- Microsoft 365 becomes the new name that replaces “Microsoft Office.”
- Microsoft will start rolling out the new brand in November.
- The apps and services will remain the same. Only the brand will change.
In a major rebranding shift, Microsoft has announced that its Office suite of apps will now become “Microsoft 365.” Since the collection of apps is growing at a fast pace, after more than 30 years, the software giant has decided that it needed a name change moving forward. Any of the apps you already know, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, will continue to be available. The company will only be now referring to them as “Microsoft 365” apps instead of “Microsoft Office” apps.
This is not a sudden change. Microsoft has been working on the new brand for years since the company introduced the Office 365 subscription and then rebranded it to Microsoft 365. However, the rebrand will now expand to everything as the company says that in the coming months, the Office.com website, the Office mobile app, and the Office app for Windows will also be renamed to “Microsoft 365.” Furthermore, the app will also get a new icon, a new design, and more features.
It’s important to note that there are two things to differentiate, including the “Microsoft 365” brand for the suite of apps and the “Microsoft 365” app, which is the central hub to access the tools, contents, and apps.
The rebrand will start to roll out in November for Office.com, and the Office app for Windows and mobile will occur in January of next year, applying to everyone who uses the Office app for work, school, and personal use.
The productivity apps will remain the same. Microsoft 365 will just be the name moving forward that will house Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, Clipchamp, Loop, Stream, Designer, and many other apps.
The standalone version of Office isn’t going away entirely. According to the company, it will continue to offer the one-time purchase through the Office 2021 and Office LTSC plans.
Also, the company has no immediate plans to make changes to any subscription plans.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].