Launch of free, ad-supported version of Office apps for Windows

 Microsoft’s free, ad-supported Office version for Windows with limited functionality         

Office for Windows is getting a free, ad-supported tier which lets you create and edit documents, but has limited features and only lets you save to OneDrive. This new version of Office apparently allows you to edit and create Office documents for free, unlike the web version. If you’ve messed around with Microsoft’s “free” Office web app, you’ve quickly discovered that it stinks, for one important reason: You can’t actually create documents. A new, free, ad-supported local version of Office changes all that, according to a report.

Microsoft has quietly launched a new version of Microsoft Office for Windows which 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. The ad-supported version is a test, a Microsoft representative said Monday afternoon. “Microsoft has been conducting some limited testing,” the representative said in an email. “Currently, there are no plans to launch a free, ad-supported version of Microsoft Office desktop apps”. 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. If a new report from Beebom is accurate, this new version of Office basically takes many of the basic features and makes them available for free. The one catch is a minor one, You’ll need to save your created document to OneDrive, but you’re then free to re-download it like any other file. Some of the more advanced features are excluded, too. 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.

Microsoft is simply referring to the new service as the “free” version of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint as reported, noting that it’s ad-supported. Since you’re forced to save documents to OneDrive, you’ll need to enter or create a Microsoft account to do so, which isn’t the worst compromise. However, this new version of Office runs on your local PC, not the web. The free version of Office includes a persistent ad banner. 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. It’s worth noting that Microsoft has yet to confirm this new ad-supported Office option. 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. 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 ability to access the free, ad-supported Office should show up automatically: If you download the Office apps from Microsoft’s website, you should be presented with an option to sign in. At the bottom of the login box, however, a second, new option should appear: “Skip for now.” That should bring up the screen where the “ad-supported, free” option of Office should appear. Alternatively, of course, you can sign up for Microsoft 365 instead as a paid option, or use the free web version of the Office apps instead. 

Microsoft still isn’t giving away the farm for free, however. there are still many features that the ad-supported version leaves out. Of course, many of those are AI-based, something that you might not want, anyway. At least you can actually create documents, however. Word appears to be the most convenient to use, though the ad-supported version excludes all of the design and drawing tools. There are two features that Microsoft annoyingly chose to leave out, line spacing and the ability to wrap text around inline images. Excel and PowerPoint look even more handicapped. One of the convenient things about Excel is its ability to analyse data and perform pivot tables and pivot charts; those have both been excluded. Themes, colours, fonts and effects are gone as well, along with macros. Conveniences in PowerPoint like Designer and SmartArt, plus screen recording and animation tools are gone, too. You can see a list of all features that Microsoft excluded.

A persistent web ad remains to the right-hand of your screen at all times, and a brief video plays every few hours or so. 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 near future. It all feels like Microsoft acknowledging that free alternatives to Microsoft Office and Microsoft 365 exist, but Microsoft would like to hook you on the traditional Office apps instead.