Microsoft Office 365 is nearing its Mac App Store debut.
Apple has already begun promoting the suite, which includes Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, in several countries around the world, while Microsoft has published a new support document that explains how to activate Office from the Mac App Store.
Microsoft already offers a bunch of apps through the Mac App Store, including OneDrive and OneNote. However, the Office suite has always been a notable omission.
That was until Apple confirmed during its WWDC keynote last June — a month after making iTunes available in the Microsoft Store on Windows — that Office 365 was coming to the Mac App Store.
It didn’t provide a release date back then, but it finally looks like the launch is imminent.
Mac App Store prepares for Microsoft Office 365
Mac users in several countries, including France, are today being greeted by an Office 365 promotion in the Mac App Store. “Office 365 has arrived!” it reads.
“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.”
Alongside the promotion, Microsoft has begun publishing support documents related to Office downloads from the Mac App Store — including one that details how to activate its apps. And it’s not all good news for Office users.
An Office 365 subscription is a must
Microsoft explains that an Office 365 subscription is required for apps downloaded from the Mac App Store. If you don’t have one, you will only be able to use them in reduced functionality mode.
If you opted for a one-time Office license instead — this includes Home & Business, Home & Student, and Volume Licenses — you’ll need to download the apps directly from Microsoft; there is no way to activate the Mac App Store versions with a one-time license.
Look out for Office 365 in the Mac App Store
It looks like Office 365 will hit the App Store any moment now, then. You probably already have Office installed if you’re a regular user, but the Mac App Store release makes it easier to update — and easier to redownload on a new machine.
Via: 9to5Mac
