Microsoft Office 2016 released: updates for Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Outlook all revealed, as software updated for Windows 10

Update can be downloaded through the Office 365 subscription service, or bought as a one-off for Mac or PC

The Microsoft logo is seen before the start of a media event in San Francisco, California on Thursday, March 27, 2014. Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, unveiled a version of Office designed for the iPad today. Microsoft is tapping into its software past a (Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images)

Microsoft has started rolling out Office 2016, the new version of its productivity suite.

The company is now pushing out the update to members of its Office 365 subscription service, which allows people to sign up to a cloud-based version of the applications and store things there, rather than paying for the applications through a one-off purchase.

Office 2016 brings with it new versions of the suite’s desktop apps, including Word, PowerPoint and Excel. Each has been updated for Windows 10, which was released in July, Microsoft said.

"The way people work has changed dramatically, and that's why Microsoft is focused on reinventing productivity and business processes for the mobile-first, cloud-first world," said Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, in a statement. "These latest innovations take another big step forward in transforming Office from a familiar set of individual productivity apps to a connected set of apps and services designed for modern working, collaboration and teamwork."

The new update brings extra productivity features and new security tools. It also allows it to work properly with Windows 10, including support for the Cortana voice-controlled digital assistant within the applications themselves.

Office 365 subscribers can manually choose to download the update now. Otherwise, automatic updates will start rolling out to business subscribers at the end of the month and to commercial customers at the beginning of next year.

The new update can also be bought on its own for Mac or PC, without subscribing to the subscription service.