Microsoft is preparing to make a major change to the Microsoft Office brand. After more than 30 years, Microsoft Office will become “Microsoft 365.”
Office apps like Excel, Outlook, Word and PowerPoint won't go away, but Microsoft will now refer to them as part of Microsoft 365 instead of Microsoft Office.
Microsoft has been pushing this new brand for years, after rebranding its Office 365 subscriptions as Microsoft 365 two years ago, but the changes to come appear to be much deeper. "In the coming months, Office.com, the Office mobile app, and the Office app for Windows will become the Microsoft 365 app, with a new icon, a new look, and even more features," he says Microsoft.
This means that if you use any of the dedicated Office apps, they will soon all be named Microsoft 365 with a new logo. The first logo and design changes will appear on Office.com in November, followed by the Office app on Windows, and the iOS and Android apps that will be refreshed in January.
Microsoft 365 will now host Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Loop, Clipchamp, Stream and Microsoft's new Designer app. A central Microsoft 365 app for both mobile and desktop will include a hub for all your files and documents along with custom tags to group and organize content.
However, the Microsoft Office brand isn't going away anytime soon. Microsoft will continue to offer one-time purchases of Office applications to consumers and businesses through the Office 2021 and Office LTSC programs. Microsoft Office is now a legacy brand for Microsoft, which means that when new features are announced, we'll see them in Microsoft 365, not Microsoft Office.
