Category: Microsoft Office

In a surprise announcement, Microsoft announced that Microsoft 365 (Office) apps for Windows 10 will continue to receive security updates for three years after the operating system’s end of support date. These updates will be available through standard distribution channels and will end on October 10, 2028.

Later this month, Microsoft will be turning off ActiveX controls in the Office apps, for both consumer and customer app versions. By phasing out the aged platform, Microsoft aims to enhance the security and safety of its Office applications, protecting users from potential threats while encouraging the adoption of more modern and secure alternatives. 

Microsoft is reportedly working on new icons for the Office suite, according to a recent email survey distributed to select users. The survey asks for feedback on redesigned icons for apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other Microsoft 365 tools, suggesting a potential shift toward a more dynamic and three-dimensional aesthetic. It appears that the Office lineup is set to receive its first major redesign since 2018, when Microsoft introduced streamlined, flat icons that were in line with modern design trends.

Microsoft has introduced Startup Boost, a feature that preloads Office apps in the background to make them launch faster. It will be available to all users by May 2025 but comes with system requirements (8 GB RAM, 5 GB disk space). While users can disable it, updates will reactivate it unless enterprises use Group Policy to permanently turn it off.

Microsoft is experimenting with a free version of its Office suite for Windows. The new products allows editing documents without needing to buy a license or subscribe to Microsoft 365. However, this isn't the lightweight web-based version of Office. Instead, it includes the classic desktop applications: Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Microsoft Office comes with the Connected Experiences feature that analyzes user-created content. Looks like the Redmond firm is using it now to bind a data set for training artificial intelligence. The unwanted behavior was spotted by the X user nixCraft on X.

Microsoft has announced Office 2024 for consumers and small businesses. The release is classic app suite without the subscription requirements. It is a one-time purchase that includes newest versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Outlook for Windows and macOS.

Office LTSC 2024 is now available. It is a classic version of the app suite that can work offline and doesn't require a subscription for its apps and basic features. Office LTSC 2024 will be supported for five years.

The Redmond software giant is changing how their Office suite handles ActiveX controls. With the launch of Office 2024 in October, ActiveX controls will no longer be enabled by default in the Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Visio apps.

In Word 2019, you can still paste with formatting from other sources, but it now requires a little effort. Word 2019 Build 17624.20000 has changed how the copy & paste feature works by default. With that build and onward, the famous text processor app no longer saves formatting copied from an external source. It now only keeps a limited set of text attributes like bold and italics, in addition to lists and tables.