Office 2013 Preview App-V packages available (App-V 5.0 Beta)

Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) makes applications available to users' computers without requiring users to install the applications directly on their computers. A process known as sequencing the application is used to enable applications to run in their own self-contained virtual environments on the client computer. The sequenced applications are isolated from each other. This eliminates application conflicts, and allows the applications to interact with the client computer. On July 24th, 2012, the App-V team released App-V 5.0 Beta which administrators can download from the Microsoft Connect site. App-V 5.0 provides new features for customers who are running Windows 7 and Windows 8 in their organizations. Advantages include:

  • Improved platform integration
  • Consistent virtual application experience for users
  • Efficiency and ease of management in VDI environments
  • Reporting capabilities
  • Integration with System Center Configuration Manager 2012
  • End-to-end programmability

Customers have been asking about virtualizing Office, and on July 24th, 2012, Microsoft released Microsoft Office 2013 Preview App-V packages. This download delivers Office 2013 Preview Click-to-Run as an App-V package. Click-to-Run is a Microsoft streaming and virtualization technology that significantly reduces the time that is required to download and use Office products.

What does this mean to App-V administrators?

  • No more sequencing Office
  • No Office Deployment Kit required
  • No more Q: drive
  • Add-ins can be sequenced and added to the core Office experience with Connection Groups (which also enables centralized management of add-ins)
  • Ability to publish Office apps and add-ins before they are locally-cached

Administrators can roll out Office quickly, provide on-demand access, and install Office side-by-side with existing Office installations on the same computer. Office can interact with the other applications that are installed on the computer.

For information about App-V, see the following resources:

For information about Click-to-Run, see:

For information about 64-bit editions of Office 2013 Preview and supported scenarios for coexistence, see: