Office 365 for the Mac has these requirements:
- Operating System: Mac OS X version 10.10 or later.
- Computer & Processor: Intel processor.
- Memory: 4 GB RAM or higher.
- Disk Space: 6 GB or higher. Requires HFS+ hard disk format (also known as Mac OS Extended or HFS Plus).
- Monitor Resolution: 1280 x 800.
Wizard for Mac is a superb alternative to Access on Mac that makes it incredibly easy to create databases and analyze data on a Mac. Wizard can import Microsoft Access MDB files along with DBF, Excel XLS/XLSX, Apple Numbers, RData/RDS, JSON, SQLite and text files. A recent surge of worthy new email clients offers Mac users some of the best choices they’ve ever had for managing their mail. With a panoply of clever features and new ideas, these contenders.
Office for the Mac has never included Access, the database in the Windows version, or Ink. However, FileMaker Pro is an excellent alternative in terms of databases on the Macs. Microsoft Project has not ever been included with the Mac version. Note: all these titles are available if you run the Windows version of Office.
For those without those requirements there are numerous options out there:
Office 2011 has known issues with 14.5.5 and earlier versions and 10.11 El Capitan, and 14.5.6 was released to address them and 14.5.7 is already available.
For Mac OS X 10.7 and later, Microsoft Office 2008 (the installers that come with it may not be compatible, but most files can be dragged and dropped) and 2011 are compatible from http://www.microsoft.com/macand it has its own forums at:
Earlier versions of Microsoft Office will not work natively with Mac OS X 10.7 or later (Lion, Mountain Lion, Mavericks, or Yosemite),
that includes v.X and 2004 even though they might have worked with prior versions of Mac OS X. If you need to read newer Office documents,
see the alternatives below to upgrading to Office 2008 or 2011 to see if they might be cheaper or are able to fill the need. If migrating from PowerPC to Intel Mac, you should also be aware of this tip: https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-2295
Note: Very few Office documents may require Office for Windows due to specific macros, or DirectX additions. If you get something that is unreadable, it either is due to that, or a version of Office newer than what you have.
Here are the most commonly referenced alternatives to Microsoft Office.
http://www.apple.com/support/mac-apps/ - lists Numbers, Pages, and Keynote as alternatives to Excel, Word, and Powerpoint.
http://www.openoffice.org/ - open source
http://www.libreoffice.org/- open source, and also includes support for Publisher.
http://www.neooffice.org/- open source
Word processing only:
Apple TextEdit (prebundled with Mac OS X) - yes it can open Word files, though formatting may be seriously hampered for all except the most simple documents.
Spreadsheet only:
Visio:
And Online:
Installing Windows on your Mac:
For Macs prior to July 20, 2011, Appleworks was also an alternative, though this tip had to be created to help people to migrate:
The https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6841 link mentioned on tip 2522
can also help those who have older versions of Microsoft Office for Mac OS X.
Microsoft Access has never been written for Mac OS, though Filemaker Pro has been around for a long time. People migrating from Windows
will be glad to know there is a tool to get Access to Filemaker Pro format before moving to Mac OS X:
The new Mac operating system offers more than a name change. MacOS Sierra version 10.12 moves Apple's desktop OS closer to its mobile counterpart, gaining Siri, Apple Pay, and more.
Pros
Apple's digital assistant moves in: Siri, the iOS personal digital assistant, is available in Sierra. Ask for help by clicking Siri's icon in the Mac menu bar, tapping its Dock icon, or using a keyboard shortcut. Calling on Siri brings up a window with a waveform and a query asking what you need help with. Unfortunately, saying 'Hey, Siri,' does not work. The digital assistant works on Sierra much as it does on iOS, responding to your queries and helping you perform tasks.
Closer ties to iCloud: With iCloud Desktop and Documents, iCloud will sync the files and folders you've stored on your desktop and in your Documents folder across your Mac and iOS devices. You can also have iCloud take on some of your storage needs by moving photos and documents off your local Mac and into the cloud. Likewise, you can store seldom-used files and iTunes movies and TV shows on iCloud.
Unlock with Apple Watch: With an authenticated Apple Watch on your wrist and Auto Unlock, you can wake up a locked Mac and log in to it from up to three feet away.
Apple Pay for Sierra: Apple Pay, the company's mobile payment and digital wallet service, is now available in Sierra. With Safari, tap the Apple Pay button on a supporting e-commerce site and authorize your purchase on your iPhone or Apple Watch.
Messages: In iOS 10 the Messages update is huge; in Sierra, not so much. Still, Mac users get some of the improvements. For example, you can view some of the new iOS 10 chat features in Sierra, such as animations and Invisible Ink, but you can't create them. You can preview webpages, however, and watch YouTube videos in Messages.
Photos 2.0: With Sierra, Apple continues to move its photo-editing app forward with new editing tools and the ability to find and display photos in context. The Light tool, for example, can now make area-specific adjustments in an image. And -- hooray! -- you can edit Live Photos with Photos' editing tools. Photos also has a Memories tool that collects and presents images around an event.
iTunes: Apple Music gets a new look in Sierra. The For You section, for example, does a better job displaying recommended albums and playlists. And with Radio you now can more easily find and listen to Beats 1 and music-only stations.
Mail Program For Mac
Tabs in apps: Borrowing an idea from Web browsers, Sierra lets you use tabs in Apple-built apps -- including Maps, Mail, and Keynote -- as well as supported third-party apps.
It's free: Since Apple OS X Mavericks in the fall of 2013, the company has made its OS free, and Sierra follows the trend.
Free Mail Program For Mac
Generous system requirements: Sierra runs on a broad range of Macs, going back to some 2009 models: iMacs and MacBooks from late 2009 and later; and MacBook Airs, the MacBook Pros, Mac Minis, and Mac Pros from 2010 and later.
Cons
iCloud limitations: Apple mainly sees the cloud as an individual service. You can share photos and videos with friends and family and collaborate with others on iWork documents in iCloud. But if you want broad sharing and collaboration tools, such as those offered by Dropbox or Google Drive, iCloud comes up short.
Bottom Line
MacOS Sierra is another solid update to Apple's desktop OS. While it can at times feel like the Mac gets the hand-me-downs from iOS -- Siri, finally, and a limited version of Messages -- the additions are welcome and makes MacOS an even better companion in your Apple device neighborhood.