Microsoft might release a free tier Office version with ads in the future. According to Beebom (via The Verge), the company started testing this possibility for Windows PCs. At this moment, the Redmond firm isn’t publicly promoting this bundle, even though it acknowledged the test after the media started talking about the possibility of an ad-supported Microsoft Office plan.
“Microsoft has been conducting some limited testing. Currently, there are no plans to launch a free, ad-supported version of Microsoft Office desktop apps,” said a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to PCWorld.
As spotted by Beebom, once Windows users download the official Microsoft Office bundle from the company’s website and then try to open one of the apps, they can now click “Skip Now” when offered a chance to subscribe.
With that, they can start using Microsoft Office apps with ads. In addition, the free version does not offer some important features. For example, documents can only be saved on OneDrive, not directly to your PC. The publication also listed some missing Microsoft Office features on the ad-supported version.
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Microsoft Word doesn’t offer Dictate, Add-ins, bookmarks, columns, draw and design tools, and so on. For Excel, users can’t use Conditional Formatting, Pivot Tables, Themes, Macros, custom view, or Workbook Statistics. Microsoft PowerPoint doesn’t let you Format the Background, Show media controls, use drawings and animations, record tools, or take screenshots.
Microsoft may change what’s included and what’s not, depending on whether it decides to release Microsoft Office with ads to users. It’s also unclear if the company might release the same offering for Mac devices. At this moment, you can only access this free tier with a Windows PC or using a virtual machine.
BGR will let you know if Microsoft launches this new Office offering. Currently, users can subscribe to Microsoft 365 Personal for as cheap as $6.99 monthly or $69.99 a year. Prices and plans might change depending on your needs.
