Microsoft Office 2010 Starter Edition is a free but ad-supported version of Office 2010, and many may want to download it since it will satisfy the need of most home users.

Microsoft Office Starter Edition

Microsoft has introduced the Office Starter 2010, as a free but ad-supported version. But it has its limitations.

Microsoft Office 2010 Starter Edition can do the following things:

1. Create and edit simple Word documents and Excel spreadsheets
2. Open existing Word and Excel files
3. Manage a simple budget
4. Writing letters
5. Basic text work

Microsoft Office 2010 Starter Edition cannot do the following things:

1. Create PowerPoint presentations
2. Sending emails and keeping track of his calendar with Outlook
3. Organize notes with OneNote
4. Using macros
5. Modify toolbar
6. Retrieving external data in Excel
7. Insert table of contents, footnotes, and bibliography
8. Remove advertisements.
9. Track Changes Add comments and use Track Changes
10. Analyzing data with pivot tables
11. Create professional documents with SmartArt graphics.

Office Starter 2010 is designed for home users who are not ready to buy a full version of Office 2010.

You cannot download and install Office Starter. Microsoft probably did not want PC users to move to some freeware options, and therefore decided to use a Starter Edition of Office which includes Word & Excel, to retain the home user who in case mostly uses these two only.

Starter Edition can only come pre-loaded on an OEM computer and OEM manufacturers have two options:

• Install Microsoft PC Essentials @ $ 2 per license. This includes  Office Starter 2010.
• If OEM’s choose to install ONLY Office Starter 2010, then it costs them $5 per Office Starter 2010 license.

So you see, you cannot download Microsoft Office 2010 Starter Edition. You can only get it pre-loaded if you buy an OEM computer.

Read next: How to run Office Starter on Windows PC.

• Tags: Starter