Luckily, if you’re using Windows 8 or Windows 8.1, we can easily disguise Office Online apps (Word Online, Excel Online, and PowerPoint Online) and make them feel more like if we’re using the full desktop apps without having to install anything — just do the following:
How to use Office Online as full desktop apps
Basically the only thing you have to do is to link to the right page to create a new document in Word Online, Excel Online, and PowerPoint Online; links that you will open with the Metro-style version of Internet Explorer 11, just because the modern version of IE offers a chromeless full-screen experience and it will feel like you’re using the desktop version of the apps. The best part is that not only you’ll get a full screen experience using Office Online, but the links to start a new document will also give you the choice of how you want to create the new document. You can choose to create a new blank document, choose from free templates, and you can even get the link to open a recent document you’ve been working on.
Repeat the same steps for the remaining Office Online apps, but for Excel use the following URL: And for PowerPoint use this URL:
These shortcuts blend extremely well in the Start screen and they’ll give a faster access to your favorite Office apps. You can do this in your desktop computer, but this is also a great tip for those users with tablets that run the full version of Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 and it didn’t come with Office 2013 pre-installed. Lastly, if you’re not using Windows 8 yet, you can use this guide as a reference to create shortcuts that you can bookmark in your web browser on Windows 7 or Windows Vista as Microsoft is also ending the support of Office 2003 on April 8th, 2014, altogether with Windows XP and it’s time to move on. All content on this site is provided with no warranties, express or implied. Use any information at your own risk. Always backup of your device and files before making any changes. Privacy policy info.
