help you get the most out of it, boost productivity, and avoid compatibility difficulties. In this article, I will take you through how to verify your Excel version in a few simple steps, as well as provide an overview of the various Excel versions and their primary distinctions.
Steps to Check Your Microsoft Excel Version on Windows
1. Open Microsoft Excel on your computer
2. Click on the File tab in the top-left corner of the screen
3. Click on the More option and then Account in the left sidebar.
Under Product Information, you will see the name and version of your Microsoft Excel, such as Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise as seen in the below image, or Microsoft Excel 2019. Beside the “About Excel”, you will see the Build number which is a more specific identifier of your Microsoft Excel version, such as 16.0.14430.20234. Also for those using Microsoft 365, you will “version 2402” as seen in the image below. The first two numbers are the year which is 2024 and the last two numbers are the month which is February as the Microsoft 365 version updates every month. So, if yours is still in 2023, you may want to update it so you can have the latest features.
Overview of the various Microsoft Excel versions and their primary distinctions
Microsoft Excel has been around for about 30 years, and it has evolved significantly over time. Microsoft Excel has many different versions, each with its own set of features, upgrades, and limits. Here's a quick overview of the most frequent Microsoft Excel versions and their primary differences:
Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise: This is the subscription-based version of Microsoft Excel, meaning you pay a monthly or annual fee to use it and receive regular updates and new features. This version of Microsoft Excel includes all of the features found in Microsoft Excel 2019, as well as many new ones, like XLOOKUP, LET, LAMBDA, stock data types, analyze data, and data types gallery. This version of Microsoft Excel also works more seamlessly with other Microsoft products, including OneDrive, Power BI, and Teams.
Microsoft Excel 2019: This is the most recent standalone version of Microsoft Excel, which means you may buy it once and use it indefinitely, without a subscription or updates. Microsoft Excel 2019 introduces new features like funnel charts, maps charts, timeline slicers, text join functions and dynamic arrays. However, it lacks several of the features found in the subscription-based version of Microsoft Excel, including XLOOKUP, LET, LAMBDA, and stock data types.
Microsoft Excel 2016: This is the previous standalone version of Excel, released in 2015. Microsoft Excel 2016 includes capabilities such as 3D maps, forecast sheets, and publishing to Power BI. However, it lacks several of the capabilities found in Microsoft Excel 2019 and Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, including funnel charts, map charts, timeline slicers, text join functions, dynamic arrays, XLOOKUP, LET, LAMBDA, and stock data types.
Microsoft Excel 2013: This is the older standalone version of Microsoft Excel, released in 2013. The following are the features available in Microsoft Excel 2013: Flash fill, quick analysis, and recommended charts. However, it lacks many of the features found in Excel 2016, Excel 2019, and Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, such as 3D maps, forecast sheets, publish to Power BI, funnel charts, map charts, timeline slicers, text join functions, dynamic arrays, XLOOKUP, LET, LAMBDA, and stock data types.
Below is a table that shows the main differences between the different versions of Microsoft Excel:
| Features | Microsoft Excel 2013 | Microsoft Excel 2016 | Microsoft Excel 2019 | Microsft 365 Apps for Enterprise |
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Fill | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||
| Quick Analysis | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||
| Recommended Charts | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||
| 3D Maps | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||
| Forecast Sheets | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||
| Publish to PowerBI | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||||
| Funnel Charts | No | No | Yes | Yes | |||||
| Map Charts | No | No | Yes | Yes | |||||
| Timeline Slicers | No | No | Yes | Yes | |||||
| Text Join Function | No | No | Yes | Yes | |||||
| Dynamic Arrays | No | No | Yes | Yes | |||||
| XLOOKUP | No | No | No | Yes | |||||
| LET | No | No | No | Yes | |||||
| LAMBDA | No | No | No | Yes | |||||
| Stock Data Types | No | No | No | Yes | |||||
| Analyze Data | No | No | No | Yes | |||||
| Data Types Gallery | No | No | No | Yes |
Knowing which version of Microsoft Excel you are using is useful for a variety of reasons. It can help you stay up to date on the latest features, increase your productivity, and avoid compatibility concerns. Checking your Microsoft Excel version on Windows is straightforward and requires only a few steps stated above. You should also be aware of the various Microsoft Excel versions and their primary distinctions so that you can select the optimal version for your requirements. If you need to update your Microsoft Excel version, go to the Microsoft website or contact the Microsoft support team for help.
