How to Join the Office Insider Program
Want to get ahead of the curve in your favourite Office app?
Join the Office Insider Program to test and explore new features in Office apps before they are released to the wider public.
In doing so, you are helping developers improve them by submitting diagnostics data and feedback.
Whether it’s Excel, Word, PowerPoint, or Outlook (and a few others), joining it in one app will also mean you’ll receive updates in the others.
All the information here applies to the entire Microsoft 365 suite. However, let’s be honest: no one gets excited about updates for the other apps. It’s all about Excel, so we’ll be using that!
CONTENTS
· Requirements to join the Office Insider Program
· Choose an Insider Channel
∘ Current Channel (Preview)
∘ Beta Channel
· How to join the Office Insider Program
· How to change your Office Insider channel
· How to opt out of the Office Insider Program
· How to update an app
∘ When joining, changing channels, or opting out
∘ Manual method
· Send feedback to Microsoft
· Resources
Requirements to join the Office Insider Program
An active Microsoft 365 subscription is essential — whether it’s a Personal, Family or Business edition (Windows and macOS). Perpetual Office products do not qualify.
Choose an Insider Channel
There are two channels: Current Channel (Preview) and Beta Channel.
Current Channel (Preview)
Delivers slow but stable builds once or twice a month.
This is for people who want early access to features with a lesser chance of performance or stability issues.
Beta Channel
Delivers fast but less stable builds roughly once a week.
This is for people who want early access to features still in the development phase and don’t mind potential performance or stability issues.
How to join the Office Insider Program
1
Go to File to open the Backstage view.
2
Select Account in the left pane.
3
Select the Office Insider dropdown.
4
Select Join Office Insider to open a dialog box.
5
Select the Sign me up for early access to new releases of Office checkbox.
6
Select either Current Channel (Preview) or Beta Channel in the dropdown list.
7
Select the I agree to the terms and conditions… checkbox.
8
Select OK.
9
If the User Account Control window appears, select Yes.
10
A window pops up confirming you have successfully opted into the Office Insider Program and will now receive updates according to the channel you chose.
Keep the checkbox ticked to be taken to the Office Insider website (to subscribe to a monthly newsletter), and then select OK.
How to change your Office Insider channel
If you want to access a new feature or you’re finding an app unstable, you may want to change the channel you’re currently on. The process is very similar to joining.
1
Select File > Account > Office Insider > Change Channel.
2
Select the other channel from the dropdown list.
3
Repeat steps 7 and beyond from the previous section to complete the process.
How to opt out of the Office Insider Program
Perhaps the Office Insider Program isn’t for you. Fear not—you can return to a Production build easily.
1
Select File > Account > Office Insider > Change Channel.
2
Select the Sign me up for early access to new releases of Office checkbox to untick it, and then select OK.
3
You’ll be informed that updates need to be installed for the app to revert.
Select OK.
How to update an app
When joining, changing channels, or opting out
The app will attempt to download and apply the updates automatically, providing the Check for and apply updates for Office checkbox remains ticked.
You’ll see a series of windows indicating this is happening.
If the main app window is still open, save your work first and then close it.
Select Continue.
The app will apply the updates successfully.
Select Close.
Manual method
Although updates are automatically downloaded and installed, it doesn’t always happen as reliably as you’d think.
The best way of knowing if you have the latest version for your channel is to manually check.
Select File > Account > Update Options > Update Now.
If there are updates, they will be downloaded and installed. Otherwise, a window letting you know you have the latest version will pop up.
Send feedback to Microsoft
Feedback is essential so Microsoft knows what its users like and dislike about an app. It also influences decision-making amongst developers, so they know what to prioritise.
Go to File and select Feedback in the left pane.
There are three options:
- Send a Smile—when you want to compliment something.
- Send a Frown—when you’ve spotted a bug, glitch, or want to constructively criticise something.
- Send a Suggestion—when you have an idea for an improvement or new feature.
Send a Smile and Send a Frown both open a pane on the right side containing a text field to mention any details about what you’re complimenting or complaining about.
You can also attach a screenshot for clarity and include an email address if you don’t mind being contacted.
Send a Suggestion takes you to a dedicated Microsoft Feedback Portal for the app you’re in. This is a public forum for posting about issues, ideas, and feature requests.
Resources
Office Insider Program—the homepage of the Office Insider Program.
Office Insider blog—contains the latest announcements, news, and feature previews.
Office Insider forum—the general Office Insider forum.
