Microsoft is changing how Excel, PowerPoint, and Word files open on phones and tablets. The change should help eliminate confusion over documents opening in different apps across iPhone and Android.
Previously, if you launched Outlook, OneDrive, or Teams on your mobile, and then went to open Excel, PowerPoint, or Word files through those "hub" apps, they would open through the Microsoft 365 app, even if you also had the standalone Office apps installed on your phone. If you didn't have the Microsoft 365 app, you would have been directed to download it through the App Store or Google Play.
Now, Microsoft is prioritizing the individual Office apps. This means that if you open an Excel, PowerPoint, or Word file through Outlook, OneDrive, or Teams, and you have both the standalone apps and the Microsoft 365 app, they'll open in the standalone apps. If you have neither, you'll be directed to download the individual apps—rather than the Microsoft 365 app—on the App Store or Google Play. That said, if you have only the Microsoft 365 app, the files will still open through that.
|
Do you have the Microsoft 365 mobile app? |
Do you have the standalone mobile apps? |
This is how Excel, PPT, and Word files will open when accessed through Outlook, OneDrive, or Teams |
|---|---|---|
|
Yes |
Yes |
The standalone apps |
|
No |
Yes |
The standalone apps |
|
Yes |
No |
The Microsoft 365 app |
|
No |
No |
You'll be directed to the App Store or Google Play to download the standalone apps |
While it may seem counter-intuitive to prioritize the standalone mobile apps over the Microsoft 365 mobile app, given that you can do everything in one place using the Microsoft 365 app, Microsoft justifiably says that "for customers who want to open more than one Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file at once, the standalone apps can better handle side-by-side and windowing scenarios that modern tablet and mobile operating systems support."
On the other hand, businesses might prefer their employees to stick to the more streamlined Microsoft 365 app, rather than clogging their devices with individual Office apps. In this scenario, IT managers can set up their mobile device management policies to prevent employees from installing the standalone apps, meaning the Microsoft 365 app would return to being the default.
Whether you're an individual or business customer, Microsoft has already completed this standardization process with Excel, PowerPoint, and Word files opened through OneDrive on iOS and Android, with files opened through Outlook to follow throughout the rest of October and into November. The tech firm has yet to confirm when this will be implemented for files opened through the Teams mobile app, though we can envisage it being either at the end of 2024 or into the new year.
Source: Microsoft