Windows 11: Latest version of Office released in Beta, new native 64-bit Arm version available too

Microsoft’s software development teams have been very busy of late. We have just seen it roll out the first Beta of the new Windows 11 and now the company has announced a refreshed version of Office designed to integrate into the new Windows 11 environment. The changes aren’t especially striking in their differences, but the company has cleaned up the ribbon UI across all Office apps, improved user customization options and collaboration tools and concentrated on improving workflows across the full suite of apps using Fluent Design principles.

Users of both Windows 10 and the new Windows 11 Beta can now access the new version of Office, also in Beta. Users who have already signed up for the Office Insiders Beta Channel builds can get the update by clicking the megaphone icon to open the Coming Soon pane. The company advises, however, that there are a few known issues. It notes that there will be some colour inconsistencies across different UI services, while you may encounter some bugs. One of the best things about testing beta versions, however, is that you can be closely involved in helping to shape the final version by providing feedback about issues that emerge and feature requests.

Windows on Arm users will also get the first fully native version of Office, which should boost overall system performance and reliability. The new version has full 64-bit support and will support existing 64-bit add-ins using the new X64 emulation capability provided by Windows. Users will need to uninstall any 32-bit versions of office if currently installed, and install Office using the most recent copy of the installer from office.com. As with Intel and AMD users, Arm-based Windows users will also need to join the Office Insider programme.

Buy the Arm-based Microsoft Surface Pro X from Amazon.