Microsoft 365 Basic is a $1.99 per month subscription that offers 100 GB storage and more.

Microsoft introduces a new category for its Microsoft 365 subscriptions. Microsoft 365 Basic costs $1.99 per Month and replaces the 100GB OneDrive storage option. It also includes a few additional features that fall between the free option or the personal subscription at $6.99 per months.

Microsoft 365 Basic will be made available worldwide from January 30th with 100GB of cloud storage and an ad-free Outlook mobile and web experience. It also includes enhanced security features such as ad-free Outlook web or mobile experience and enhanced security features. Data encryption for Outlook mailbox, suspicious links scanning, and virus/malware scan for attachments are some of the security features. Microsoft 365 Basic will automatically be upgraded to 100GB OneDrive storage customers for the same $1.99 per monthly price.

We’ll also have a suite if OneDrive advanced security products later in the year. personal vaultexpired password protected links, ransomware detection and recovery, and bulk file recovery,” says Gareth Oestrick, director of product marketing for Microsoft 365, in an interview with The edge.

Microsoft 365 Basic will also provide access to Microsoft Technical Support. This includes help by phone and online chat for Microsoft 365 apps, as well as Windows 11. The main difference between the $6.99 Personal and the $1.99 Basic subscriptions is that Microsoft 365 Basic doesn’t include access the desktop versions Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. Basic subscribers will be required to use the mobile or web versions.

“We know a lot of people are using our services today, but some of them are running out of storage space or want extra benefits that you don’t get with a Microsoft 365 free trial,” says Oystryk. This package was also created with Windows users in our mind. Microsoft 365 Basic is designed for Windows users who require extra storage. However, it also looks like Microsoft’s way to introduce people to its productivity subscriptions.

Microsoft will also rename the Office app for mobile devices, and Windows to Microsoft 365, later in the month. It reflects the brand changes Microsoft made last year. Microsoft Office will largely be referred to as Microsoft 365to move on. “Is the Office brand going away completely? No,” Oystryk explains. “We’ve invested a lot in Microsoft 365 and it’s really become our leading productivity suite, so Office plays less of a role because that’s where our focus is. Office will still appear in certain contexts. It’s a shift in focus as we double down on using Microsoft 365 as our productivity suite, And we want people, when they think about productivity, to think of Microsoft 365, not Office.”

It will also mark 10 years since Microsoft introduced Office subscriptions to consumers. Office 365 Home Premium was then known as the plan. It included access to Office desktop apps and 20 GB of cloud storage. This subscription now includes 1TB cloud storage and a variety of other features.

Liat BenZur, Microsoft vice-president, stated in a blog, “There is one thing which hasn’t changed during the past 10 years. Price.” Microsoft 365 Personal and Microsoft 365 Family cost $6.99 and $9.99 respectively per month. While inflation and other subscription costs have driven up prices over the past decade Microsoft states it has no immediate plans for raising prices for Microsoft 365 Personal or Family, but Oystryk doesn’t rule it out in the near future.