Preview of full Office apps headed to Microsoft Store for Education, Windows Store in June

As was rumored ahead of the Windows 10 S reveal, Microsoft is working to bring the full versions of its Office apps to the Windows Store for Education users to use. A noted in a new post on the office blog, a preview of the full-featured Office apps will kick off on the Microsoft Store for Education starting in June.

From Microsoft:

This preview of Office contains the Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps you know and trust, now delivered and updated from the Microsoft Store for Education. There are some differences in the apps that are worth calling out. The apps delivered from the Store will use new Store-based install and update technology; the apps will only be available in 32-bit format; and while web add-ins are fully supported, Office COM add-ins aren't supported on Windows 10 S.

The apps themselves are set to go live in the Store later this year, and the preview period is meant to make sure everything is running smoothly ahead of launch. A report from ZDNet notes that the apps will also be coming to the Windows Store generally, with a similar preview period for general users in June.

This is an important step, particularly as Microsoft targets the store-bound Windows 10 S as a safe and secure alternative for the education market. Getting the full, more robust versions of the Office apps, converted with the Desktop App Bridge, in the hands of students and teachers is a priority.

Dan Thorp-Lancaster

Dan Thorp-Lancaster is the former Editor-in-Chief of Windows Central. He began working with Windows Central, Android Central, and iMore as a news writer in 2014 and is obsessed with tech of all sorts. You can follow Dan on Twitter @DthorpL and Instagram @heyitsdtl