Microsoft is quietly testing the waters with an ad-supported version of its Office suite.
On offer are desktop versions – Windows only by the looks of things – of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. The ad-supported, free version only shows up for a subset of users.
Those who are offered the ad-supported versions will notice all three have been pared down; for example, Word lacks features like line spacing and borders, Excel is missing elements such as conditional formatting and pivot tables, and PowerPoint does not include animation tools – though The Reg could argue this is an improvement.
In addition to missing features, all three will only create, edit, or save documents using OneDrive. Direct access to local files is off-limits without paying for a subscription (which will also unlock the missing functionality).
The ads are displayed in a persistent banner on the right-hand side and will include video ads, which are thankfully muted. Also missing are Microsoft’s AI tools.
The test has been limited, and we could not recreate the findings of Beebom.com, which first reported the ad-supported tier.
In a statement sent to The Register, a Microsoft spokesperson said the company “has been conducting some limited testing. Currently, there are no plans to launch a free, ad-supported version of Microsoft Office desktop apps.”
That said, it appears things are already well underway, suggesting a broader rollout of the ad-supported Office desktop applications could happen soon. It is perhaps also an acknowledgment of the threat posed by some of the free and open source Office alternatives available as Microsoft increases its prices and adds extra AI services.
Until the ad-supported incarnation, for most users, getting hold of the desktop versions of Microsoft productivity apps required parting with some cash, either as a subscription or as a perpetual license purchase. Notably, these are not Microsoft’s existing web apps repackaged for the desktop but the full desktop versions with certain functions locked away.
Microsoft has a long and storied history in advertising. In 2023, it tried shoving ads into the Windows 11 Start Menu, and in 2022, the company experimented with ads in File Explorer.
At least with an ad-supported version of Office, users would be fully aware of what they were getting into, even as Microsoft ensures that it can still get its hooks into them and their data via the requirement for a Microsoft account and the use of OneDrive storage. ®
