Microsoft Is Fixing Office, But Not Fast Enough

A new version of Office software brings a cleaner design, faster apps and smarter features—all steps in the right direction, but not far enough

Microsoft’s changing its productivity suite in big and little ways. WSJ’s David Pierce explains how to make it work for you. Photo/Video: Emily Prapuolenis/The Wall Street Journal

No software carries as much baggage as Microsoft Office.

It’s nearly 30 years old, which in tech years is about as old as the Himalayas. Every day at work, hundreds of millions of people use Office apps—Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and the rest. They know the apps and understand their inner workings. Have you ever watched an Excel mastermind at work? It’s like watching a virtuoso violinist. When Microsoft makes changes to Office, the company hopes it isn’t turning its Stradivarius into a banjo.

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