Microsoft Quietly Launched a Free Ad-Supported Office Desktop App



 Beebom:

Did you know that Microsoft officially offers the desktop version of Microsoft Office (rebranded as Microsoft 365 Copilot after Microsoft 365) for free? And no, I am not talking about the web version of Office. In a significant move, Microsoft has quietly introduced an ad-supported version of the desktop Office app, allowing users to access MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint without paying any subscription fee.

Previously, you could only view documents once your Office license expired, but now, you can edit and create Office documents as well. Having said that, there are some caveats to this free desktop version of Microsoft Office. So, let’s explore the limitations and learn how to download the official Microsoft Office app for free.

Limitations of Free Microsoft Office Desktop App​

First and foremost, the free desktop version of Microsoft Office is ad-supported, and it’s available on Windows only. Strangely, Microsoft has not officially documented this ad-supported tier of Office anywhere on its support pages. The last time the company considered introducing an ad-supported version of MS Office was back in 2009.

ad-supported-free-microsoft-office-user-interface.jpg


So, what does this ad-supported tier mean for users? Well, in all three apps, Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, you will see a persistent ad banner on the right side. You can’t remove it unless you buy the premium subscription. Moreover, a 15-second video ad will play (muted) in the Office app every few hours.


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Microsoft quietly launches free, ad-supported version of Office apps for Windows with limited functionality​

News
By Zac Bowden
published 9 hours ago
Office for Windows is getting a free, ad-supported tier that lets you create and edit documents, but has limited features and only lets you save to OneDrive.
Microsoft Word logo in Windows 11 Search.

(Image credit: Windows Central)

Microsoft has quietly launched a new version of Microsoft Office for Windows that can be used to edit documents for free, no Microsoft 365 subscription or Office license key required. This free version of Office is based on the full desktop apps, but has most features locked behind the Microsoft 365 subscription.

First spotted by Beebom, the free version of Office for Windows includes ads that are permanently on screen when within a document in Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. Additionally, this new free version of Office also only allows you to save files to OneDrive, meaning no support for editing local files.

To access the free version of Office, just skip the prompt to sign-in when you first run an Office app. From there, you will be given the choice to continue to use Office for free in exchange for ads and limited features. In this mode, you can open, view, and even edit documents, just like you can with the web version of Office.



Office Word with Ads.



The free version of Office includes a persistent ad banner. (Image credit: Beebom)
Limited features include no access to add-ins, dictation, advanced formatting, designer, smartart, and more. The free versions of these apps are literally just designed for basic writing and editing of Office documents. If you want to take advantage of more advanced features in Office, you’ll still need to subscribe.


Unfortunately, it looks like this free version of Office is still in limited testing, as we were unable to skip the sign-in prompt when running Office on our test machines. It’s possible that Microsoft is currently only testing this version of Office in specific regions, or is A/B testing it with a small group of people first.

The company hasn’t officially announced this version of Office yet, nor does it acknowledge its existence in support documents. Perhaps we’ll hear more about this new free version of Office from Microsoft in the coming days or weeks.


 

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Saving only to One Drive?

What percentage of the world-wide users of Office would be interested, considering that limitation?

7?


77?
 

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Saving only to One Drive?

What percentage of the world-wide users of Office would be interested, considering that limitation?
I wouldn't scoff. The original selling point for OneDrive (or SkyDrive) was to solve the problem of document sharing. Back in the W7 days, users would share docs by e-mailing them to each, and in the process destroy their mailbox quotas by hitting a limit on the size of sent or received messages.

MS pioneered the option of sending someone a private link to a shared folder or file, instead of having to send the real file around.

When O365 first appeared, this was an integrated feature from the start.
 

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I wouldn't scoff. The original selling point for OneDrive (or SkyDrive) was to solve the problem of document sharing. Back in the W7 days, users would share docs by e-mailing them to each, and in the process destroy their mailbox quotas by hitting a limit on the size of sent or received messages.

MS pioneered the option of sending someone a private link to a shared folder or file, instead of having to send the real file around.

When O365 first appeared, this was an integrated feature from the start.
yup. And it's not like you couldnt download those files to your computer anyway, just like google drive office apps.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Built
    CPU
    Ryzen 7 5700 X3D
    Motherboard
    MSI MPG B550 GAMING PLUS
    Memory
    64 GB DDR4 3600mhz Gskill Ripjaws V
    Graphics Card(s)
    RTX 4070 Super , 12GB VRAM Asus EVO Overclock
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Gigabyte M27Q (rev. 2.0) 2560 x 1440 @ 170hz HDR
    Hard Drives
    2TB Samsung nvme ssd
    2TB XPG nvme ssd
    PSU
    CORSAIR RMx SHIFT Series™ RM750x 80 PLUS Gold Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
    Case
    CORSAIR 3500X ARGB Mid-Tower ATX PC Case – Black
    Cooling
    ID-COOLING FROSTFLOW X 240 CPU Water Cooler
    Internet Speed
    900mbps DOWN, 100mbps UP
  • Operating System
    Chrome OS
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Chromebook
    CPU
    Intel Pentium Quad Core
    Memory
    4GB LPDDR4
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14 Inch HD SVA anti glare micro edge display
    Hard Drives
    64 GB emmc

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