Microsoft has rolled out ad-supported versions of its Office desktop apps, giving Windows users a way to edit documents for free—but with some limitations.
While Microsoft already offers free access to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint through Office on the web, the company hasn’t officially announced these new ad-supported desktop versions.
When you open one of these free Office apps, you’ll see a vertical panel on the right side of the screen displaying ads while you work. Below the ads, Microsoft encourages users to subscribe to Microsoft 365 with a message saying, “To remove ads, subscribe to Microsoft 365” and a clickable “See benefits” link.
How to Try the Ad-Supported Office Apps
To test these new apps, you need to download and install Microsoft 365. During setup, choose “Skip for now” on the sign-in screen.
After that, a screen will appear saying, “Welcome to free Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.” Click “Continue for free” and on the next screen, select “Save to OneDrive.”
However, as first reported by Beebom, Microsoft doesn’t allow saving files to local storage in these free Office apps—you must use OneDrive.
Beyond storage limitations, these free versions come with fewer features and restrictions compared to the paid version. The table below highlights the missing features in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
| Word | Excel | PowerPoint |
|---|---|---|
| Dictate, Add-ins | Add-ins, Analyze Data, Fill | Dictate, Add-ins, Designer, and SmartArt |
| Line spacing, Shading, Borders | Conditional Formatting | Screenshot, Photo Album, Cameo |
| Cover Page, Tables, Shapes, Icons, SmartArt, Chart, Online Videos | Pivot Table, Recommended PivotTables | Icons, SmartArt, Chart, Power BI, Action |
| Bookmark, Cross-reference, Header, Footer | Icons, SmartArt, Screenshot | Header and Footer |
| Text Box, Quick Parts, WordArt, Signature Line | Recommended Charts | Date and Time, Slide Number, Object |
| Date & Time, Object, Equation, and Symbol | PivotChart, Line, Column, Win/Loss | Equation, Symbol, and Screen Recording |
| Columns, Line Numbers, Hyphenation, Wrap Text | Slicer, Timeline | Format Background |
| Position, Align, Bring Forward/Backward | Header and Footer, WordArt, Signature Line | Custom Slide Show, Set Up Slide Show, Record |
| All Draw and Design tools | Object, Equation, Symbol | Rehearse Timings, Play Narrations, Use Timings |
| All References and Mailing tools | Themes, Colors, Fonts, and Effects | Show media controls |
| — | Breaks, Background, Print Titles | Macros, Slide Master, Notes Master |
| — | Defined Names, Formula Auditing, Watch Window | All Draw, Animations, and Record tools |
| — | Macros, Custom Views, Workbook Statistics | — |
| — | All Data tools | — |
Microsoft has been gradually expanding ads across its ecosystem, and these new free Office apps seem to be the latest experiment. Whether users will accept this trade-off remains to be seen.
