Microsoft displays ads to some Office 2021 users

Microsoft is showing Microsoft 365 ads to Office 2021 users, offering discounts for Microsoft 365 family plan subscriptions. Lee Holmes, Principal Security Architect at Microsoft Azure Security, shared a screenshot showing an ad banner under the Office menu with the comments “This is so disappointing.”

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According to the report, starting August 10, some users reported seeing these ads. The screenshot clearly shows that Microsoft marked the ad as a “limited time offer” that allows users to “get a 90-day Microsoft 365 Family Plan for just $0.99.” Interestingly, Microsoft used a different wording on the button, prompting users to click the button to get a huge discount on the subscription.

Other Office users saw a slightly different ad that said “Get a 90-day Microsoft 365 Family Plan for $0.99 and share with up to 5 people, terms apply”.

It’s not the first time Microsoft has shown promotional ads in Office apps or other Windows apps. Two years ago, the company also displayed promotional ads in the menu bar of the Windows 10 WordPad app. Microsoft also displayed ads in the Windows 11 File Explorer, although it later called these “experimental.”