Differences between Microsoft Office Versions

Within each application, Office 2010 has improved functionality in many areas. When the 2007 Microsoft Office system was released, a significant difference from Office 2003 was the introduction of the ribbon in the user interface (UI) for Microsoft Office Access 2007, Microsoft Office Excel 2007, Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007, Microsoft Office Word 2007, and parts of Microsoft Office Outlook 2007. The UI changed from a collection of menus and toolbars to a single ribbon mechanism. The Office 2010 suites maintain the ribbon and have some new features.
The ribbon is now available across all products of the Office 2010 suites so moving from one application to another is seamless. In addition to changes in the ribbon, the Office 2010 suites background is now a gray color, by default, whereas the 2007 Office system background was blue.
The following table describes the differences in UI elements between Office 2010, the 2007 Office system, and Office 2003.

 

UI element	Office 2010	Office 2007	Office 2003
Menus and tabs	The ribbon replaces menus and toolbars across all Products of Office 2010 and can be fully customized.	The ribbon replaces menus and toolbars in Access 2007, Office Excel 2007, PowerPoint 2007, Word 2007, and parts of Outlook 2007.	Menus and toolbars only are available.
Task panes	Groups of commands on the ribbon and the ability to customize.	Groups of commands on the ribbon and the ability to customize.	Basic task pane.
Quick Access Toolbar (QAT)	Fully customizable.	Introduced in 2007.	Not available.
Backstage view	More tools outside the document viewing window.	Limited tools that can be accessed through the Microsoft Office Button.	Limited tools on the File menu
Digital signatures	Found in the Backstage view under Information about Document / Protect Document.	Formatted with XMLDSig, found under File / Finalize Document / Signatures.	Found under Tools / Options / Security / Digital Signatures
Smart Art	Improved from the 2007 version.	Design tools available in all Microsoft Office applications.	Not available.
Open Formats (*.odt) OpenDocument Text	Included in this version.	Added in 2007 Office system Service Pack 2 (SP2).	Not available.
Windows Live Writer integration	Blog posting options available in the application.	Not available.	Not available.
Spelling checker	The spelling checker is now integrated with automatic correction.	Basic spelling checker.	Basic spelling checker.
Paste Preview	A live preview before you commit to Paste. Avoids having to use the Undo button.	Paste, Undo, Paste.	Basic Paste capabilities.
Print	The Backstage combines Print with Print Preview, Page Layout and other print options.	Microsoft Office Button, Print with limited printing tools spread across several commands.	Basic Print option on the File menu.
Sparklines	A miniature chart inserted into text or embedded in a spreadsheet cell to summarize data.	Dynamic charts and chart types.	Three-dimensional (3-D) charting.
E-mail Essentials	Conversation, Cleanup, Ignore Thread, and Mail Tips for when a person is out of the office or if e-mail is sent to a group.	Not available.	Not available.
Photo editing tools	Available in these applications: (Word 2010, Excel 2010, PowerPoint 2010, Outlook 2010, and Microsoft Publisher 2010).	Limited functionality.	Limited functionality.
Video in Microsoft PowerPoint	Video triggers and controls.	Not available.	Not available.

For more information, see Office 2010 suites.
Reference:www.microsoft.com