Microsoft has quietly released a free Office suite with limited features

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.

There’s a catch, though. This free edition comes with advertisements that remain visible while you work on your documents. Additionally, users are restricted to saving files exclusively in OneDrive. It doesn't expose any option to work with local files.

The functionality of these applications is also pared down significantly. Advanced tools such as add-ons, dictation, sophisticated formatting options, SmartArt, and other traditional reach format features are inaccessible in this version. Essentially, the free version is tailored for basic document creation and editing tasks. For those seeking more robust functionality, a subscription remains necessary.

Consider it as a ad-supported WordPad alternative with extra apps.

To use this version of the Office suite, users must follow the initial sign-in prompt when launching Word, Excel, or PowerPoint after installation. Doing so presents an option to proceed with the free, feature-limited version.

While this mode allows users to open, view, and edit documents similar to the online version of Office, it lacks many of the advanced capabilities found in the paid editions.

It appears that this free version is currently being tested on a limited scale. During testing, it was not possible to skip the sign-in screen on all devices, suggesting that Microsoft might be rolling out this feature only in specific regions or to a select group of users as part of A/B testing. As of now, there has been no official confirmation from Microsoft regarding this initiative. Users interested in trying it out may need to wait until Microsoft expands the rollout or makes an official announcement.

Source: WindowsCentral, BeeBom