Microsoft has a new Office app for Windows 10

Feb 21, 2019 10:12 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft has released a new Office app for Windows 10v that’s supposed to make it easier for users to access the productivity suite, their files, and share documents with contacts.

Basically, the simply-called Office app is supposed to replace My Office in the operating system and just act as a hub for the productivity suite.

In other words, even though it may suggest otherwise given its name, “Office” for Windows 10 does not allow you to create, save, and edit documents without paying. Instead, it connects you with your already-purchased Office product in a more seamless manner.

The Office app is already available for download from the Microsoft Store, and users can get it right now without paying a single cent. The app will come pre-installed in Windows 10 beginning with the April 2019 Update. Needless to say, for this app to make any sense, you need to be running Office 2016, Office 2019, or have an active subscription to Office 365.

Office comes with a rather simple and clean interface, and after launching it, the purpose becomes pretty obvious.

All Office apps are shown at the top of the screen, and clicking any of the shortcuts opens them instantly. You can also open Office Online if you want to access your documents in the cloud. Depending on the Office version installed on your device (subscription or on-premises), clicking the icons open the correct application after signing in.

Office app for Windows 10

There are also buttons to install Office and purchase the productivity suite at the top of the screen if the software isn’t detected on your device.

The lower part of the screen is being used for quick access to your documents, and the files are grouped in three categories: recent, pinned, and shared with me.

The recent category displays the documents that you’ve worked on recently and saved in the cloud, while the pinned section only shows those files that you manually pinned.

To do this, in the recent category, click the three-dot menu next to each file and click the Add to pinned option. The same menu lets you open a document in Office Online, open in the available Office app, remove it from list, or open its location.

The shared with me section provides quick access to documents that have previously been shared with you by one of your contacts, and this option comes in particularly handy for enterprise customers or those using Office within their company.

Office app for Windows 10

There are also shortcuts to upload and open documents, but also to quickly create new files in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Sway.

Aaaand, that’s pretty much all about the app. Your account information is displayed in the top right corner, while a simple shortcut at the bottom of the screen lets you open more files in OneDrive.

What I’d like to see improved in the Office app, though I don’t find it really helpful right now, is to see recent files that have been saved on my device, not just in the cloud. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and the rest of the Office apps already have a built-in list of recently-saved documents, so I see no reason to display them here as well.

The official description published in the Microsoft Store claims a search feature should also be offered to look for documents offline and online, but this doesn’t seem to be available right now.

Most likely, the majority of Windows 10 users will forget this app exists as it doesn’t bring a major benefit from home users, for example, and I said earlier, it makes more sense in the enterprise. We’ll see how successful it is once it starts being offered as pre-installed.

Office app for Windows 10

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