Microsoft Office is a highly used product across Windows PCs and Macs. The latest version for Mac that is available for purchase is Microsoft Office for Mac 2011. Many people have been waiting for a new version to be released. Luckily for those individuals, Microsoft has now introduced the ability to download Office 2016 Preview for Mac.
What's New in Office 2016 Preview?
The 2016 version of Office for Mac includes the ability to store documents to Microsoft’s OneDrive cloud service. Users have the option to save documents to a cloud service or store them on the local computer hard drive. Saving on the cloud allows users to view and edit their documents on one device and continue editing on a different device. The design of the Microsoft applications seems similar to the Window’s equivalent of the 2013 version, with it updated to match the flat design style of OS X Yosemite.
Microsoft incorperated a flat design style in Office 2016 for Mac
The Preview includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote - five powerful office suite applications that Microsoft is known for.
How to Install Microsoft Office 2016 Preview for Mac
To install the Office 2016 Preview, go to http://products.office.com/en-US/mac/mac-preview and press the download button. The download is around 2GB in size, so it may take some time for the file to download depending on your internet connection. Be prepared for the preview to take up an approximate 5GB of storage on your computer after the applications have been installed. If at any time you wish to delete the Office 2016 Preview applications, head over to the Applications folder on your Mac in Finder and drag them to the trash. You won’t see the room available on the computer until the trash is emptied.
The Preview is a way for Microsoft to make the final version be as bug-free as possible when they release the finalized version later this year. Don’t expect this to be a way to get Microsoft Office for free on your Mac forever. This preview will only work until the final version is released to the public.
Office 2016 Over Time
Office 2016 Preview will be updated over time. If you receive a notice about Office needing to be updated, installing the updates will most likely be full of bug fixes and performance updates. If you currently have Office 2011 installed on your Mac, these updates will not install over those applications - it will simply install them leaving the Office 2011 applications on your Mac.
Providing Feedback in Office 2016 Preview
A small feature which is included in the preview allows users to submit feedback. Simply press the smiley face in the corner of the application and you will be prompted to submit feedback. The feedback tool is great so that Microsoft can get the majority of bugs out right away, as well as see how people like the applications.
The new Office 2016 Preview includes new features to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote. The overall design of the applications has also been updated to better suit the design of OS X Yosemite. Because this is a preview, don’t expect these applications to be perfect as they are still in development and will be updated and fine-tuned over time.