ChromeOS adds new integration for Microsoft 365

There was a clear dividing line between Windows users and those who wanted to make things work in the cloud. Fortunately, those days are over and even Microsoft has embraced the cloud-centric lifestyle by offering many of its most popular apps as Web-based solutions through the Microsoft 365 portal.

While not a fully interchangeable solution, Chromebook users can quickly access, create, edit and even collaborate on the Web with apps such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote. That means these Microsoft web apps feel right at home on ChromeOS, and the Google and Microsoft teams are working to make the experience even better.

Microsoft 365, simply called the “Office app,” can be installed as a PWA so it looks and feels more like a native application on ChromeOS or any device with the Chrome desktop browser. This is a much better solution than the clunky Android app that initially arrived for ChromeOS users. You can log in to your MS account and use the Office app as your default “application” for any supported Microsoft files you manage from your Chromebook.

Last Friday, Jan. 27, the Chromebook Beta community announced that a new integration for Microsoft 365 PWA will be released later this year that will make the Office / ChromeOS ecosystem even smoother to work with. This includes a new installation flow for the Office app PWA.

There has been a lot of beef between the Microsoft and ChromeOS communities over the years, but let’s face it, both operating systems have their redeeming qualities and necessary use cases. For example, I am very happy to see the two platforms playing nice. When things like this happen, everyone benefits, which is a very good thing. Kudos to Microsoft and Google for focusing on a better all-around user experience.

Source: chromeunboxed