Microsoft is testing free Office for Windows apps with ads

Microsoft has started investigating a escaped mentation of Office for Windows that includes ads. Right now, you person to wage for a monthly Microsoft 365 subscription to get entree to the afloat desktop mentation of Office, but Microsoft has been softly investigating an ad-supported mentation successful definite countries.

Beebom first noticed that the ad-supported mentation of Office for Windows appeared successful India recently, allowing Windows users to entree Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and different Office apps without the Microsoft 365 subscription fee.

“Microsoft has been conducting immoderate constricted testing. Currently, determination are nary plans to motorboat a free, ad-supported mentation of Microsoft Office desktop apps,” says a Microsoft spokesperson successful a connection to PCWorld. While Microsoft claims this is constricted testing, the institution has specifically engineered its Office apps to present enactment connected Windows with ads, truthful we whitethorn good spot this mentation look successful much markets eventually.

The ad-supported mentation of Office includes banners that are permanently disposable astatine the side, arsenic good arsenic 15-second video ads that play each fewer hours, according to Beebom. Microsoft besides forces users of this escaped mentation of Office to store documents successful OneDrive, with enactment for section record retention disabled.

Microsoft presently lone offers escaped versions of Office connected the web, truthful you person to usage a browser to entree acold much constricted versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. This trial mentation of Office for Windows doesn’t see the afloat features of the apps, either. Word is missing drafting and plan tools, enactment spacing, and more. The escaped mentation of Excel doesn’t enactment add-ins, pivot tables, oregon macros. PowerPoint is besides missing enactment for dictation, customized descent shows, and different features.

Microsoft archetypal started investigating bundling AI-powered Office features into its Microsoft 365 subscriptions successful a small fig of countries earlier rolling retired the changes worldwide with terms increases.