Microsoft to shut down its Docs.com file-sharing site December 15
Microsoft will be shuttering its Docs.com site on December 15, 2017.
Officials posted a notice of the planned end of service on June 9 on its Docs.com site. In that note, Microsoft attributed overlap between SlideShare, which is part of LinkedIn, and OneDrive with Docs.com as the reasons for the December 2017 closing. Microsoft bought LinkedIn last year.
Microsoft is advising users to migrate and/or delete content they shared on Docs.com as soon as possible.
In 2015, Microsoft revamped its Docs.com site to become a new "Internet destination" where users could publish for public consumption their Office documents, including Sways. Along with Sways, users can post Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Office Mix documents and/or collections that will be discoverable by search engines to the Docs.com site. Microsoft originally introduced Docs.com as part of a collaboration with Facebook in 2010. Microsoft Docs was a project to try to get Facebook users to use Microsoft's Office Web Apps.
As of today, June 9, creating new Docs.com accounts is no longer supported. Those with existing accounts can still view, edit, publish, download, and delete their existing content. As of August 1, publishing and editing content on Docs.com will no longer be supported.
After December 15, Docs.com will no longer be available. After May 15, 2018, any links to Docs.com content users previously shared and that were automatically redirected to transferred content on OneDrive will stop working.
Microsoft is advocating that those who want to publish their Word, PowerPoint, and PDF content use SlideShare.
"For custom sharing, OneDrive offers additional tools, permission settings and security to help share and protect your data and content," said Microsoft in its note.
Microsoft published instructions for moving files and content from Docs.com to OneDrive and/or OneDrive for Business. In a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) article accompanying these instructions, Microsoft officials answer other Docs.com transfer-related questions.
(Thanks to "Jaiebey" for the Docs.com shutdown tip.)