Reports that Microsoft has removed Office 365 from their flagship Windows 10 / Microsoft Store seem to be overstating things a bit.
Both Office 365 Home and Personal are for sale, at full price via the Microsoft Store. Here’s the result of our search.
Sometimes a big ad for Office 365 which sends you to the Office.com web site for more info.
Office 365 Home or Office 365 Personal are still both for sale on the Microsoft Store, for anyone foolish enough to buy that way.
As regular Office-Watch.com readers know, buying from the Microsoft Store (app, web site or physical stores) is the most expensive way to get Office 365.
All that seems to have changed is the way Office for Windows gets installed after purchase.
Instead of installing Office 365 through the Microsoft Store app, customers are directed to the Office.com web site to get the ‘click to run’ installer.
If there’s been a change, it’s a good one. Better for everyone to install Office the same way rather than have variations. Any variations are a potential bug waiting to happen.
The change of Office 365 install or supposed ‘disappearance’ of Office from the Microsoft Store has raised other theories.
The Microsoft Store and its Universal Windows Apps haven’t taken the world on fire, to put it mildly. Microsoft hoped to replicate the huge profits Apple gets from it’s Store apps but Windows users aren’t buying it, literally. The MS Store app is very poor with even basic things not working properly after many years, like download progress. Most of the apps sold on the store are crippled by the UWP app requirements and limitations plus the high cost. Little wonder people continue to buy their software etc. from other places.
