Microsoft has been offering its Office suite to Chromebook users via the Google Play store since 2017, but that will end in a few weeks.
Microsoft is ending support for Office (which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Outlook) on Chromebooks as of September 18. Microsoft, on the other hand, is not completely abandoning the popular mobile gadget. Instead of downloading an app, Microsoft is pushing people to visit the website.
“On September 18, 2021, Microsoft programmes (Office and Outlook) will be migrated to web experiences (Office.com and Outlook.com) in order to provide the greatest optimised experience for Chromebook customers,” Microsoft wrote in an email to TechCrunch.
According to Microsoft, "this move provides Chromebook consumers with access to extra and premium capabilities."
The Microsoft web experience will help the company migrate its Chromebook users to the Microsoft 365 service, which has more Office templates and overall capabilities than the app-based approach. In addition, the web approach is better suited to larger screens than the app.
According to the announcement, customers will “...sign in with their personal Microsoft Account or account connected with their Microsoft 365 subscription” to gain access to Office and Outlook on Chromebooks. Microsoft has also made instructions available online to show customers how to use Office on a Chromebook.
Chromebooks are powered by Google's Chrome OS, which is based on Linux. Because Android is also built on Linux, Chromebooks can run Android apps downloaded from Google Play. While support for Chromebooks will be phased out, Microsoft will continue to support Android-based mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones.
Users who have already downloaded the Microsoft Office apps for Chromebooks will be able to use them after September 18, but they will no longer receive support or upgrades.
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