Licensing Office Web Apps

Office Web Apps are server-based applications that enable users to view and edit Excel, OneNote, PowerPoint, and Word documents in a browser. The technology is convenient for mobile use and in a variety of other scenarios. However, compliance with the licensing rules can be difficult unless Office is licensed organization-wide. Furthermore, some of the rules are not yet clearly documented, and affected customers may want to resolve concerns with Microsoft before committing to the technology.

Accessing Office Documents Using a Browser

Office Web Apps enable users to view and (sometimes) edit Office documents without using the full Office suite. This can be useful in several situations. For example, workers can quickly review and make small changes to documents when traveling and working from a device (such as an iPad) that can’t run the traditional Office suite locally. Microsoft server applications—most notably SharePoint Server 2013, but also Exchange Server 2013 and Lync Server 2013 as well—use Office Web Apps to enable access to Office files stored in the application. Compared to the traditional desktop-based Office suite, many features are unavailable, such as the ability for users to work on documents while offline, so Office Web Apps typically complement rather than replace the suite.