Microsoft’s Office productivity suite is used by many, whether they’re students or people working in offices. To that end, Microsoft later expanded availability where it arrived on mobile devices like iOS and Android, which in turn also meant that those on Chromebooks were also able to use the app.
It was a far from ideal experience which is why it doesn’t really come as a complete surprise to learn that Microsoft has since confirmed to About Chromebooks that they will be ending Chromebook support for its Office apps in September. According to a Microsoft spokesperson:
“In an effort to provide the most optimized experience for Chrome OS/Chromebook customers, Microsoft apps (Office and Outlook) will be transitioned to web experiences (Office.com and Outlook.com) on September 18, 2021. This transition brings Chrome OS/Chromebook customers access to additional and premium features. Customers will need to sign in with their personal Microsoft Account or account associated with their Microsoft 365 subscription. More information is available here.”
That being said, this doesn’t mean that Chromebook users are no longer able to use Office. If they want to use Office, they will need to access the web app instead. This would be similar to how people use Google Docs or Google Sheets on the web. Sure, a native app would be much preferred, but unless Microsoft changes their mind, Chromebook users won’t have much choice.
Filed in . Read more about Chrome Os, Chromebooks, Google, Laptops, Microsoft and Office. Source: aboutchromebooks