Introducing Office Home & Student 2013 RT Preview
Windows RT powered tablets come with Office Home & Student 2013 RT Preview – preview editions of new Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote applications built especially for your tablet. They’re called Word 2013 RT, Excel 2013 RT, PowerPoint 2013 RT and OneNote 2013 RT, and include many features that make it much easier to use Office on the go.
There are some differences, though, between Office Home & Student 2013 RT and other versions of Office, and this page is meant to explain those differences.
Office Home & Student 2013 RT Preview
FAQ's
Show Hide What does Office Home & Student 2013 RT Preview include?
  • Special early editions of best-in-class Office applications – Word 2013 RT, Excel 2013 RT, PowerPoint 2013 RT and OneNote 2013 RT designed for tablets.
  • Default save to SkyDrive allows you to manage all types of documents online, access them on your tablet and share them with others.
  • Your recent Office documents and personal settings roam with you – simply sign in and go.
Show Hide What is a preview edition of Office Home & Student 2013 RT?
  • A special early edition, sometimes called a beta or preview, installed on your tablet before Office Home & Student 2013 RT testing was complete.
  • The final edition – Office Home & Student 2013 RT – will be installed when it is available.
Show Hide If my tablet includes a preview edition of Microsoft Office Home & Student 2013 RT Preview, how do I get the final edition?
After the final editions release, you’ll be automatically updated for free via Windows Update. The update can also be accessed manually at any time after it releases. On your Windows RT device go to the Start Screen and search “Windows Update” and from the Settings filter select either ‘Windows Updates’ or ‘Check for Updates’. You can also access Windows Update through Control Panel and tap or click “Check for Updates”. (Internet Wi-Fi connection required for update and Internet usage charges may apply).
Show Hide If I push the reset button on my Windows RT tablet after the final edition – Office Home & Student 2013 RT – is installed, will I still have the final edition?
Not at first – If you reset your tablet, it will revert to the preview edition – Office Home & Student 2013 RT Preview – installed on your tablet when you bought it. You’ll be automatically updated again via Windows Update. As before, the update will be free, but Internet access through a Wi-Fi connection is required and Internet usage charges may apply. Most users don’t need to reset their tablets, so this may not affect you.
Show Hide Can I use Office Home & Student 2013 RT for work or business?
As sold, Office Home & Student 2013 RT Preview and the final edition are not designed for commercial, nonprofit, or revenue-generating activities. However, organizations who purchase commercial use rights or have a commercial license to Office 2013 suites can use Office Home & Student 2013 RT for commercial, nonprofit, or revenue-generating activities..
Show Hide Does Office Home & Student 2013 RT (Preview and the final edition) include the same features as Office Home & Student 2013 on my Windows 7 or Windows 8 PC?
Almost – Word 2013 RT, Excel 2013 RT, PowerPoint 2013 RT and OneNote 2013 RT in Office Home & Student 2013 RT include the vast majority of Office Home & Student 2013 features available on PCs, and nearly all the features most customers use. But because tablets have special needs for security and mobility, a few features are unavailable in Office Home & Student 2013 RT, including macros, add-ins, and other custom programs written by users or developed by third parties.
Show Hide What Office Home & Student 2013 features are unavailable in Office Home & Student 2013 RT?
Across multiple applications
  1. Macros, Add-Ins, Forms, and Custom Programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

    In other versions of Office you or a software developer can use tools such as Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) to write and run macros and other custom programs in Office. VBA is not available for the applications in Office Home & Student 2013 RT.

    To use macros, add-ins, forms with custom code, or other custom programs in Office documents, you need a version of Office other than Office Home & Student 2013 RT on a computer or tablet not powered by Windows RT. Other versions of Office cannot be installed on Windows RT devices. For example, Office Home & Student 2013 and Office Professional 2013 support these features but cannot be installed on Windows RT devices.

    If you already use macros, add-ins, InfoPath forms with custom programs, or other custom programs in your PC or Mac version of Office, you will not be able to use them in Office Home & Student 2013 RT.

  2. Send Email Features (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote)

    Your Windows RT tablet does not support Outlook or other desktop email applications such as Mozilla Thunderbird or Opera. Due to this, certain email features available for Office documents in other Office versions are not supported in Office Home & Student 2013 RT:

    • "Send as … (attachment)" features in the Office Backstage view
    • Word mail merge features related to email
    • Sending email links to share slides using the PowerPoint Broadcast Slide Show button on the Slide Show tab
    • OneNote email share options and email-related options in the Tools/Options menu
    • Many email-related buttons in the Office Ribbon and Quick Assist Toolbar

    Instead, you can open your Windows RT email app or use another email app that may be available from the Windows Store, manually create an email message and attach your document to it.

  3. SkyDrive Sync Integration (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

    Office Home & Student 2013 RT does not support automatic synchronization between personal SkyDrive documents and your local disk. Instead, you can access SkyDrive through the Office Backstage view and use the Open or Save commands to open or save your documents.

  4. Equation Editor 3.0 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

    Office Home & Student 2013 RT does not support editing equations written with Equation Editor, which was used in older versions of Office. You’ll still be able to view equations written with Equation Editor, but you cannot edit them. An improved feature to make it easier to write and edit equations was introduced in Office 2007 and is included in Office Home & Student 2013 RT. You can find it in the Insert toolbar under Symbols.

  5. Lync File Download

    Microsoft Lync is not included on Windows RT devices. As a result the “Allow Lync File Download” command is disabled and files/attachments from Lync meetings cannot be downloaded into OneNote. To use the Lync File Download feature, you need Office 365 Small Business Premium, a version of Office that includes the Lync application on a computer or tablet not powered by Windows RT. Other versions of Office cannot be installed on Windows RT devices.

Word only
Grammar checking for certain language versions of Office

The grammar checking /style checking feature in Word 2013 RT is available for the following languages only: English, French, German, Spanish, Arabic, Danish, Italian, Norwegian Bokmal, Portuguese – Brazilian, Russian, Japanese, Chinese – Simplified, Chinese –Traditional and Korean. Spell checking and other proofing components are available for more languages.

Grammar / style checkers for some of these languages were not ready in time for the preview edition, but will be included in the final edition of Word 2013 RT.

Excel only
Data Models

Excel 2013 RT does not support creating a Data Model. You can create traditional PivotTables, QueryTables and Pivot Charts. To create a Data Model, use a version of Office other than Office Home & Student 2013 RT on a computer or tablet not powered by Windows RT. Other versions of Office cannot be installed on Windows RT devices. For example, Office Home & Student 2013 and Office Professional 2013 support this feature but cannot be installed on Windows RT devices.

PowerPoint only
  1. Slide Library ActiveX Control

    PowerPoint 2013 RT does not support the SharePoint Slide Library toolbar for slide library related actions (insert/upload/etc.) Instead, you can use the Slide Reuse pane, which you can find at Home Tab -> New Slide -> Reuse Slides.

  2. Legacy Media Formats in PowerPoint

    PowerPoint 2013 RT does not support certain legacy media formats. These older formats will not play, transcode, compress, or be included when exporting a presentation to video. It is likely that other applications on Windows RT devices will be unable to support these legacy media formats.

    Instead of using legacy media formats, you should use modern media formats such as H.264 and Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), which PowerPoint 2013 RT supports. You can convert to modern media formats through the Optimize for Compatibility feature found in the Backstage view of PowerPoint 2010 or non-RT versions of PowerPoint 2013.

  3. PowerPoint Flash Video Playback

    In PowerPoint 2013 RT you will not be able to insert or play back videos from online sites that use video designed for the Adobe Flash Player.

  4. Recording Narrations

    You will not be able to use the Record Narrations feature in PowerPoint 2013 RT.

OneNote only
  1. Audio and video recording

    Recording audio/video notes from inside OneNote 2013 RT is not supported. Instead, you can record audio or video with other software, then insert it through Insert → File to add onto the OneNote page.

  2. Import through scanner

    Importing a printed document or picture into OneNote 2013 RT through an attached scanner is not supported. Instead, you can scan images through another program (for example, the default scanning app in Windows RT or another scanning app you download from the Windows Store), then import the images into OneNote.

  3. Audio & video search

    Searching for words appearing in an embedded audio or video file is not supported in OneNote 2013 RT.

Show Hide Does the early edition – Office 2013 Home & Student RT Preview – lack any features that will be in the final edition?
Yes – additional features may be added to the final edition of Office Home & Student 2013 RT.
Show Hide I still have questions; is there someone I can contact?
Your tablet manufacturer configured your hardware and software and should be your primary resource for technical support. Your tablet manufacturer may offer free warranty support, depending upon when you bought it and your issue. Tap or click here for a list of manufacturers with contact information.
Show Hide What support options does Microsoft provide?
Microsoft support options may available to you, depending upon the Microsoft product and your issue. They include:
  • Self-help support. Free self-help support for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote is available right from those applications: to start help, tap or click the question mark in the upper-right corner of the application window. You can also search Support right here on Office.com to find help for all Office products including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote.

    If you’re new to tablets, read the tips in the Office Touch Guide. For help getting started with Office on your tablet, see Find and start Office applications on Windows 8 or Windows RT.

    For additional free self-help support resources, please see the list of Microsoft Product Solution Centers and select the appropriate product.
  • Help from others. Go to http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/office for answers and solutions to problems others have shared.
  • Free support. Users of Microsoft software preinstalled by computer or tablet manufacturers can benefit from Microsoft no-charge support for issues directly related to one (or more) of the following subjects:
  • Microsoft Update
  • Windows Update
  • Service Pack installations
If your issue is directly related to one (or more) of the subjects above, then please select your product from the Assisted Support products list and submit your incident.

Paid support. You may still be able to purchase support from Microsoft. To see what support options are available for your product, please select your product from the Assisted Support products list.
  • If you are in North America, please go here for paid support.
  • Outside North America, please go here to contact support.
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