Microsoft will change things up to its Office branding after more than 30 years of development and improvement. The Office brand name will be changed to “Microsoft 365” ”“ marking the first name change to the collection of productivity apps ever. The company will now refer to them as part of Microsoft 365.
The Redmond-based tech giant has been re-wording the Office brand for two years already. The company added the “365” number to the Office subscription and then renamed the whole subscription to “Microsoft 365” Office apps for iPhone and iPad apps absorbed Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps in 2020. Now, the entire collection of apps as well as OneDrive, and Outlook will be under one umbrella and a new icon:
“In the coming months, Office.com, the Office mobile app, and the Office app for Windows will become the Microsoft 365 app, with a new icon, a new look, and even more features,” according to an FAQ from Microsoft‘s announcement page.
The first move will occur in November ”“ design and icon overhaul will appear on the web on Office.com, followed by the same treatment for Office on Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android devices in January 2023. The changes will apply to everyone and the current Microsoft 365 app will replace Office.
Microsoft will not remove the Office branding entirely, as they are still offering one-time purchases of the apps via Office 2021 as well as Office LTSC plans. Microsoft 365 will be home to Word, PowerPoint, Excel, OneDrive, Outlook, Clipchamp, Stream, Loop, and the new Designer app. There will also be a main Microsoft 355 app for all platforms.
In other news, the company also announced that Apple apps such as the Apple TV, Apple Music, and iCloud Photos apps will be making their way to Windows next year.