Microsoft usually releases a new version of its popular Office suite whenever they release a new version of the Windows operating system. The logic behind this is very clear – if someone is going to update Windows to the latest version, they might want to update the Office suite too. Moreover the new version of the Office suite is going to be pre-installed on notebooks sold by some of the OEM’s like Lenovo, Samsung, Dell, Toshiba etc. This time Microsoft is going to release Office 2016 around the same time they will release their new operating system – Windows 10. But before the final version of Office 2016 is released, you can try your hands at the preview edition of this new Office suite from Microsoft. Here is how:
- First thing first – uninstall your older Office version from your Windows PC. For example, if you have installed Office 2013 in your PC, then go to Control Panel → Programs & Features and uninstall Office 2013. You may have to reboot your PC for the complete uninstallation.
- Point your web browser to https://products.office.com/en-us/office-2016-preview and click on the Get Office 2016 (Preview) button. The 32-bit version is more stable and is recommended (besides it takes shorter time to download on slower connections). But if you are bent on trying the 64-bit version, then you can find the download links near the bottom of this web page.
- Double-click on the downloaded file. This will open a small Office 2016 setup window that further downloads more files from the internet. This may take a long time to complete, so stay patient, make some coffee, enjoy broadcasting and talking with strangers on Periscope or engage in some hot discussion in your office.
- When the download is complete, the real setup will begin which looks similar to the setup process of older versions. If it asks for an installation key, then you can find one from https://products.office.com/en-us/office-2016-preview. The setup file downloaded also contains the same key in the file name.
- When the installation is finished, you will be able to use Office like usual. It installs the Office 2016 Professional version that contains all the basic components like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote etc.
The Office 2016 preview edition will continue to work until Microsoft releases the final retail version. After than you will have option to purchase the license key and update it to full retail version.