Microsoft Office is a family of client software, server software, and services developed by Microsoft. There are many free alternatives to Microsoft Office to trick out your computer but there is nothing as compared to the original. Those who have paid for Microsoft Office know it is cheap, even you get full access to application and features.
There are seven legit options let you get some version of the popular software for free and will hold you over until you can afford to get your own complete copy of the software.
Table of Contents
First: Microsoft Office Free Trail
Microsoft Office 365 is the only version which is available with a one-month free trial and this free package includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and other Office 2016 programs.
For signup, a valid credit card is needed for the trail. You can cancel the trail just before the end of the first month to prevent charges because charges don’t take effect until the start of a second month. In this way, you will be able to use for free but for just one month.
What we have:
- Full access to all available features.
- The extendable trail for more 30 days if it hasn’t been extended before.
- Grace period 30-days after expiration, to back up files from the cloud.
- 1TB of OneDrive cloud storage, and 60 skype minutes.
After the Trial:
- The trail extension is only done once.
- You will lose access to Office 365 app and features.
Second: Get Office ProPlus Trail
Microsoft Office ProPlus mostly used in enterprise looking for advanced capabilities, and the flexibility of the cloud deployment and management.
This Trail version includes Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, OneNote, Access, Publisher, Skype for Business, and Lync.
What we have:
- A full version of office.
- Unrestricted access.
- 1TB OneDrive cloud storage.
- Manage up to 25 users using administration interface with one trail account.
- Extendable trail for more 30 days if it hasn’t been extended before.
After the Trail:
- Trial extensions can only be done once.
- Once the trial is over, you lose access to Office 365 apps and features.
Third: Microsoft Online
You can use Microsoft office online, with the help of an online version of Microsoft Office, you can create and edit files in Word, Excel or PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote and share these files. You will get free OneDrive cloud storage and an online calendar.
All the work can be done via a Web browser and saved in the cloud, which enables you to access your work from anywhere.
What we have:
- Shareable files with anyone.
- Collaboration- Allow multiple people to work on the same file at the same time.
- No need to download software.
- Free templates.
- The interface is nearly identical.
- Opens any MS Office file type.
- Spellchecking is automatic for Word, Calendar, Outlook, and OneNote applications.
Limitations:
- 2GB limit on files that can be used.
- Save files to DOCM, DOCX, PPTM, PPTX, XLSM, and XLSX formats.
- No spellchecker for Excel or PowerPoint.
- Files must be stored in a OneDrive if you want to use them.
Fourth: Microsoft Office Mobile Apps
You can download mobile application on your iOS or Android device from Apple App Store and Google Play Store respectively.
Consider this way only when you don’t want to buy Microsoft Office. The applications enable users to use basic creation and editing features, compared to Office 365 that grants you more advances features.
For Android, the app bundle includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive, Outlook, OneNote and SharePoint. For iOS, you may have to find the app you need from iTunes, the reason is a different version of iPhone and iPad.
What we have:
- Create edit and view documents
- Access to files in the clouds anytime and anywhere.
- Similar documents formation across devices.
- Shareable documents with others.
Limitations:
- Office 365 subscription needed to unlock advanced features.
- Creation and edit on devices with a screen smaller than 10.1 inches, larger than that can view only.
Download Office Apps for Android
Download Office Apps for iOS
Fifth: Sign Up for the TechNet Evaluation Center program
Microsoft allows you to try its new features that their products prior to their official launch. TechNet Evaluation program resolves any kind of unavoidable problem or glitches that occur with the software.
You need to sign up and find out what out what product Microsoft wants you to try for 30-60 days. You can get office apps for free, for example, Office 2019 is going to launch in second half of 2018, and this bundle includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, alongside Exchange, SharePoint, and Skype for Business.
What we have:
- The possibility of getting products for free.
Limitations:
- The waiting period before getting a free period.
- No guarantee you will get the app for your need.
Sixth: Check with Your School
If you are a student and your school has Office, you can get Microsoft Office for free through the Office 365 Education program.
This bundle includes applications like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Microsoft Teams, unlimited OneDrive storage, Yammer, and SharePoint sites, among other tools.
You just need your school email address and legal age to sign up, and you must be a full or part-time member or student of the school. Most schools allow staff and student to install Microsoft office up to 5 PCs for free.
What we have:
- Services can be useful as long as you are working or studying at a qualified school.
- Full feature access.
- No file limitation.
Limitation:
- Time to time eligibility verification.
- After use expires, the app only allows you to use view feature.
Seventh: Buy Hardware Bundled with Microsoft Office
You can find Microsoft Office bundled with a new desktop computer or laptop, but this is a rare case. Sometimes you may have to buy it as an add-on, sometimes you get it for free.
There are some PC’s with a Microsoft Office 365 Personal one-year subscription and some are full Microsoft Office 2016 installation without the need for subscriptions.
What we have:
- Good longer subscription offers or a full installation offer.
Limitation:
- Hardware may not necessarily be what you desire.
