Microsoft has released a new version of its popular Office for Mac productivity suite, featuring an updated Excel app boasting native support for Apple Silicon-based Macs.
Microsoft’s release notes for version 16.57 say Excel is fully supported on devices with Apple Silicon CPUs: Power Query in Excel for Mac is now natively supported on Apple Silicon processors. This means users with an M1, M1 Pro, or M1 Max processor can now run Excel without the need to use the Rosetta 2 translation layer, which means users with mac with those processors can expect improved performance and energy efficiency when working with Excel spreadsheets.
Excel is fully supported on devices with Apple Silicon CPUs: Power Query in Excel for Mac is now natively supported on Apple Silicon processors. If you previously used Rosetta emulator to run Excel, you may now disable it and run Excel natively on your devices.
The latest update applies to Office 2019 for Mac, Office LTSC 2021 for Mac, and Office 2021 for Mac, which are available as a one-time purchase from a retail store or through a volume licensing agreement.
Current users can get the new version via Microsoft AutoUpdate (MAU). To use Microsoft AutoUpdate, start an Office application, such as Word or Excel, and then choose Help -> Check for Updates.
Other apps in the Office productivity suite received a few new features:
Feature updates
Excel
- Import data from local files with Power Query: You can now import data from local Excel workbooks, text and CSV files with Power Query Learn more
See details in blog post- Screen capture protection: Office now prevents screen capture and screen sharing of sensitive documents protected with Microsoft Information Protection policies.
- Excel is fully supported on devices with Apple Silicon CPUs: Power Query in Excel for Mac is now natively supported on Apple Silicon processors. If you previously used Rosetta emulator to run Excel, you may now disable it and run Excel natively on your devices.
Outlook
- File Answers in Mac Outlook: File Answers in Mac Outlook
PowerPoint
- Protect sensitive information: Office now prevents screen capture and screen sharing of sensitive documents protected with Microsoft Information Protection policies.
Word
- Protect sensitive information: Office now prevents screen capture and screen sharing of sensitive documents protected with Microsoft Information Protection policies.
- Get back to work faster when collaborating: When you get disconnected while collaborating with others, Word will automatically refresh your document with the latest changes.
