Microsoft Office normally starts at 70 dollars per year, but there are a variety of ways to obtain the software at no cost. We’ll walk you through the various ways to access Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and many other Office applications for free without spending one cent.
Utilize Office Online with the browser; it’s free
No matter if you’re using the Windows 10 PC, Mac or Chromebook it’s possible to use Microsoft Office for free in the web browser. These web-based versions of Office are simplified and don’t run offline, however, they provide a robust editing experience. You can open and edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents from your browser.
To download these web-based applications, visit Office.com and sign in to your no-cost Microsoft account. Select an icon for the application–such as Word, Excel, or PowerPoint to open your web-based version of the application.
You can drag and drop files from your computer to the Office.com page. It will be uploaded into the storage of your Microsoft accounts’ free OneDrive storage and then you’ll be able to open it using the appropriate application.
Office’s web-based applications come with some limitations. They’re not as robust as the standard Office desktop apps available for Windows and Mac as well as you’re unable to use them offline. However, they offer robust Office applications. They’re also absolutely free.
Join for a Free One-Month Trial
If you only require Microsoft Office to use for a brief amount of time then you can enroll for a one-month trial for free. To avail of the deal, go to Microsoft’s Try Office for a free site, and then sign to sign up to try the trial.
You’ll have to supply an account with a credit card in order to sign up for the trial and the subscription will automatically renew following the first month. You can, however, cancel your subscription at any point–even immediately after signing up to ensure that you aren’t charged. You’ll be able to continue using Office for the remainder of the month for free after you have canceled.
After registering for the trial, you will be able to download the full versions of these Microsoft Office applications for Windows PCs as well as Macs. Additionally, you’ll be able to access fully-featured versions of these applications for other platforms, such as larger iPads.
This trial gives you access to the full range of Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) Home plans. It includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, as well as 1TB of storage space in OneDrive. You can share the storage with five people. They’ll have access to the apps through their Microsoft account. They will also each have their own 1TB of storage, which will give them a total of six TB storage.
Microsoft also provides free 30-day trials of Office 365 ProPlus, designed for business. You may be able to benefit from both of these offers for two months of no-cost Microsoft Office access.
You can use Office for free as a Teacher or Student
A lot of educational institutions have to pay for Office 365 plans, allowing students and teachers to download the software absolutely no cost.
To find out if the school is a participant, visit the Office 365 Education website and type in your school’s email address. You’ll receive a no-cost download if it’s accessible through the plan of your school.
If a school or college isn’t a participant with Microsoft Office, they may be able to provide Microsoft Office at a reduced cost for students and teachers via its bookshop. Make sure to inquire with your institution of study or at the very least, look at the website of the institution for more information.
Test the Mobile Apps on Smartphones as well as Small iPads
Microsoft’s Office applications are available for free on smartphones as well. If you have your iPhone and Android phone it is possible to install the Office mobile applications to access, create and edit documents for no cost.
If you’re using your iPad as well as an Android tablet, the applications can only allow you to create and edit documents if you own a “device with a screenless that 10.1 inches.” If you have larger tablets you can download these apps to browse documents, but you’ll require an annual subscription to edit and create documents.
In real life, this means that Word, Excel, and PowerPoint give you a complete experience at no cost on the iPad Mini and earlier 9.7-inch iPads. It is necessary to pay for a subscription for document editing with an iPad Pro or newer 10.2-inch iPads.
Join someone else’s Microsoft 365 Home Plan
Microsoft 365 Home subscriptions are intended to be shared by several users. The annual cost of $70 provides Office for one person, as well as the $100 annual subscription, provides Office that can be used by up to 6 users. The full experience is available and experience, including Office compatible with Windows PC and Macs tablets, as well as more.
Anyone who subscribes to Microsoft 365 Home (formerly called Office 365 Home) can share it with up 5 other Microsoft accounts. It’s very easy to share: Sharing is managed via the Office “Sharing” section on the Microsoft account website. The primary owner of the account is able to add five additional Microsoft accounts. Each of them will receive invite links.
Once the group is established members can log in with their personal Microsoft accounts to access Office applications, just as when they pay the cost of their individual subscriptions. Each account will be granted one TB in OneDrive storage.
Microsoft states that the subscription is designed to be shared between the members of your “household.” Therefore, should there is a member of your family, or even a roommate using the service, they are able to join your subscription at no cost.
The Home package is the most affordable option for those who pay the cost of Microsoft Office. If you could divide a $100 annual subscription across six users and pay less than $17 a year for each person.
In addition, Microsoft has a partnership with certain employers to provide a discount on Office subscriptions for employees. Visit the Microsoft website for the Home Use Program website to find out if you qualify to receive the discount.
Microsoft Office Alternatives for Free
If you’re in search of something different, think about using alternative office software. There are free office suites with excellent support for Microsoft Office documents, spreadsheets, and presentation documents. Here are a few of the most popular:
- LibreOffice is a no-cost and open-source office software available for Windows, Mac, Linux, and various other OSes. It’s like the version for desktops and desktop versions of Microsoft Office, and it is able to work with as well as create Office documents that are common types such as DOCX document, XLSX spreadsheets, and PPTX presentations. LibreOffice was created on the basis of OpenOffice. Although OpenOffice is still in use, LibreOffice has more developers and is currently the more widely used project.
- Adobe iWork offers a completely free collection of office software designed for Mac, iPhone, and iPad users. It’s Apple’s answer to Microsoft Office, and it was previously a paid application prior to when Apple released it for free. Windows PC users can use an online version of iWork via the iCloud website, as well.
- Google Docs is an extremely powerful collection of online office software. It stores your files on Google Drive, Google’s online storage service for files. Contrary to Microsoft’s Office web applications and other web-based applications, you can connect to Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides offline within Google Chrome.
If you do not want to pay monthly fees it is possible to purchase a boxed edition for Microsoft Office. But, Microsoft Office Home & Student 2019 is priced at $150, and you’re only able to install it on only one device. It’s not a complimentary upgrade for the latest big version of Office as well. If you’re planning to pay the cost of Office, the subscription is likely to be the best value–especially when you’re able to split the cost of a paid plan with other users.
