Microsoft announces rebranding from “Office” to “Microsoft 365”

Microsoft has announced that Microsoft Office will be called “Microsoft 365”. More importantly, the change is limited to name only, it is not going to take away the classic Office apps like Word, Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Microsoft 365 rebranding is a big change by the company in 30 years

It is safe to say that the company has been planning to rebrand for some time. In 2021, it changed the name of Office 365 subscriptions to Microsoft 365.

Now, after 30 long years, Microsoft has introduced a major branding change to present its growing collection of productivity apps. Including Word, Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint, the new Microsoft 365 will offer Teams, Loop, Clipchamp, the New Designer app, and Stream. Its mobile and desktop apps will also include a hub for all files and documents, a feed of relevant colleagues and meetings, and customer tagging.

Furthermore, Office.com, the Office mobile app, and the Office app for Windows will be named the “Microsoft 365 app” in the coming months. The redesigned app will have a new icon, design, and more features.

According to The Verge, the changes will first appear on Office.com in November this year and the app will be upgraded across platforms; Windows, iOS, and Android in January 2023. Having said that, the legacy Microsoft Office branding is not going to disappear instantly. The Verge writes;

Microsoft will continue to offer one-time purchases of its Office bundle of apps to consumers and businesses through Office 2021 and Office LTSC plans. Microsoft Office is now a legacy brand for Microsoft, so that means when there are new features announced they’ll be coming to Microsoft 365 and not Microsoft Office.