How to Download and Install Microsoft 365 Insider (Office Insider) Preview Builds in Windows?

What are Microsoft 365 Insider (Office Insider) Preview Builds?

Microsoft 365 Insider (previously known as Office Insider) Preview builds are testing builds of Office suite which come with new features and changes which will become a part of future versions of Office apps released to public.

Office Insider builds are similar to Windows 10 or Windows 11 Insider Preview builds. These builds are provided free to insiders for testing purposes only. Insiders can install and test the builds and provide feedback and suggestions to Microsoft Office team. It helps Office team in fixing known issues and bugs to make the Office product stable and ready for public release i.e. RTM.

Office Insider builds come with following apps bundled: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Access, Project and Visio.

Since Office Insider builds are testing builds for early access new features, you might face bugs and issues while using these builds such as crashing issues, unwanted error messages, performance issues, etc.

We share updates about new Office Insider Preview builds in following exclusive article:

Microsoft Office New Insider Preview Build Available for Download

In this article, we’ll tell you how to join and enroll in Office Insider program to test drive Office Insider Preview builds.

Microsoft 365 Insider (Office Insider) Preview Builds Prerequisites:

Your device must be eligible to install Office Insider builds. You can check the eligibility using following steps:

• Open any Microsoft Office program such as Microsoft Word.
• Go to File -> Account page.
• Check your Office license type given under “Product Information” section.

If you see Subscription Product and Microsoft 365 under Product Information section, you are eligible to join and sign up for Office Insider program.

If you see Office 2013, 2016, 2019, etc version numbers under Product Information section, it means you have a perpetual license (one-time purchase). Since you have a non-subscription version of Office suite, you are NOT eligible to join and sign up for Office Insider program.

How to Join or Enroll in Microsoft 365 Insider (Office Insider) Program?

If you have Office subscription as mentioned above, you can follow the steps given below to join Office Insider program:

1. Open any Office program such as Microsoft Word and go to File -> Account page.

2. You’ll see “Office Insider” option given below Product Information section.

Click on Office Insider button and then select Join Office Insider option.

3. It’ll open a new window. Select “Sign me up for early access to new releases of Office” checkbox.

4. Now you’ll need to choose Insider channel from the drop-down box. There are 2 Insider channels or rings provided to select similar to Windows Insider Program:

• Beta Channel
• Current Channel (Preview)

Select the desired channel using drop-down box.

5. Check the terms and conditions checkbox to accept the policy and then click on OK button.

That’s it. You have successfully joined Office Insider program.

Now you can click on “Office Updates -> Update Now” option given on Account page to check for new Office Insider Preview builds.

It’ll immediately start downloading and installing available Insider build of Office.

How to Leave (Opt-out) Microsoft 365 Insider (Office Insider) Program?

In future, if you decide to leave Office Insider program, following steps will help you:

1. Open any Office program such as Microsoft Word and go to File -> Account page.

2. Click on Office Insider button and then select Change Level option.

3. It’ll open a new window. Uncheck “Sign me up for early access to new releases of Office” checkbox and click on OK button.

It’ll remove you from Office Insider program.

Also Check:

How to Download and Install Windows 11 Insider Preview Builds in Your Computer?