When Microsoft transitioned to Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365), they moved to a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model. This means users pay a monthly or annual fee to use the software. For many, this "forever payment" is unappealing. Office 2010 represents the "perpetual license" era—you bought it once, and you owned it forever. Searching for a free download is often a desire to return to that one-time-payment simplicity.