About This Article
This article is created using an automated generation workflow powered by generative AI. It reviews the Microsoft Sway Service Description, organizes its positioning in Microsoft 365 Enterprise, and explains how to use it after the Windows desktop app reached end of support on June 1, 2026.Verification Status: 📘 Official Information Confirmed / Actual Device Not Tested
Microsoft Sway is a Microsoft 365 app that lets you arrange text, images, videos, and embedded content on a web canvas to create browser-friendly reports and stories. Unlike PowerPoint's concept of showing slides sequentially, Sway is suited for web content shared via links.
Licenses and Key Changes in 2026
The Microsoft Service Description lists Sway as a service available in Microsoft 365 Enterprise. M365 E3/E5 users can use the web version if the service is enabled by their organization.
| Item | M365 E3 | M365 E5 |
|---|---|---|
| Sway Web Version | Supported | Supported |
| Windows Desktop Version | End of Support | End of Support |
| Existing Sway Content | Accessible via Web | Accessible via Web |
What is particularly important is that Sway itself has not been discontinued. While the Microsoft Sway Windows desktop app (Win32 client) is no longer supported as of June 1, 2026, Microsoft clarifies that the web version and access to existing content will continue.
When Should You Use It?
Internal event reports
Activity reports featuring many photos
Making long presentation materials easier to read on the web
Simple guides to be viewed via URL
Explanatory content meant to be viewed on both PCs and smartphones
For precise print layouts, Word may be more natural; for presenter-controlled slides, PowerPoint; and for continuously co-edited page collections, SharePoint or Loop.
Try It First: An Activity Report with Just Three Blocks
Create a new test Sway and place only the following three elements.
タイトル: 今月の活動報告 1. 今月やったこと 2. 写真または図を1枚 3. 来月やること
Automatically adjust the design once, and check how it looks on PC and narrow screens in the preview.
Check These Points
Whether the content order is as intended
Whether text and images are rearranged according to screen width
Whether the sharing link audience is within the intended scope
In practice, it is important to verify sharing permissions before worrying about aesthetics.
Change One Thing
Add a single image and change the emphasis level. You will notice that instead of manually aligning coordinates like in Word, much is left to Sway's design engine.
Prompt to Shorten Text Using Generative AI
次の活動報告をMicrosoft Swayに載せます。 「概要 / 今月の成果 / 写真に添える説明 / 次の予定」の4ブロックに整理してください。 各ブロックは150文字以内にし、元文にない成果や数値は追加しないでください。 [活動報告を貼る]
Because Sway is well suited for skim-reading on the web, shortening and organizing text block by block makes it easier to use than pasting long passages as-is.
Best Practices for Business Use
Verify publication and sharing scopes before publishing
Avoid casually including personal information or confidential external images
Determine a separate storage location for source data
Do not rely on Sway as the sole repository for official documents
Define role sharing with tools like SharePoint if operating long-term as internal procedures
Points for Administrators to Check
Whether the Sway service is enabled in the tenant
Organizational rules regarding external sharing and publishing
Devices or software catalogs where the Windows desktop version was deployed
Whether internal procedures guide users to the web version from June 1, 2026 onwards
Service change information such as Microsoft 365 Message center
Practical Response to the Desktop Version Retirement
If old internal manuals state "Launch Sway from the Start menu," they need to be updated. Direct users to the web version entrance, test that existing Sways open properly, and then switch user procedures.
Official and Primary Sources
Microsoft Sway service description: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/servicedescriptions/microsoft-sway-service-description
Getting started with Sway: https://support.microsoft.com/office/getting-started-with-sway
As of September 17, 2026, the Windows desktop version has already passed its end-of-support date. It is important not to confuse this with the discontinuation of the Sway web service itself.
