One Office app to rule them all.
Highlights:
- Microsoft launches new Office app for Windows 10
- It's available in the Microsoft Store
- It will soon be part of Windows 10 by default
You’ll easily be forgiven for not being able to keep track of the number of versions Microsoft Office is available in because there really are quite a few and their names can be confusing. In an attempt to clear some of that confusion, Microsoft has launched a new app for Windows 10 called, quite simply, Office. Originally beta-tested as part of a Windows 10 Insider build in December 2018, the new Office app is now available in the Microsoft Store for download free of cost.
The new Office app replaces the previous ‘My Office’ app in the Microsoft Store, which basically provided shortcuts to recently opened Office files and links to install Office 365 applications along with a way to send feedback. It came pre-installed with Windows 10 and appeared in the Start menu by default. To make full use of the old app, one had to have a Microsoft Office 365 subscription. The new Office app comes with some important improvements though.
About eight years ago, Microsoft had made online web apps of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote in an effort to take on the likes of Google’s Docs, Sheets, and Slides. Like Google’s offerings, the web apps were free, and could be used even if one didn’t have an Office 365 subscription. Now called Office Online, these web apps resemble their full-fledged Office 365 counterparts but provide only core features of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote for as long as the user is connected to the internet.
Microsoft has finally decided to promote these web apps to users who might be in need of them. So, the new Office app provides links to Office Online in case the user does not have Office apps installed on their computer. This shortcut should come in handy for users who don’t have a subscription to Office 365 but need to open a Microsoft Office file. The new Office is app is expected to become a part of Windows 10 by default eventually. But if you’re looking for it right now, here’s where you can find it.
Related Read: Windows 7 support to end in a year, Microsoft says
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Vignesh Giridharan
Progressively identifies more with the term ‘legacy device’ as time marches on. View Full Profile
