Microsoft is testing a free desktop version of Office – but there's a catch

Microsoft is testing a free, ad-supported desktop edition of Office, but it comes with a host of limitations. On Monday, tech news site Beebom described the new version, saying that Microsoft quietly launched it and no one noticed. That’s an apt description, as Microsoft seems to be limiting the test to a small audience.

Persistent ad banner and video

Based on Beebom’s description, the free desktop suite includes Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and is available only on Windows. To help pay the bills, a banner ad persistently appears on the right side of each application and won’t disappear unless you opt for a Microsoft 365 subscription. Plus, a 15-second video ad with muted sound pops up in each app every few hours.

The freebie offers only basic writing and editing skills, with virtually all the advanced features and add-ins grayed out and unavailable. That means no ability to adjust line spacing, columns, drawing tools, or mailing options in Word. Excel users can’t insert objects, play with pivot tables, or create macros. And PowerPoint won’t let you customize your slideshow, format the background, add animations, or record the screen.

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Another hiccup is that you can’t save your documents and files locally. Instead, you must save them to OneDrive. That could pose a problem, since free users get only 5GB of OneDrive storage. A paid Microsoft 365 plan provides more space, anywhere from 100GB to 1TB per person. But if you already have such a subscription, then you wouldn’t need this free version of Office in the first place.

Limited testing

At this point, access to this new version seems limited, as it’s in test mode. Though the author of the Beebom article was able to snag it, others have been stymied. I installed the suite on two virtual machines signed in to Windows with test accounts. I followed the instructions in the article but was never offered an option to use the software for free.

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The future of this free version also seems uncertain. In a statement shared with PC World, a Microsoft spokesperson said: “Microsoft has been conducting some limited testing. Currently, there are no plans to launch a free, ad-supported version of Microsoft Office desktop apps.”

How to try it

Microsoft also already offers a free edition of Office, namely Microsoft 365 on the web. But that version requires an internet connection, whereas the version currently being tested runs completely on the desktop.

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I don’t think this free version is worth the effort, especially since you might not even be able to access it. But if you want to give it a whirl, here are the steps:

1. Download and install from the official Office website.
2. After the installation finishes, open Word, Excel, or PowerPoint.
3. At the pop-up dialog, click “Skip for now.”
4. At the welcome screen, click “Continue for free.”
5. On the next page, click “Save to OneDrive.”