Microsoft is testing an ad-supported free version of Office and Microsoft 365 Copilot for Windows that includes advertisements. Although the full desktop version of Office is currently only available with a monthly Microsoft 365 subscription, Microsoft has been covertly testing an ad-supported version in certain nations. Usually, only users who have purchased a Microsoft 365 subscription may access these apps. Nevertheless, a free version with fewer functionality and advertisements is now available to select customers. Only Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are available at this tier at the moment from the Redmond, Washington-based IT giant. According to a rumour, the business is merely testing this new tier in a few areas and has no plans to launch it.
On Monday, employees of Gadgets 360 saw this free, ad-supported version of Microsoft 365 on their workstations. When a user selects the “Buy Microsoft 365” button that is situated above the Office applications, the plan is displayed. This often launches a pop-up window with the various subscription plans shown. But right now, the free tier is shown with the statement, “Try Microsoft 365 for free.”
Typically, users may still read documents via apps after their Office license expires, but they are unable to modify or create new documents without a subscription. However, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are now available for free on the free tier. Users will see advertisements, get access to restricted capabilities in certain applications, and receive 5G of cloud storage powered by OneDrive, according to the pop-up.
The ad-supported tier of Office for Windows, which enables Windows users to use Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other Office applications without paying for a Microsoft 365 subscription was initially brought to Beebom’s attention, has an unremovable, constant ad banner on the right side of the app screen. Furthermore, it has been stated that Microsoft plays a muted 15-second video advertisement every few hours.
According to the article, customers may only use cloud storage with the free tier and are not permitted to save documents locally. It is also claimed that several sophisticated capabilities, such installing add-ins, inserting watermarks, and data analysis, are grayed out in the free tier.
Microsoft has been carrying out a little amount of testing. “A free, ad-supported version of Microsoft Office desktop apps is not currently planned,” a Microsoft representative told PCWorld in a statement. India looks like it might be included in this little testing area. We don’t presently know about other regions. Microsoft has expressly designed its Office applications to now run on Windows with advertisements, so even if the firm says this is restricted testing, we could ultimately see this version reach additional areas.
You must use a browser to access significantly more limited versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint since Microsoft only offers free versions of Office on the web at this time. Additionally, the full functionality of the applications is not available in this preview version of Office for Windows. Word lacks line spacing, drawing and design tools, and other features. Add-ins, pivot tables, and macros are not supported in the free edition of Excel. Additionally, dictation, bespoke slide displays, and other capabilities are not supported by PowerPoint.
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