Microsoft 365's best apps are about to get a speed boost — here's when the rollout begins

The Microsoft Office apps on your PC are about to get a performance boost. A new feature, which will start rolling out in May, introduces a Startup Boost task to optimize the Office applications.

The new Startup Boost task will roll out for Microsoft Word at first and make its way to other Office applications in the future. The task is optional and is limited to systems that meet certain specs, so it shouldn't bog down your PC.

Microsoft shared the following, which can also be found on the Microsoft 365 Message Center Archive:

"Microsoft is introducing a new Startup Boost task to optimize Office applications' performance and load-time. It will roll out in May 2025, initially for Microsoft Word. The task is optional, visible in Windows Task Scheduler, and can be disabled via in-app settings. No admin action is required for the rollout."

Only PCs with at least 8GB of RAM and 5GB of available disk space will see Startup Boost. The feature will be disabled if Energy Saver is on.

Startup Boost should improve the load-time experience for the Office applications, meaning you can get to work quicker. Like many other startup tasks, the feature will run when you boot up a computer and then remain paused until it is needed.

The rollout of Startup Boost will begin gradually in mid-May. Microsoft expects to complete the feature's rollout by the end of next month.

Microsoft 365 price increase

Microsoft announced a price increase for Microsoft 365 recently. That increase was the first in 12 years, but it still came as a disappointment to many.

Microsoft 365 Personal and Home subscriptions are now $3 more per month than before. There are classic plans for Microsoft 365 at a lower price, but those will only be available for a limited time.

I keep track of the best Microsoft 365 deals, and I'm sorry to report that the price increase has started to make its way to resellers and online retailers.

It is possible to stack a Microsoft 365 subscription, meaning you can extend your current plan. That means even if you have an active Microsoft 365 subscription, it's worth taking advantage of a good discount.

Microsoft 365 Personal (12 months): was $99.99 now $69.99 at Walmart

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This is the best deal we can find on Microsoft 365 Personal. The discounted subscription gets you 12 months of Office, OneDrive storage, and everything else included with Microsoft 365 for $69.99.