In May 2014, Microsoft launched the Office Mix preview, a novel add-in for PowerPoint that allowed users to add interactive elements to their presentations. More than three years after its initial release, Microsoft has announced (via Paul Thurrott) that it is retiring Office Mix and integrating its best features into PowerPoint itself.
"Thanks to the positive feedback from our users during the Preview we are excited to share that we are bringing the best of Office Mix directly into PowerPoint, Microsoft Stream, and Microsoft Forms for Office 365 subscribers on Windows PCs," Microsoft says. That includes baking Office Mix features into the recording tab within PowerPoint. You'll also be able to publish your recordings to Microsoft Stream "in the coming months" to easily share them across an organization, Microsoft says.
As a result of the move, Microsoft will be gradually shutting down the Office Mix website over the coming months, leading to its total retirement on May 1, 2018. Here's a rundown of the timeline, from Microsoft:
- October 20, 2017: If you have an existing Office Mix account, you'll still be able to view, edit, publish, download, and delete your existing content. If you have a qualifying* Office 365 work or school account, you can sign in to migrate your mixes as videos to Microsoft Stream. If you don't have access to an Office 365 work or school account, you can download your Mixes as PowerPoint files (.pptx), and you analytics data as Excel files (.xlsx) to save to a storage location of your choosing.
- January 1, 2018: You'll no longer be able to sign up as a new user or download the Office Mix add-in from the website. Existing users who already have the Mix add-in installed will still be able to use it to upload, edit, view, and download their existing content.
- May 1, 2018: The Office Mix site and all its content will be officially discontinued. The site will no longer be accessible after that date. Any links to your Office Mix content that you previously shared with others will stop working after this date.
If you're an Office Mix user, you can find full details on how to migrate your mixes ahead of the shutdown at Microsoft's support page.
We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.
The first two Snapdragon 7c PCs are here, and they start at $299 with LTE
Along with a slew of announcements for the education market this week, Microsoft debuted the first two PCs to be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 7c platform. Both are targeted at the education market, and they bring LTE for as little as $299.
Need a laptop with a Thunderbolt 3 port? Every PC here deserves a look.
Looking for a new laptop that has Thunderbolt 3 ports? Well, you're in luck, as we've rounded up what we think are the best Thunderbolt 3 enabled laptops available to buy today.
Windows 10 build 19546 arrives for Fast ring with graphing calculator
Microsoft pushed out another new Windows 10 Preview build for Windows Insiders on the Fast ring today. This build brings the build number up to 19546, and it includes a new graphing mode for the Calculator app.
Make the most of your Surface Pen and Slim Pen with these awesome apps
To really maximize the ability of the Surface Pen and Slim Pen, there are some essential apps you should check out. We've rounded up the best right here for a variety of purposes.
