Compare Lync for Mac 2011 with Communicator for Mac and Lync 2010 for Windows
Office for Mac 2011 will reach end of support on October 10, 2017. To stay supported, you will need to upgrade. For more information, see these resources.
Applies to: Office for Mac 2011
Topic Last Modified: 2015-03-09
The following table compares the features that are available in Lync for Mac with Communicator for Mac and Lync for Windows.
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| Unified user interface | Lync for Mac | Communicator for Mac | Lync for Windows |
|---|---|---|---|
See photos of contacts for quick identification. |
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Get easy access to presence, instant messaging, voice, audio, video, and online meeting. |
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See and monitor the meeting roster for participants who are having difficulty with audio, video, or sharing connections during online meetings. |
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Join, accept, decline, or redirect the meeting invites, audio/video calls and instant messages right from the invite alerts. |
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Communicate from within Outlook, Word, or PowerPoint. |
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Communicate from within SharePoint. |
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| Rich presence and instant messaging | Lync for Mac | Communicator for Mac | Lync for Windows |
|---|---|---|---|
Send instant messages. |
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Display published phone numbers, job titles, and office information all on contact cards. |
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Set presence status manually or automatically based on calendar, login status, and more. |
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Specify access levels for sharing information with different contacts. |
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Connect with people outside the organization with public instant-messaging connectivity (PIC), such as AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), Yahoo!, and Windows Live Messenger. |
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| Enterprise Voice | Lync for Mac | Communicator for Mac | Lync for Windows |
|---|---|---|---|
Place a call from the Lync/Communicator contact card. |
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Receive call notifications on the computer. |
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Configure call forwarding in Lync/Communicator. |
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Access voice mail from Lync/ Communicator. |
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Use the Lync/Communicator dial pad to call external numbers. |
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Add outside phone numbers to your Contact List. |
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| Audio, video, and web conferencing | Lync for Mac | Communicator for Mac | Lync for Windows |
|---|---|---|---|
Connect using audio calls. |
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Connect using video calls. |
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Make audio and video calls to your Windows Live Messenger contacts. |
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Schedule conferences in Outlook. |
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Start an impromptu online meeting, with the click of a mouse. |
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Join conferences scheduled from Outlook. |
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Join an audio conference call using a regular mobile, desk, or home phone. |
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| Desktop and file sharing | Lync for Mac | Communicator for Mac | Lync for Windows |
|---|---|---|---|
Share your desktop with other contacts. |
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Add audio and video to the desktop sharing session and see participants from around the world at their desks. |
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Join and control a PowerPoint presentation initiated from a Windows desktop. |
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Initiate a PowerPoint sharing session from Lync/Communicator. |
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Collaborate with rich white boarding, including the ability to copy and paste images and other content, annotations, and polling. |
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Conduct polling. |
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Upload files to share with meeting participants. |
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