Microsoft releases Office 2010 and SharePoint 2010 Service Pack 2 Public Beta

Back in January, we learned about Office 2010 Service Pack 2 entering private beta testing. Microsoft sent out invites to select testers to get their hands on the new Office 2010 SP2, which is the sequel to SP1, released nearly a year and a half ago.

Microsoft is now allowing a public beta test for the service pack. The Beta build of Service Pack 2 is dated April 8th of 2013 and comes in a 32bit flavor for Office 2010 (1,759.51 MB) as well as a 64bit flavor for Office 2010 (1,954.7 MB).

Microsoft has not revealed exactly what is new with Office 2010 Service Pack 2, but stated that there were improvements in stability and performance and compatibility with Windows 8 and IE10. Service Pack 2 is valid for Office 2010, Project 2010, Visio 2010, SharePoint Designer 2010, Office 2010 Language Pack, and Office 2010 Filter Pack.

“This service pack beta includes previously unreleased fixes that were made specifically for this service pack. In addition to general product fixes, these fixes include improvements in stability, performance, and security as well as compatibility with Windows 8, Windows Server 2012, and Internet Explorer 10. The service pack beta also includes all the public updates and cumulative updates (hotfixes) that have been released since Service Pack 1. A full list of fixes will be available at the time of final release,” Microsoft stated.

Office 2010 has been available since June of 2010 and according to recent reports, Office 2010 was discontinued by Microsoft. In fact, some retailers were reported to have jacked up the price of Office 2010’s cheapest multi-license package as a result.

The Public Beta of Service Pack 2 is valid until December 31st of 2013, or until Microsoft releases the final version of Service Pack 2, and is available in either English or Japanese. Hit the source link to read the EULA and download SP2!

Thanks for the tip, Krst1! Much appreciated!