Microsoft introduces Mac Office 2019 test version for systems with Apple M1-soc

Microsoft has introduced a Universal build of Mac Office 2019 in its Beta Channel. This build includes support for Mac systems with an Apple M1-soc, in addition to support for systems with Intel x86 processors.

The trial version of the Universal build of Mac Office 2019 has been released in the Beta Channel, reports Erik Schwiebert, who is working on Office software for Apple at Microsoft. He will not announce when the final release will take place. According to him, this is an early look at the software for people buying Mac systems with the M1-soc.

He also points out that the executables for the universal build are about 50 percent larger in size than the existing build of Mac Office 2019. The apps are about 12 percent larger and the installer is about 12 percent larger in size.

Microsoft’s Office products run through Apple’s Rosetta 2 emulation layer in macOS Big Sur on systems with an M1 chip until the release of the Universal version. Microsoft reports that when users start Office apps for the first time, they take about 20 seconds longer to be ready to use, because macOS needs to optimize the code for the M1.

Microsoft recommends running the November 2020 release, build 16.43, of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote and OneDrive. These contain the latest optimizations for mac OS Big Sur. The latest version of Apple’s operating system is now available, as Apple announced on Tuesday. Apple’s own apps are already Universal apps. Apps on Apple’s Universal Platform run natively on both the Arm-based M1-soc and Intel x86 processors. The Rosetta 2 emulation is available for apps that are not yet Universal.