Office for the web service description
Office for the web (formerly Office Web Apps) opens Word, Excel, OneNote, and PowerPoint documents in your web browser. Office for the web makes it easier to work and share Office files from anywhere with an internet connection, from almost any device. Microsoft 365 customers with Word, Excel, OneNote, or PowerPoint can view, create, and edit files on the go.
Available plans
For detailed plan information on subscriptions that enable users for Office for the Web, see the full subscription comparison table.
Feature availability across Office for the web plans
Need help with figuring out which Office solution best fits your organization? The following tables compare Office for the web feature capabilities to feature-rich Microsoft Office desktop apps. Use the tables to discover what features are available in Office for the web, and then select the feature name to read a brief description about how that feature works. You might discover that some people in your organization need the advanced charting capability of the Excel desktop app while others only need to view and lightly edit Word documents and PowerPoint presentations with Office for the web.
Note
A limited selection of Office features has been chosen to represent the advanced capabilities of the Office desktop suite. The tables are not a comprehensive list of Microsoft Office features.
Microsoft Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise is a monthly subscription offer of the latest Office desktop suite.
Microsoft Office Online Server on-premises customers get an Office for the web editing license if they have purchased an Office desktop suite license (such as an Office Professional Plus, Office Standard, or Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise license).
Note
When you open an Office document, either as an Outlook email attachment or from a SharePoint document library, the document will launch in Office for the web and will be read-only. To edit a document in Office for the web (edit mode), you need a suite license, such as Office 365 Enterprise E1. To edit a document in the desktop app, you need an Office desktop suite license, such as an Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise subscription or an installed version of Office Professional Plus 2010.
Word
Note
1 These render in the viewer, but you cannot create or edit them in Office for the web.
2 Some, but not all, Office add-ins are available.
Excel
Note
1 Cannot create PivotCharts, view only.
2 Depending on how your environment is configured, some kinds of data connections are supported for workbooks displayed in Excel for the web. For more information, see Refreshing data in a workbook in a browser window.
3 You cannot create or run macros with VBA in Excel for the web, but you can open and edit VBA-enabled spreadsheets without removing (or corrupting) the VBA contained in the file.
4 In Excel for the web, the last known reference value displays in the browser window; however, it must be updated using the Excel desktop app.
5 Some, but not all, Office add-ins are available.
OneNote
Note
1 In OneNote for the web, you can move sections within a notebook, and copy and paste pages from one section to another.
2 Some, but not all, Office add-ins are available.
3 You can search on Page or Section, but not entire notebook or across notebooks (as you can in the desktop version).
4 In the desktop version, there is not a "download" option, but you can Save As to another location.
PowerPoint
Note
1 PowerPoint for the web supports a gallery of eight transitions and 37 animations. For a larger selection or to create custom animations, use the PowerPoint desktop app.
2 The device you're working on needs to support ink.
3 Some, but not all, Office Add-ins are available.
4 You cannot create PivotCharts or PivotTables, but you can see them in the viewer.
Supported file types for Office for the web
| Word documents created in Word 2.0 or later | View mode | Edit mode |
|---|---|---|
| Open XML (.docx) |
Yes |
Yes |
| Binary (.doc) |
Yes |
Converted to .docx |
| Macro (.docm) |
Yes1 |
Yes1 |
| Other (.dotm, .dotx) |
Yes |
No |
| OpenDocument (.odt) |
Yes |
Yes |
| Portable Document Format (.pdf) |
No |
No |
| Excel workbooks created in Excel 97 or later |
View mode |
Edit mode |
| Open XML (.xlsx, .xlsb) |
Yes |
Yes |
| Binary (.xls) |
Yes |
Converted to .xlsx |
| Template (.xlt, .xltx) |
No |
No |
| Macro (.xlsm) |
Yes1 |
Yes2 |
| OpenDocument (.ods) |
Yes |
Yes |
| OneNote notebooks created in OneNote 2010 or later |
View mode |
Edit mode |
| Open XML (.one) |
Yes |
Yes |
| PowerPoint presentations created in PowerPoint 97 or later |
View mode |
Edit mode |
| Open XML (.pptx, .ppsx) |
Yes |
Yes |
| Binary (.ppt, .pps) |
Yes |
Converted to .pptx or .ppsx |
| Template (.pot, .potx) |
Yes |
No |
| Macro (.pptm, .potm, .ppam, .potx, .ppsm) |
Yes1 |
No |
| Add-ins (.ppa, .ppam) |
No |
No |
| OpenDocument (.odp) |
Yes |
Yes |
Note
1 Macros can't be run or changed.
2 If macros exist, users are prompted to save a copy of the file with the macros removed.
Note
Newer file formats (such as .docx, .xlsl, and .pptx) can be created in Office 2016, 2013, 2010, or 2007, or in Office 2000 and later with the compatibility pack.
Feedback
Submit and view feedback for