“Major change” on the way — Microsoft 365’s best-kept secret is retiring from the desktop

What you need to know

• The Windows app for Sway will be retired on June 1, 2026.
• Sway users will continue to be able to use all of the app's features through the web.
• Sway is a free app that gains enhanced functionality when you are subscribed to Microsoft 365.

Despite incorrect reports, Microsoft did not rebrand its Office apps this month. But the tech giant is about to retire the desktop version of one. On June 1, 2026, the Windows app for Sway will no longer be available.

Sway will continue to be available as a service after that cutoff date, but users will need to use its web client. No Sway content should be affected by the switch, and the feature set of Sway remains unchanged.

The news was shared recently through the Microsoft 365 Admin Center (archived here):

"To streamline and modernize the Sway experience, Microsoft is retiring the Sway Windows desktop application (Win32 client) effective June 1, 2026. This change aligns with our efforts to simplify app management and encourage use of the web-based version, which offers the same capabilities with improved accessibility and support. Users can access all current and future Sway features, as well as their content, through the browser interface at sway.cloud.microsoft."

Even if you've used Microsoft 365 for years, you may not be familiar with Sway. It's a lesser-known application for creating presentations, newsletters, and reports.

Above is an example Sway presentation shared by Microsoft. It's a shame so few people know about Sway, since it can be used to create dynamic presentations.

Sway serves as more of a companion to PowerPoint and other Microsoft 365 apps than a replacement. It's a cloud-first application that supports embedding a wide range of content.

While Sway is a free app that anyone with a Microsoft account can use, you get more options with a Microsoft 365 subscription. The main difference is that Microsoft 365 subscribers have significantly higher limits for items, such as images, videos, and embeds.

Oddly, Microsoft does not mention Sway on its product page for Microsoft 365. Even clicking around to see more details fails to make any mention of Sway appear. But I promise you that Sway does exist. I've used it.

I think it's fair to say that Sway is a bit of a forgotten product from Microsoft. The official website for Sway still says "Do more in Sway with Office 365" despite the link below that text taking you to the buy page for Microsoft 365.

Then again, the Office 365/Microsoft 365/Microsoft 365 Copilot branding has always been a bit muddled.

Have you ever used Sway to make a presentation? Let us know in the comments below!

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