Source: Stephen Brashear/Getty Images for Microsoft
What you need to know
- Microsoft wanted to reopen its offices in July.
- That date has now been pushed back to September.
- Even the September date could see delays.
Microsoft isn't reopening its offices anytime soon. A Microsoft spokesperson told The Verge the following:
Based on our continued consultation with health and data experts, we've shifted our earliest date for the full opening of our U.S. worksites to September 7, 2021. We continue to review the situation on a local basis in each region/country/state where we work and will adjust dates by country as needed.
That's a big shift from Microsoft's original plans to fully reopen in July. And as that spokesperson's comments highlight, September isn't a guarantee. Many places in the United States still might not be primed for proper reopenings by then.
That's not to say all of Microsoft's offices are devoid of personnel. On March 29th, Microsoft started a soft repopulation of its headquarters, moving from "stage 3" to "stage 4" of its overall hybrid workplace strategy. The various stages are outlined in a handy-dandy infographic supplemented by a lot of additional information over on Microsoft's blog.
Source: Microsoft
Microsoft's eagerness to reopen its campus is understandable. A lot of people are tired of using their best office chairs and coffee tables to do work from home. Many folks no longer want to rely on the webcam of a Dell XPS 15 to see their coworkers. And companies like Microsoft know these things. However, safety comes first, at least until September.
We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.

Edge Canary for Android is here with unified code from Edge desktop
A new version of Microsoft Edge's browser is available on the Google Play Store. Dubbed Microsoft Edge Canary, this version is the first to unify Edge's underlying code with the desktop version of the browser. With it is a new UI change, new features, and improved performance. Here is where to get it.

Here's every major video game event in 2021 that we know of so far
The global pandemic means in-person events aren't happening and games are being delayed but that doesn't mean there aren't events happening. Here's a list of gaming events in 2021 — that we know of so far.

Here's how Thunderbolt 4 and Thunderbolt 3 differ from USB4 and USB 3.0
Port technology is currently a bit of a mess. Or has it always been a bit of a mess? In any case, we explain how all these different technologies differ so you can get what you need.

Buy one of these gaming PCs to play Microsoft Flight Simulator
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 is a demanding game, and it needs quite the PC to run it comfortably. If you don't have a PC yet dedicated to gaming, you'll want to pick one from our list of top pre-built computers to put you right in the cockpit.