The Microsoft Office productivity suite has finally launched on the Mac App Store, more than six months after it was first announced at WWDC 2018.
Apple is shouting about the launch in a number of regions, informing Mac customers them they can grab the likes of Word, PowerPoint, Excel from the native App Store. A quick search of the Mac App Store in the UK showed the word processing, presentation and spreadsheet software is available as a free download.
However, anyone downloading the app will need an active Office 365 subscription to access all of the best features. Otherwise you’ll only get access to get the reduced functionality of a read-only mode. If you don’t have an Office 365 subscription, you can sign up with Microsoft, or with the in-app purchase option.
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In a promotion article seen by French customers (via 9to5Mac), Apple enthuses “Office 365 is here!”
It goes on (translated): “We are proud to announce that Microsoft Office 365 is now available on the Mac App Store. Your Office 365 subscription gives you access to all the features on all the platforms. To subscribe, register in any of the Office apps, and update your subscription. Discover all the apps of the Office suite, and start collaborating and creating!”
It’s still possible to access Word using the old fashioned single license, but you’ll need to buy and download the Office suite from Microsoft in that instance.
In a support document, Microsoft writes: “One-time Office licenses (also known as perpetual), such as Office 2019 Home & Business, Office 2019 Home & Student, and Volume License are not compatible with Office apps downloaded from the Mac App Store. These licenses can only be used with Office apps downloaded directly from Microsoft.”
Will you be downloading the Office apps at the first available opportunity? Or do you prefer a single license over Office 365? Let us know @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
