Is Microsoft Office for Mac the same as Windows?

[applefan289]

I would just like to know if Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac would have the same format as Office 2010 for Windows.

If I learn the program on a Mac, will I have any difficulties in the future if I ever have to use it on Windows?

 

[MacDawg]

No they are not technically the same (not exactly)
They are very compatible in format
But the user interface is somewhat different

That said, you should have no trouble moving back and forth between them

 

[cantthinkofone]

I used both heavily for a 8 week college class this past spring. Office 2010 for Windows and Office 2011 for OS X are fairly similar. The user interface is different and will take some time to orientate too. You may find yourself searching for a tab or tool in one while on the other system you may have no issue finding it. I preferred Office on Windows to be honest. All of the advanced and basic features are easy to find. Office 2011 is very basic visually.

 

[notjustjay]

They are similar, but there are differences. Some features available in the Wndows version of Word (such as booklet printing) are not available in the Mac version. But by and large they are similar enough that if you know how to work one, you will be able to figure out the other very quickly.

 

[6Chyk]

Help

I too am new to Mac. I love my Ipad and Iphone and have had my MacBook for 2 days now. My problem is that my whole life has been Windows and still is so finding product that will interact between the two isn't necessarily easy.

Due to the price of Office, I have been looking into Numbers for the spreadsheet abilities, but reviews STINK. I also wonder if when a document is saved on a thumb drive, if I can edit it at work on Windows, and then again at home on Mac... can anyone answer this question? And can anyone offer an alternative to Numbers for non-complex spreadsheet capabilities?

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

 

[pdjudd]

There is no way to edit Numbers Files on a PC - and there is no feature parity to Excel - the two are in no way comparable and with a program like Excel, you need to think about compatibility since Excel can be so complicated.

If compatibility with files is a concern (and with Excel it probably will be) and you are going to be trading off between platforms, you are going to need Office - it's just an investment that you have to make. iWork is not a replacement if you need Office.

 

[jahala]

No

The Mac version is not the same as the Windows version. My favorite functionality in the Windows version of Word is the ability to protect the file against formatting changes. This restricts the formatting to predefined styles and is very useful to preserve the visual integrity of a document. The Mac version (2011) can work with both protected and unprotected documents but does not allow you to turn on/off the protection. It is really too bad because locking down the formatting prevents so many problems.