Microsoft

is reportedly testing a free, ad-supported version of its Office suite. The tech giant may be testing this new version of Office for Windows users in select countries, including India. This version is said to provide access to popular Windows apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for free, but may include ads such as pop-ups and sidebar banners. With this move, Microsoft will be able to expand Office access to more users while maintaining the premium features of its paid Microsoft 365 subscriptions.

According to a report by the Economic Times, early testers of the

ad-supported Office suite

have noted that ads are mostly displayed on the right sidebar, and in some instances, users encounter a 15-second video ad after several hours of use.
Moreover, a key limitation of this free version is the current inability to store documents on OneDrive, as local file storage has been disabled for now.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is still a closed testing phase, and there are no immediate plans to launch a free, ad-supported desktop version of Office for the public, the report added.
However, the test indicates that Microsoft may be exploring alternative models to attract more users while maintaining Microsoft 365 as its premium offering.
A free version of the Office suite may seem attractive, but it comes with multiple limitations. As per the report, this version misses out on essential features such as:

While the basic functions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are preserved in this version, users who require advanced tools will still need to subscribe to Microsoft 365.