Before buying Office, check exactly what is already installed on your computer. Seeing the Word icon or remembering “I think it is Office 2021” is not enough for a good comparison.
This takes only a few minutes and gives you the product name, edition, generation, version and 32-bit or 64-bit architecture.
What you will check
By the end, write down:
- full Office product name;
- year or generation;
- edition, when shown;
- version and build;
- 32-bit or 64-bit architecture;
- operating system;
- whether Visio or Project is also installed.
You do not need any extra tools.
Step 1: open Word or Excel
Open Word or Excel from the Start menu. The document itself does not matter; you only need the application information.
If several Office apps are installed, Word is usually the quickest one to check.
Step 2: open File and Account
Inside Word or Excel:
- select File;
- open Account or Office Account;
- find the product information area.
You should see a name such as Microsoft 365, Office Home & Business 2024, Office Professional Plus 2021, or another edition.
Write down the full name. “Professional Plus” without the year still leaves out important information.
Step 3: check version and 32/64-bit architecture
From the same screen, open About Word or About Excel.
The dialog normally shows:
- version number;
- build;
- 32-bit or 64-bit architecture.
Architecture matters when combining Office with other products in the same family. A 32-bit Office installation should not be mixed blindly with 64-bit components, and vice versa.
Step 4: distinguish Microsoft 365 from year-based editions
If the product name shows Microsoft 365, you are looking at a time-based Microsoft 365 family.
If it shows Office 2024, Office 2021, Office 2019, or another year, you are looking at a specific Office generation.
Do not rely only on the look of Word or Excel. Different generations can look very similar after updates.
Step 5: check Visio and Project separately
Visio and Project are separate products. If either is installed on the same computer, open it and check File → Account too.
Write down its year and edition. That helps identify combinations worth reviewing before installing another Office generation.
Which screenshots are useful
For support or product comparison, two screenshots are usually enough:
- File → Account;
- About Word or About Excel.
Before sending them:
- hide your email if you prefer;
- do not expose a full product key;
- never send passwords;
- avoid showing personal documents in the background.
Sovengrid does not need your password to identify the version shown on your computer.
Common mistakes when checking the installation
Assuming 64-bit Windows means 64-bit Office
Not necessarily. A 64-bit Windows computer can have 32-bit Office installed. Check the architecture inside About Word or About Excel.
Writing down only “Professional Plus”
The edition does not identify the generation. Office Professional Plus 2019, 2021 and 2024 are different products.
Checking only Word when Visio or Project is installed
If they are present, check their information too. Generation and architecture can matter when products are combined.
Buying first and checking later
Identify the current environment first. That reduces the chance of choosing a variant that does not fit what is already installed.
Final result: the information you should have
Your notes might look like this:
- Product: Office Professional Plus 2021
- System: Windows
- Architecture: 64-bit
- Visio: not installed
- Project: Project Professional 2021
- Devices needed: 1
- Priority: keep the same generation / move to a newer one
That is enough to compare options without guessing.
What to do next
With your current installation identified, read the related Sovengrid Blog comparison to decide between Microsoft 365, Office 2024 and Office 2021.
Then open the exact store variant and check devices, activation method, delivery, reinstall behavior and the support shown on the product page.