Just last month, Microsoft took to the stage to introduce a new and improved Windows 10 preview. During their event they showed off a number of improvements and changes, like Cortana integration, Continuity, the Spartan browser, and a revamped Windows Store — where you’ll be able to find the slick universal apps they showed off.

office-universal-preview

And now they’re ready to share the first batch with Windows Insiders. If you’re a member of the program and you’ve installed the January preview on your PC, you can head to the new Windows Store and download early versions of Microsoft’s upcoming Word, Excel, and Powerpoint apps.

As you can see, Microsoft is giving them a pretty major facelift. The Ribbon has been cleaned up in a big way; there’s no longer a cramped block of bullets, indents and justification icons cluttering the middle portion and font options have been similarly simplified. It’s all much more touch-friendly than Office 2013 or its online counterpart, a change that Windows 8 users have been waiting for ever since touchscreen PCs started rising in popularity.

excel-previewAs for how “universal” the experience will be, it certainly looks like Microsoft has done a good job so far of keeping things consistent between the desktop and mobile versions. The new Office apps won’t be ready for quite a while yet, though, and there’s going to be plenty of tweaking and revising between now and release day.

If you’d like to help Microsoft iron out the kinks, fire up the Windows Store on your Windows 10 PC and search for Excel, Word, and Powerpoint (or just click the direct links in that last sentence if you’ve been reading this post on your Win10 PC all along).

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Lee Mathews

Computer tech, blogger, husband, father, and avid MSI U100 user.

5 replies on “Windows 10 users can now download touch-friendly Word, Excel, and Powerpoint apps for free”

  1. I think Microsoft is learning from Google, sometimes giving stuff away for free somehow gets you more money.

  2. They’ve already released cut-down free touch versions for Android – I was thinking it rather unfair (and odd) if Windows users have to pay! So good to know it’s coming.

    1. Well, the PREVIEW Versions are Free, just like the PREVIEW Version of Win10 is. Surely there will be an expiration date on these Office Programs as is on the Win10 Preview itself.

      This is for helping to Beta test and bug hunt. If you want FULL capability Office for the longterm, you will still need to buy Office 16/2015 or subscribe to Office 365.

      1. Depends, the WP Office Apps are free for WP devices… So, if these apps replace those then it should remain free and it’s just available on a wider range of devices because of the whole universal apps for Windows 10 thing and not just for the mobile version…

        Probably helps that the mobile version now includes support for tablets with the mobile Windows 10 that’ll go on phones, phablets, and small tablets…

        MS will probably still prefer desktop users opt for Office 365… while Office 2016 will come out a few months after Windows 10 release…

  3. Can’t wait. I was willing to take a watered down touch version and a desktop version. If they figured out how to make full office touch friendly, that would be great.

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