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Microsoft is installing Office Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) on Windows 10 devices without asking for user permission, multiple reports suggest. These include the PWA versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. These are displayed as dedicated entries in the Start menu, and these applications also appear under ‘Programs and Features’ as recently installed. Some users are reporting that Microsoft rebooted their Windows 10 devices without permission to install these web apps through a software update. Initially, it was reported that this was a test conducted for Insider members only, but non-Insider members are also experiencing the same forced update.
Progressive web applications (PWA) are applications that are opened through a browser and run without executables on your computer. The Verge and Windows Latest report that the PWA versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook were automatically installed on your Windows 10 devices without permission. Some users even experienced a forced restart for the installation of these web applications without any consent. BleepingComputer.com also reported that Microsoft was forcibly installing these PWAs on the new Edge for some users and registering them with Windows 10.
While Microsoft has been known to send out rigorous reminders to update your Windows devices regularly, these mandatory updates to launch your own web applications raise several privacy red flags. In any case, users can uninstall these applications through the Control Panel> Programs and Features or Settings app> Apps and features page.
Before this forceful installation of PWA began on Windows 10 devices, Microsoft offered Outlook as a PWA option that any user could choose. Even installing the Office application as a PWA was a user controlled option and was not pre-installed. These web-based applications are available free of charge to all users and can be accessed on the web through the following links:
Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint.
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