Google recently launched a beta for its Cloud Connect service for Microsoft Office. But massive interest in the project saw all spaces go in just a few hours.

“Tens of millions of people have moved to Google Docs because it’s 100% web: it provides real-time collaboration in the browser, with no software to install, manage or upgrade,” said Shan Sinha, Group Product Manager. “Of course, we know that many more of you still use Microsoft Office, because until recently, there weren’t many tools to help you collaborate and share with others. Now there’s more choice.”

This is where Cloud Connect comes in.

“For those of you who have not made the full move to Google Docs and are still using Microsoft Office, Google has something great to offer,” continued Sinha. “With Cloud Connect, people can continue to use the familiar Office interface, while reaping many of the benefits of web-based collaboration that Google Docs users already enjoy.

“Users of Office 2003, 2007 and 2010 can sync their Office documents to the Google cloud, without ever leaving Office. Once synced, documents are backed-up, given a unique URL, and can be accessed from anywhere (including mobile devices) at any time through Google Docs. And because the files are stored in the cloud, people always have access to the current version.”

The beta was a huge success, with all places going only a few hours after word got out. “Due to the extraordinary demand from thousands of businesses in just the last few hours, we are no longer accepting volunteers for our early testing programme,” said Sinha.

Mac enthusiasts were also told to not expect a beta. 

“Unfortunately due to the lack of support for open APIs on Microsoft Office for Mac, we are unable to make Google Cloud Connect available on Macs at this time. We look forward to when that time comes so we can provide this feature to our Mac customers as well.”

You can sign up to be notified of when Cloud Connect for Microsoft Office becomes available here.