In Testing: Free Microsoft Office, But With Ads

If you were to say that Microsoft Office is the most recognized document program since the inception of the personal computer, then I doubt many would disagree. It’s become a staple in every workstation around the world – even used in schools, offices, and other settings. One thing you’ll notice, though, is that the paywall for using Microsoft Office often leads to piracy and other acts.

Well, now, Microsoft is testing a free, limited version of Microsoft Office with advertising.

This test was discovered when a user happened to come across this pop-up window upon opening Microsoft Office. If you choose to “Skip for now” instead of signing in, it will lead you to these two options.

Clicking on “Continue for free” will then allow you to use a limited version of Microsoft office, with some features greyed out for paying users.

The first major thing noticed with the free version of Microsoft Office was the restriction to only save to OneDrive. Yes, you can’t save locally to your PC.

On Microsoft Word, free users won’t have access to all draw/design/references tools, line spacing, shading, borders, date & time functions, and others. A huge chunk of features has also been taken away from the ad-supported versions of Excel and PowerPoint, as expected.

The advertisements themselves are reported to be a non-obtrusive banner ad, as well as a single video ad every hour/few hours.

A Microsoft representative has stepped forward and mentioned that this is just a test, but made no mention of when it’s going to be taken down. As such, you all can enjoy your free Microsoft Office “Lite” for now.