Hot: Microsoft suddenly launches free version of Office

Microsoft has quietly introduced a new version of Microsoft Office for Windows, allowing users to create and edit documents for free without subscribing to Microsoft 365 or purchasing an Office license. However, this version has some limited features and comes with advertising.

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There are some limitations with the free Office apps.

According to Beebom, this free version of Office is based on the full desktop applications, but most of the advanced features are only available to users who have a Microsoft 365 subscription. When using the free version, users will see ads constantly displayed on the screen in applications such as Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. Notably, this version only allows saving documents to OneDrive, not supporting local storage.

To access the free version of Office, users simply bypass the sign-in prompt when they first open the application. They can then choose to use Office for free with the condition that they accept ads and limited features. In this mode, users can open, view, and edit documents just like they would in the web version of Office.

However, limited features include no access to add-ons, dictation functionality, advanced formatting, designer, smartart, and more. This free version is primarily designed for basic writing and editing.

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Currently, it appears that the free version of Office is still in limited testing, as some users are unable to bypass the sign-in prompt when running Office on a test machine. It's possible that Microsoft is testing this version in specific regions or with a small group of users.

So far, the company has not officially announced this free version of Office, nor has it acknowledged its existence in support documents. Users can expect more information from Microsoft in the coming days or weeks.

Marvin Fry

Update 27 February 2025