Earlier this week, screenshots of what looked like a preview version of Office 2024 were leaked on the X (formerly Twitter) account of Windows enthusiast "techosaurusrex." Now there's a new story with more leaked screenshots of the software suite and word that it's currently in active testing internally at Microsoft.
XDA reports that Office 2024 is available on Microsoft's DevMain testing branch, which is designed for company employees to check out upcoming software products. The same article also posts a way for anyone else to get access to the DevMain build of Office 2024. However, it requires more than a bit of tech knowledge and two third-party open-source projects, so we would not recommend you go this route unless you absolutely want to access this preview build.
The report says that this particular internal build of Office 2024 is not much different than the latest stand-alone version, Office 2021. It's likely that new features will be added before it's available for a public preview and then a final release.
Many people thought that when Office 2021 launched two years ago, it would be the last stand-alone Office product that Microsoft would release in favor of a subscription cloud-based business model. Indeed, Microsoft announced in October 2022 that it was rebranding its Office apps and services under the Microsoft 365 brand.
However, it looks like these leaks, if accurate, show that Microsoft will continue to offer a one-time purchase option for its Office apps with the new Office 2024 release. This development will likely be a big help for businesses and education users, who might want to buy a one-time license for Microsoft's Office apps rather than getting them through a Microsoft 365 cloud-based subscription service. It's possible the company could confirm this move next week as part of its Ignite conference.
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