世界男子乒乓球最新排名 Microsoft Office is Now Free on Desktop – But With a Catch

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Microsoft has just made a big move—the desktop version of Microsoft Office is now free. Yes, you read that right. You can now use Word, Excel, and PowerPoint on your Windows PC without paying a subscription fee. However, there’s a catch—it’s ad-supported and comes with some feature limitations.

Previously, once your Microsoft Office license expired, you could only view documents. But now, with this new free tier, you can create and edit documents without any payment. That said, let’s go over what this free version offers, its limitations, and how you can try it yourself.

How This Ad-Supported Free Microsoft Office Works

Since this is an ad-supported version, you will see advertisements inside Office apps. Here’s how they work:

A persistent ad banner appears on the right side of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. This cannot be removed unless you subscribe. A 15-second video ad will play (muted) every few hours while you use Office.

These ads are actually non-intrusive but are designed to push users toward the paid version of Office. Also, this version comes with some missing features. For example, it does not support local sing, you can only se files in OneDrive which has 5GB limit. However, after sing, you can open OneDrive and se the file to your PC. Also, there are many missing advanced features like real-time collaboration, add-ins, macros, pivot tables, drawing tools, etc.

If you don’t mind these ads and missing features, the free desktop Office can be a great option for document, excel, or PowerPoint editing.

How to Get the Free Microsoft Office Desktop Version

If you want to try this new free version of Microsoft Office on your Windows PC, follow these steps:

Download the official Office installer from Microsoft’s website. Run the setup file and let it install Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Open any Office app (e.g., Word) and log in with your Microsoft account or you can also choose to Skip for now. On the next page, you will get the option to choose the free or the paid subscription. Click Continue for free. Now you can start editing the document, excel sheet, or PowerPoint for free on a desktop app.

That’s it! You can now use Microsoft Office for free, though with ads and limited features.

Free Ad-Supported Desktop vs Free Web Office Version: Features Comparison

Microsoft already offers a free cloud version of Office at Office.com. Now, with the new free desktop version, users he two free choices. While both versions share many limitations, some restrictions differ between the two. Here’s how they compare:

FeatureFree Desktop Office (Ad-Supported)Free Web Office (Office.com)Ads✅ Yes (Persistent banner & video ads)❌ No AdsOffline Access✅ Yes (Apps run offline)❌ No (Internet required)Sing to Local Drive❌ No (OneDrive-only sing)❌ No (OneDrive-only sing)Sing to OneDrive✅ Yes (Only option ailable)✅ Yes (Only option ailable)Advanced Formatting (Themes, Styles, Fonts)❌ Limited (Basic only)❌ Limited (Basic only)AI Features (Copilot, Smart Lookup, Dictate)❌ No❌ NoReal-Time Collaboration❌ Limited (Basic editing only)✅ Yes (Better real-time editing)Macros & Automation❌ No❌ NoAdd-ins & Plugins❌ No❌ NoMail Merge (Word)❌ No❌ NoPivotTables & Conditional Formatting (Excel)❌ No❌ NoSmartArt, Charts, Power BI (PowerPoint)❌ No❌ NoDraw & Design Tools❌ No❌ NoEquation & Symbol Support❌ No❌ NoCustom Slide Show & Animations (PowerPoint)❌ No❌ NoAdvanced Security (Password Protection, IRM)❌ No❌ NoIntegration with Outlook & Microsoft Services❌ No❌ NoFile Recovery & Version History❌ No❌ NoPerformance (Speed & Responsiveness)✅ Faster (Runs locally)❌ Slower (Depends on internet speed)Shortcut Key Support✅ Yes❌ LimitedUI Customization (Ribbon, Quick Access Toolbar)❌ No❌ NoDictate❌ No❌ NoLine spacing, Shading, Borders❌ No❌ NoCover Page, Tables, Shapes, Icons, SmartArt, Chart, Online Videos❌ No❌ NoBookmark, Cross-reference, Header, Footer❌ No❌ NoText Box, Quick Parts, WordArt, Signature Line❌ No❌ NoDate & Time, Object, Equation, and Symbol❌ No❌ NoColumns, Line Numbers, Hyphenation, Wrap Text❌ No❌ NoPosition, Align, Bring Forward/Backward❌ No❌ NoAll References and Mailing tools❌ No❌ NoAnalyze Data, Fill (Excel)❌ No❌ NoRecommended Charts, PivotChart, Line, Column, Win/Loss❌ No❌ NoSlicer, Timeline (Excel)❌ No❌ NoBreaks, Background, Print Titles (Excel)❌ No❌ NoDefined Names, Formula Auditing, Watch Window❌ No❌ NoMacros, Custom Views, Workbook Statistics (Excel)❌ No❌ NoScreenshot, Photo Album, Cameo (PowerPoint)❌ No❌ NoDate and Time, Slide Number, Object (PowerPoint)❌ No❌ NoFormat Background (PowerPoint)❌ No❌ NoRehearse Timings, Play Narrations, Use Timings (PowerPoint)❌ No❌ NoShow Media Controls (PowerPoint)❌ No❌ NoSlide Master, Notes Master (PowerPoint)❌ No❌ NoAll Animations and Record Tools (PowerPoint)❌ No❌ No

With this release, Microsoft now offers two free versions of Office: one for the cloud and one for the desktop. Both he ads and limitations, but they provide a great alternative for casual users who don’t want to pay for Microsoft 365.

If you need offline access, the ad-supported desktop version is your best bet. If you prefer collaboration tools, the cloud version might be better. Either way, users now he more ways to access Office for free.

As of now, this version is only ailable on Windows, the Mac support may be in the pipeline, but there is no official confirmation. Would you try the free desktop version of Microsoft Office? Let us know your thoughts.