Microsoft has started to install Office Progressive web apps to Windows 10 devices without permission from users, according to multiple reports. The apps include PWA versions of Word, Outlook, PowerPoint and Excel. They have started to show up as dedicated entries in the Start Menu and the apps can be seen in the ‘Programs and Features’ as recently installed. A few users have reported that Microsoft has restarted their Windows 10 devices without permission to install the apps through a software update. It was reported at first that the test was carried out for only the members of Insider and the similar forced update is being experienced by those who are not a member of Insider.
PWA or Progressive Web Apps are those apps that open up via a browser and run without executables on a computer. According to The Verge and Windows Latest, PWA versions of Word, Outlook, PowerPoint and Excel were installed automatically on Windows 10 devices without seeking permission of the users. A few users also experienced a forced restart for the installation of these apps without their permission. BleepingComputer.com said that Microsoft was forced to install these PWA’s in the new Edge for some users and register them with Windows 10.
Microsoft normally sends reminders to update the Windows devices, but the recent forced updates to pitch their own web apps raises many privacy red flags. In any situation, users can uninstall the apps by going to Control Panel > Programs & Features or Settings App > Apps and Features page.
Before this forced installation of PWA’s started in Windows 10, Microsoft provided Outlook as a PWA option that can be chosen by any user. The installation of the Office app as a PWA was a user controlled option and was not pre-installed. The web-based apps are available for free to all users.