Introduction
Microsoft Office is generally priced at $70 per year, however there are several methods to obtain it for free. We’ll show you how you can acquire Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other Office apps for free.
It is free to use Office Online in a browser.
Whether you have a Windows 10 PC, a Mac, or a Chromebook, you can use Microsoft Office on a web browser for free. Office online versions are simplified and do not operate offline, but they nevertheless provide a sophisticated editing experience. In your browser, you may access and create Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents.
Simply go to Office.com and join in with a free Microsoft account to use these free web programs. To access the online version of a program, click its icon, such as Word, Excel, or PowerPoint.
Alternatively, you may drag and drop a file from your PC into the Office.com website. It will be saved to your Microsoft account’s free OneDrive storage, and you will be able to open it in the connected program.
The online apps for Microsoft Office have several restrictions. These apps aren’t as feature-rich as the old Office desktop apps for Windows and Mac, and you can’t use them offline. They do, however, provide remarkably strong Office apps that are entirely free.
Sign up for a one-month free trial.
If you only need Microsoft Office for a few days, you may sign up for a one-month free trial. To use this offer, go to Microsoft’s Try Microsoft 365 for free website and sign up for a trial.
To sign up for the trial, you must submit a credit card, and it will automatically renew at the end of the month. You may, however, cancel your membership at any time—even soon after signing up—to avoid being paid. After canceling, you can use Office for the remainder of your free month.
You may download full versions of these Microsoft Office apps for Windows PCs and Macs after joining the trial. You’ll also have access to the applications’ full versions on other devices, including bigger iPads.
This trial provides you with complete access to a Microsoft 365 (previously Office 365) Home subscription. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, and 1TB of OneDrive storage are included. It is possible to share it with up to five other individuals. They’ll each get access to the applications through their Microsoft account, and each will have their own 1TB of storage for a total of 6TB.
Microsoft also provides free 30-day trials of Microsoft 365 for Business, which is aimed towards enterprises. Both offers for two months of free Microsoft Office access may be available to you.
As a student or teacher, you can get free office space.
Many educational organizations pay for Office 365 subscriptions, which allow students and teachers to download software for free.
To see if your school is a participant, go to the Office 365 Education page and input your school’s email address. If it is available via your school’s plan, you will be offered a free download.
Even if a university or institution does not participate, its bookstore may provide Microsoft Office at a reduced price to students and professors. For further information, contact your educational institution or visit its website.
Mobile Apps for Phones and Small iPads
Microsoft’s Office applications are also available for free on cellphones. You may use the Office mobile apps on your iPhone or Android phone to open, create, and edit documents for free.
These applications will only allow you to create and modify documents on an iPad or Android tablet if you have a “device with a screen size lower than 10.1 inches.” You can install these applications on a bigger tablet to see documents, but you’ll need a paid membership to create and modify them.
In effect, this means that Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are free on the iPad Mini and previous 9.7-inch iPads. A paid membership is required to enable document editing on the iPad Pro or subsequent 10.2-inch iPads.
Participate in Someone Else’s Microsoft 365 Home Plan
Microsoft 365 Home subscriptions are intended to be shared by several individuals. The $70 per year membership includes Office for one person, while the $100 per year subscription includes Office for up to six individuals. With Office for Windows PCs, Macs, iPads, and other devices, you’ll get the whole experience.
Anyone who purchases Microsoft 365 Home (previously known as Office 365 Home) has the option to share it with up to five other Microsoft accounts. It’s quite convenient: Sharing is controlled via an Office “Sharing” tab on Microsoft’s account website. The account’s primary owner can add up to five additional Microsoft accounts, and each of those accounts will receive an invitation link.
After joining the group, each member may login in with their own Microsoft account to download the Office programs, exactly like they would if they were paying for their individual subscriptions. Each account will get its own 1TB of OneDrive storage space.
According to Microsoft, the subscription is intended to be shared among your “family.” So, if you have a family member or even a roommate who uses this service, that person may add you for free.
If you’re going to pay for Microsoft Office, the Home plan is unquestionably the best price. If you divide a $100 per year subscription among six persons, the cost per person is less than $17 per year.
By the way, Microsoft collaborates with some organizations to provide employees with a discount on Office subscriptions. Check the Microsoft Home Use Program website to determine whether you are eligible for a discount.
Alternatives to Microsoft Office for Free
If you want something else, consider using a different office application. There are free office suites that work well with Microsoft Office documents, spreadsheets, and presentation files. Here are a few examples:
- LibreOffice is a free and open-source office suite that runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, and other platforms. It’s identical to Microsoft Office’s desktop versions, and it can even interact with and produce Office documents in standard file types including DOCX documents, XLSX spreadsheets, and PPTX presentations. OpenOffice served as the foundation for LibreOffice. While OpenOffice is still in existence, LibreOffice today has more developers and is the more popular project. LibreOffice can even be made to appear like Microsoft Office.
- Apple iWork is a free office application suite for Mac, iPhone, and iPad users. This is Apple’s rival to Microsoft Office, and it was previously premium software until being made free by Apple. Windows PC users may also utilize the iCloud website to access a web-based version of iWork.
- Google Docs is a competent suite of web-based office applications. Your files are saved in Google Drive, Google’s online file storage service. Unlike Microsoft’s Office online programs, Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides may be accessed offline in Google Chrome.
There are plenty additional options, but these are among the finest.
You may still buy a boxed copy of Microsoft Office if you don’t want to pay a monthly charge. Office Home & Student 2021, on the other hand, costs $150 and can only be installed on one device. You will also not receive a free upgrade to the next major edition of Office. If you’re going to pay for Office, a subscription is generally the best option—especially if you can share a premium plan with others.
