Alongside the
Microsoft 365 subscription
and Office 2021, Microsoft offers a free version of the Microsoft 365 (formerly Office) apps (such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Calendar, and OneDrive), but these are web applications that you can only use with your web browser.
However, if you prefer a more classic experience, you can install these services as Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) using Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome.
Progressive Web Apps is a technology that allows websites to deliver an app-like experience to the end-user, such as the ability to work offline, notifications, automatic updates, easy installation and uninstallation, and various other features. However, it’s up to the developer to implement these functionalities.
In this
guide
, I will teach you the steps to install the web version of Office apps as regular desktop applications on
Windows 10
as well as on Windows 11. If you have a Microsoft 365 subscription, you can
install the Office apps
with these instructions.
-
Install Office web apps on Windows
-
Uninstall Office web apps on Windows
Install Office web apps on Windows
On
Windows 11
(and 10), you can install web services as apps through Edge and Chrome.
From Microsoft Edge
To install Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Outlook web apps, use these steps:
Open
Microsoft Edge
.
Open the Office web app to install, such as
Word
,
Excel
,
PowerPoint
, or
Outlook
.
Click the
“Settings and more”
button from the top-right.
Select the
Apps
menu.
Click the
“Install this site as an app”
option.
Click the
Install
button.
Click the
Allow
button.
(Optional) Click the
Yes
button to pin the app to the Taskbar.
From Google Chrome
To install Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Outlook web apps, use these steps:
Open
Google Chrome
.
Open the Office web app to install, such as
Word
,
Excel
,
PowerPoint
, or
Outlook
.
Click the
“Customize and control Google Chrome”
(three dots) button from the top-right.
Select the
“Save and share”
menu.
Click the
“Create a shortcut”
option.
Confirm a description name for the app.
Check the
“Open as window”
option.
Click the
Create
button.
After you complete the steps, you may need to repeat the steps to install the remaining apps, including Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. After the installation, the apps will be available from the Start menu, and you’ll even be able to pin it to the taskbar.
Uninstall Office web apps on Windows
Progressive Web Apps behave like traditional apps, which means that the uninstall process is the same as removing any other app regardless of the browser you used to install them.
From Windows 11
To remove a Progressive Web App from Windows 11, use these steps:
Open
Settings
.
Click on
Apps
.
Click the
Installed apps
page.
Click the menu button for the web app and click the
Uninstall
button.
Click the
Uninstall
button again.
From Windows 10
To uninstall web apps from Windows 10, use these steps:
Open
Settings
.
Click on
Apps
.
Click on
Apps & features
.
Select the web apps and click the
Uninstall
button under the “Apps & features” section.
Click the
Uninstall
button.
Click the
Uninstall
button again.
Once you complete the steps, the web version of the Office application will be removed from your computer.
On all supported versions of Windows, you can also remove this app from the Start menu by right-clicking the apps and choosing the
“Uninstall”
option. You can use these instructions to learn other ways to
uninstall apps on Windows 11
.