Microsoft recently decided to remove Office from Microsoft Store. It's a decision that raises questions about the future of the company's online store.
Office can no longer be installed by Microsoft Stor, and although applications such as Word and Excel still refer to Store, the download appears to be through the installer click-to-run.
In other words, when the Office Product Page opens in the Microsoft Store, all the information is available, but when you click on the install button, users are moved to the web from where they will have to download and run the classic installation program.
The reason for this change is not yet known, but Microsoft seems to be preparing something, and according to the company this change will not change anytime in the future.
"Users will continue to find Office in the Store. If Office is not already preinstalled, they will be directed to https://account.microsoft.com/ to install it ", says the company.
Users running Windows 10 in S mode, which restricts installed applications to those of the Microsoft Store only, can also install Office with the click-to-run installer, as this process works as with normal Windows.
Once you have purchased Office, you can install it from the Services & Subscriptions section at Microsoft Account Page.
For more help on downloading, installing, reinstalling, or enabling Office, and / or more instructions on Office updates, see this article in Office Support.
Microsoft's decision to withdraw the suite from Microsoft Store may lead many to think that the company intends to close the Store entirely. It's no secret that the Microsoft Store is not very successful and UWP applications in Windows 10 don't have many fans.
Microsoft seems to be trying to focus on products that make sense, and so removing the Microsoft Store can happen sometime in the long run. If this is the company's plan really, we will have to wait for further changes in the coming months.
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