Introducing Microsoft Editor – Bring out your best writer wherever you write
Published Mar 30 2020 08:30 AM 258K Views
Microsoft

h5>This blog post is co-authored by Lauren Nicholson and Megan Dohnal.

 

 

Bring out your best writer anywhere you write with Microsoft Editor, your intelligent writing assistant. Many of us are working or attending school remotely, and with so much communication happening through writing it is more important than ever that we communicate clearly. Microsoft Editor, an AI-powered service that enables you to write with confidence in 20+ languages, can help. Write polished prose, craft impressive emails, and post on your favorite sites like LinkedIn, Gmail, Facebook, and more.

 

Anyone can access the essential Editor capabilities, such as spelling and basic grammar across Word, Outlook.com, and the web for free with a Microsoft sign-in. However, Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscribers have access to advanced grammar and style refinements. Clarity, conciseness, formal language, vocabulary suggestions, and much more are included with your subscription.

 

Optimized for where you write most, Editor will be available in three main places: documents (Word for the web and desktop), email (Outlook.com and Outlook for the web), and across the web (through our new browser extension). While Editor will be available to help everyone with the basics for free, for Microsoft 365 users there are some additional powerful features that vary by endpoint.

 

Editor in Word

Formerly known as Ideas in Word, Editor in Word now pushes beyond the basics with AI and offers a myriad of ways to help you not only quickly catch mistakes, but to communicate clearly in more than 20 languages. And, because every language and market are unique, suggestions for each language are developed in partnership with native speakers and local linguists.

 

In addition to the 20+ languages in which Editor can provide suggestions, the Editor pane in Word is now available in French, Spanish, English and German. It can check your document for spelling, grammar and style refinements, all while making sure you’re in control. When you want additional assistance, simply open the Editor pane by clicking on the pen icon in the ribbon. Editor can analyze your writing and give you statistics on readability, distinct words, and time to read the document. Some new Editor features unique to Word are:

 

Similarity Checker

The web provides every writer with a huge amount of reference material, and it can be challenging and time-consuming to properly do citations. Similarity checker helps by identifying potentially unoriginal content and making it easy to insert relevant citations. This feature will be available in the coming months in Word for the web.

 

Rewrite suggestions

Last year we announced rewrite suggestions for short phrases, and today we are announcing that we have expanded its capabilities to full sentence rewrites. Rewrite suggestions make it even easier to optimize your writing for fluency, conciseness, or readability. To get started, just highlight a sentence, right-click on it, and then select "Rewrite Suggestions" from the context menu. Available in Word for the web in English only.

 

Editor in Outlook

Today we are also announcing that Editor’s capabilities have been expanded to Outlook.com and Outlook on the web. With Editor, you can save time and press “send” confidently knowing your message is clear and concise. We are offering Editor’s spelling and grammar capabilities for free to Outlook.com users, while more advanced style-oriented capabilities will be extended exclusively to Microsoft 365 subscribers1.  

 

Editor in the browser extension

With the release of Microsoft Editor’s standalone browser extension, Editor now moves with you across the web so you can easily write clear, accurate content anywhere you want. Whether you are posting casually on Facebook or LinkedIn or writing in depth for a site like Medium, you can create with confidence knowing Editor will flag misspelled words and grammatical errors. As with the other places Editor is available, your Microsoft 365 subscription will give you access to advanced recommendations on style, clarity, inclusive language, and much more in 20+ languages. The Microsoft Editor browser extension will release in both the Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge web stores in the next few weeks. When available, install and get started!

 

Conclusion

With the power of AI, we are bringing the Microsoft Editor experience to all the places you write, meeting you where you are, and helping you to easily bring out your best writer. No matter what language you are writing in, we have you covered. It is all part of our broader vision for Microsoft 365, a productivity experience that puts AI to work for you. Over time, Microsoft Editor will evolve, becoming more helpful and accurate as we incorporate feedback from our customers to make improvements.

 

Microsoft Editor will begin rolling out today, with general availability by the end of April. 

 

1 Office 365 will become Microsoft 365 beginning April 21.

115 Comments
Brass Contributor

I've an active Office 365 Home subscription. But I'm not able to sign-in on Editor Edge add-on. Any known issues?

Microsoft

Hi Pradeep, the extension is not yet available. Look for the product to be in the stores by 4/21.

Brass Contributor

"Optimized for where you write most"... Teams will be considered eventually?

We use Teams to minimize the use of emails... 

Thank you

Copper Contributor

I'm an Office 365 subscriber, how can I use the new Microsoft Editor on Word as soon as possible?

Microsoft

Thanks Pradeep, we did remove the links and will update again when available.

CYAdol, Watch for the little Editor icon in the ribbon on the right hand side of your screen to start using in Word for the web and Win 32. General availability on 4/21.

Copper Contributor

@Megan_Dohnal Thanks for the information. I uninstalled my Win 64 version change to the Win 32 Word (12624.20320), still got no luck in getting the new Microsoft Editor. Do I need to enrolled to the insider program to get that?

Brass Contributor

Will there be an iOS version available for MSFT 365 Business users/subscribers?

Copper Contributor

I understand that Editor will release as an add-on in Edge and Chrome in late April. What's the plan for Word 365 for desktop?

Copper Contributor

Good stuff! Is there a list of the languages that will be supported by Editor AI capabilities? So far I've only been able to find there will be 20+ of them. And if Czech wouldn't be included for now, is there an estimate when will more languages be added? Thanks in advance :)

Silver Contributor

@Megan_Dohnal, thanks for this.  Looking forward to using and noticed it was with my Word app on desktop and on the web.  Looking forward to having this in regular use and hope it is as good as Grammarly or better.

Copper Contributor

Thanks @MeaganL Looking forward to 21 st April.  :)  BTW, would there be Android and iOS versions too? 

Microsoft

Word for Win32 and the web is rolling out as well and will be 100% available by 4/21. 

Silver Contributor

@Megan_Dohnal, I hope it comes to iOS and Android as well as Mac.

Copper Contributor

Hi @Megan_Dohnal!

 

Is Microsoft Editor being released for Mozilla Firefox in addition to Google Chrome? Considering that both use the WebExtensions standard, it shouldn't be additional work to build a Firefox version. It's almost irresponsible to build a browser extension in 2020 and release it only for Google Chrome.

Copper Contributor

@Megan_Dohnal No VSCode extension? People do write Markdown in VSCode, so you really should have a VSCode extension too.

Iron Contributor

Microsoft Editor extension for the new Microsoft Edge is now available.

Nawzil.com/Edge/Editor

Brass Contributor

I think the feature seems really great, but I'm concerned about privacy. When I install the extension, it says that it will be able to read anything on my web pages including what I type. Hmmm...

Copper Contributor

@Joshua_HVYeah, that's standard for what this extension does. It has to be able to read the page to be able to read your text, and the browser has no way to tell what pages you may or may not want it to be able to read. The same thing applies to extensions such as ad blockers and CSS injectors (e.g. Tampermonkey)-- they have to be able to see and edit ALL pages in order to edit the ones you want them to.

Brass Contributor

As to what @Firehawke @and @Joshua_HV  mentioned regarding privacy and security issues I am wondering whether or not Apple will allow ‘Editor’ as an extension based upon their (Apple’s) own privacy, safety and security policies and protocols.

Has this issue been discussed in ‘Editor’s’ development team @Megan_Dohnal ?

Thanks,

Substandard

Copper Contributor

Hopefully this will come to Android soon as a keyboard, or perhaps more likely, "SwiftKey - now with Microsoft Editor". Try as I may I simply haven't been able to find a better keyboard for Android, than Google's own Gboard. I'm somewhat of an old curmudgeon in terms of swipes and gestures on my touch devices, but I can't be doing without it's spacebar gesture to reposition the cursor and backspace gesture to delete multiple words with ease. If this Editor does come to Android, I'd happily give it a try, but if it doesn't include such features, which I now find essential, it'll likely only last a day or so, like each of the times that I've previously tried SwiftKey or Grammarly's keyboard.

Copper Contributor

I have Office 365 Home with one device running the store installed version which has Microsoft Editor available in Word, but the click-to-run version on another computer does not have it. Both are on Version 2004.

Copper Contributor

I would like to see this as a firefox extension. Porting the chrome extension should be relatively straight forward.

Bronze Contributor

Looking forward to trying this out. Looks awesome!

Copper Contributor

Will this be able to be used in third party applications?

If so, what would be the restrictions?

For example, if the user has an existing licensed desktop application, Office for example, would that allow them to use it in a third party application?

Thank you for your response.

*Corrected a typo in the previous version. 

Brass Contributor

I write in two languages, so I need to be changing languages. Is it possible that in the future we have two or more languages configured for review on Microsoft Edge extension?

Copper Contributor

This couldn’t come at a better time. I was considering on signing up for a well know competitor app. Now i can use the already awesome suite of office with an amazing tool. I can be stress free while writing. Thank you Microsoft... :)

Iron Contributor

I've done some testing, even thought the extension is available in Microsoft Extension Store, logging in with a Microsoft 365 account is now giving any grammar help in Microsoft Word online. The extension at the moment is only working in very few websites. Strangely that is works with WhatsApp on the web and not with Microsoft native tools.

 

I think this release was not very clear what is and what is not supported, what works, what doesn't and more information for Office 365 business subscribers

Copper Contributor

Is it possible we can use it on overleaf, a online latex editor?

Copper Contributor

I would be loving to see how it works will try out writing content for FinanceX :) Very Excited 

Bronze Contributor

@Megan_Dohnal which Office 365 licenses will be able to use this new feature?

Copper Contributor

@Megan_Dohnal will Microsoft Editor roll out for Microsoft 365 apps on macOS? 

Copper Contributor

@Megan_Dohnal Looking forward to using the app.

Are there any plans to add advanced features (beyond spell-checking) for Afrikaans? There is already a grammar and style checker available for Afrikaans, and it would be great if it could be incorporated in Editor as well. Thanks!  

Copper Contributor

Are there any plans to bring this as an add-in to desktop versions of the Office suite? 

Copper Contributor

So it will come out on Office/Microsoft 365 on April 21, correct?

Copper Contributor

I have a private Office 365 subscription and a somewhat limited edition at Work (that is, I can use web apps and desktop Teams but not install desktop Word).

Microsoft Editor shows up in Firefox when I open the link of a shared Word document, but is not visible in Word for Web under Edge.

I have the MS Editor Edge extension installed and use two profiles, one for work and one personal, and run them in different instances of Edge. Thank you in advance for any help

Copper Contributor

I trust the released version will correct split infinitives like this one: ‘helping you to easily bring out your best writer’, included in your conclusion. 
Whilst to necessarily split an infinitive is acceptable, to do so unecessarily is not.

Cheers ;)

Brass Contributor

I am looking forward to this. I like the editor tools in Word, so seeing them across devices will be useful.

 

It would be nice to see the roaming dictionary truly roam onto my Word on iPad too! (And for iPad word to become more of a desktop cone too).

 

@D_lord2045 - Nothing wrong with a split infinitive in any context. Just like with prepositions at the end of sentences or conjunctions in the front, they are hangovers from people trying to force Latin rules into English. Hopefull, therefore, the Editor will not be used to spuriously correct the unnecessary! :)  

Copper Contributor

Hi.

1. Will this be coming to Word on Win32 Click to Run?

2. Will this be coming to Word on macOS?

Thanks!

Copper Contributor

Finally, Now we have something that will take over Grammarly for sure. Using Grammarly Premium for free for a while now, and I am sure this grammar checker tool will surely help us to write quality and error-free content. There are tons of alternatives to Grammarly, but none of them stands against it.

I will write a review post on my blog for sure. :) Thank you for writing this guide as well. I will give it a try for sure.

Copper Contributor

I've been using this for about a week now and its very good, my only question is if you intend on making a version of this extension for Firefox

Copper Contributor

This app is great! When can we expect it to work with our business Office 365 accounts? I would love to share this with my company. 

Copper Contributor

This is great! I really like this new extension! :stareyes: I really want to see it become available on Firefox though, as I primarily use both Firefox and Edge. It's a little annoying to switch to Edge when wanting to use Editor while using Firefox, but I don't mind it for now. It'll be great to see how this extension develops into the future!

Copper Contributor

"Editor now moves with you across the web" is not really a true statement. Firefox, Safari, and Opera are just some of the browsers commonly used by people creating content for the web--I didn't say they were in the majority!--that adhere to web standards and use common rendering engines and that your extension doesn't support. I mean I realize that Microsoft, like Google and Apple and Amazon, want to be all things to all people and be the places where their customers spend all their time, but that's just not reality. Is it so much to ask for honesty out of Microsoft in 2020?

Microsoft

Thanks, we are looking into other browsers for Microsoft Editor to serve and love hearing our customer's feedback on what they are interested in next! 

Microsoft

Regarding desktop, yes it is in Word for the web (any browser) and Win 32 if you are a Microsoft 365 subscriber. Microsoft Editor supports Edge and Chrome browsers for places off Microsoft properties.

Copper Contributor

@Megan_Dohnal could you please comment on when we could expect to see Microsoft Editor for Word (and other Office Apps) for macOS? 

Copper Contributor

@Megan_Dohnal When will the rollout be finalised, since I still don't see editor on my desktop client (365 insider fast). It is on the web though.

Copper Contributor

I use three different languages in my work. But Microsoft Editor always identifies sentences in one language as wrong when I select others. It's so inconvenient to switch the setting during the working. Please introduce language detection feature.

Copper Contributor

Does Editor work directly within Outlook on my Office365 account or do I have to add an extension or something?  

Microsoft

Roll-out is finalized for enterprise customers (Web, Win32) with the exception of OWA which is still rolling-out. Outlook.com is also still rolling out and you do not need an add-in or extension. For MacOS, we will follow-up on dates but it is planned shortly. 

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