Microsoft quietly rolls out a free fersion of Office
Microsoft has introduced a new way to use Office on Windows without paying for a subscription or entering a license key. This version lets users edit documents for free, but there’s a trade-off, most premium features remain locked, and ads are ever-present on the screen. This free edition of Office includes Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, but with a significant restriction: files can only be saved to OneDrive. Unlike traditional versions, there’s no option to store or edit documents locally.
Accessing it is simple. Just ignore the sign-in prompt when opening an Office app for the first time. From there, you’ll be given the option to continue using Office with limited functionality and ads in exchange for free access. It’s similar to Microsoft’s web-based Office suite, allowing users to view and edit documents but without many advanced tools.
Features like add-ins, dictation, SmartArt, and advanced formatting are off-limits. This stripped-down version is intended for basic document editing rather than power users who rely on Office’s full capabilities. If you need more, a Microsoft 365 subscription is still required. For now, the availability of this free Office version appears limited. Some users report being unable to bypass the sign-in requirement, suggesting that Microsoft may be running a controlled test in select regions.
Interestingly, the company has made no formal announcement about this new offering, so it presumably could be a quiet experiment or a feature set that could roll out more widely soon.
