Microsoft to Offer Office 365 Without Teams After EU Antitrust Investigation
Work News | New Stardom
Teresa Ribera, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, speaking in Florence, September 2025.
Photo: EC – Audiovisual Service / Elisabetta Villa / European Union, 2025
Brussels - Microsoft will begin offering Office 365 and Microsoft 365 suites without its Teams collaboration app for European business customers, as part of a settlement with the European Commission that concludes a major antitrust investigation.
The change, announced in a European Commission press release on September 12, follows complaints from competitors including Slack and alfaview about Microsoft’s practice of including Teams by default in its business software. After a two-year review, the Commission accepted Microsoft’s commitments, which are now legally binding across the European Economic Area.
Microsoft’s commitments include:
Providing versions of Office 365 and Microsoft 365 without Teams, at a lower price.
Allowing long-term customers to switch to suites without Teams.
Ensuring better interoperability between competing collaboration tools and Microsoft apps such as Word and Outlook.
Enabling users to move their Teams data to rival services.
These measures will remain in place for at least seven years, with extended requirements on interoperability and data portability. An independent trustee will oversee compliance and mediate any disputes.
Teams’ rapid rise in Europe was driven by its integration into Microsoft’s widely used productivity suites. The Commission found that this practice could restrict competition in the market for workplace collaboration platforms.
“Organisations big and small across Europe and around the world rely heavily on videoconferencing, chat and collaboration tools, especially since the coronavirus pandemic,” said Teresa Ribera, Executive Vice-President for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition. “With today’s decision, we make binding for seven years or more Microsoft’s commitments to put an end to its tying practices...and ensure that businesses can freely choose the communication and collaboration product that best suits their needs.”
If Microsoft fails to meet its commitments, the Commission has the authority to impose significant financial penalties.
What’s Next for Tech Competition in Europe?
Regulators and industry analysts view the Microsoft settlement as a potential turning point in European tech regulation. With new laws like the Digital Markets Act coming into force, the Commission is expected to take a closer look at how digital services are bundled and how market power is exercised, across not just productivity software, but also cloud platforms, search engines, and other digital services.
The outcome of this case could serve as a blueprint for future antitrust action, signaling to other tech giants that the EU will continue to press for open markets and fair competition in the digital sector.
Case numbers: AT.40721 and AT.40873.
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