Whether you’re a student, a professional, a parent, an entrepreneur, a CEO, a writer, or an artist, chances are pretty good you need an office suite at your fingertips. But what do you do if money is tight? With costs constantly on the rise, everyone is having to pinch pennies on some level, and that doesn’t stop with software.
You could always adopt a free service, such as Google Docs, LibreOffice, or any number of free alternatives, but if Microsoft Office is a must, there are ways to use that platform for free (without having to first buy a new PC that includes Windows).
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You might be thinking, “The free version is probably so limited that it’s not useful.” You’d be wrong. Even with the free version of Office, you get Word, PowerPoint, Excel, OneNote, Copilot, Forms, Lists, Designer, Clipchamp, and even Microsoft Teams. Yes, there are some limitations (not every feature is available, and cloud storage is limited), but for average users, there’s everything you need to get your work done.
Is there a catch?
There is, but it’s one that most can live with. The biggest gotcha is that the free version is locked in the cloud (aka Microsoft 365), which means you must always be connected to the internet to use it.
If that catch is OK with you, continue reading to find out how you can access Office for free.
Method 1: Access through Office.com
A few years ago, I had to write an article about using Office 365 (now Microsoft 365). As someone who rarely uses Microsoft products, I was shocked to find out I could use the service for free. All I needed was a stable network connection and a Microsoft account. I had my old Skype (RIP) account and logged in with that. Once logged in, I had access to the free version of Office.com using the cloud-based versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint (and more), instead of installing them locally on my PC.
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For anyone who needs access to the traditional MS Office apps, this is, by far, the best way to go. And although you get only 5GB of OneDrive cloud storage, as long as you don’t keep too many old files around, you should be OK. Even better, download your older files and save them on your internal storage (deleting them from OneDrive when you’re finished). If you need them again, upload them to your OneDrive account and you’re good to go.
Here’s how you access Office.com.
Open Office.com with your default web browser on your desktop or laptop (operating system doesn’t matter).
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Sign in using your current Microsoft account credentials. If you don’t already have an account, you can create one from here. Do note that if you see pop-ups and messages referring you to “Get Office” or “Upgrade your Office plan,” you can ignore those (unless you want/need the paid version).
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Once you’ve logged in, you’ll find yourself on the main page, where you can start creating. To create your first document, click the Create icon in the sidebar and then select the kind of document you want to create (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc.). From the Create page, you’ll have the option to start from scratch or access various templates that are included with Office.
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Method 2: Download the Office app for mobile
Personally, I’m not a fan of working on documents with my phone. There have been times, however, when it became necessary. In those cases, all I had to do was download and install the Microsoft 365 Copilot app for mobile (iOS and Android), and I had everything at my fingertips.
Again, you’ll need a Microsoft account for this, but once you’re all set, you can create and edit MS Office documents (and even create/sign PDFs), without having to return to your office and sit at your desk.
Method 3: Microsoft 365 Education for students and teachers
If you’re a student or teacher, you’re in luck because an active school email address is all you need to get full access to MS Office, thanks to Office 365 Education. With this edition, you’ll enjoy access to all the standard tools, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Copilot Chat, and even Microsoft Teams. Teachers get the added bonus of accessing Microsoft Teams classroom tools to help organize their classes and files.
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To access the education version, visit the Microsoft Education homepage and enter your school email address to see if you qualify for this version. If your registration is denied, speak with a teacher or your school’s IT department to see if there’s a way for you to gain access.
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