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6 ways you can use Microsoft Office without paying for it

Microsoft Office remains the gold standard for office applications. Sure, there are plenty of awesome free Microsoft Office alternatives out there, but nothing compares to the real deal.

That said, if you want Microsoft Office, you'll have to dig deep into your pockets. The continued popularity of Microsoft Office hasn't seen Microsoft take a soft stance either. The price is still high, but it is an extensive and quality product..

Microsoft Office 2019 Home &Business currently retails for $249 for a single PC license. If that makes your wallet cry, check out these ways to use Microsoft Office for free.

1. Use Microsoft Office online

Microsoft offers a significant collection of free Microsoft Office utilities. Office Online is essentially a browser-based version of the latest Microsoft Office suite.

Currently includes:

  • Word
  • Stand out
  • PowerPoint
  • A note
  • Influence
  • Mail
  • People
  • Calendar
  • OneDrive

However, there is one condition: Online versions of Microsoft Office applications only provide a limited Microsoft Office experience.

Word Online, for example, doesn't include text boxes, WordArt, equations, charts, and more. You can still write a term paper, but you won't be able to compile a company report. Similarly, you will be able to open and view your Excel spreadsheet, but your custom macros will not load.

6 ways you can use Microsoft Office without paying for it

While Office Online lacks some functionality, it is a free and versatile alternative to a fully paid license. The free versions will happily open your files, allow editing, and most importantly, maintain your document's formatting at all times.

2. Microsoft Office mobile apps

Office Mobile is exactly what it sounds like:Microsoft Office, in mobile form. It's an extremely similar experience to Office Online. The functionality is there, and editing and creating documents on the fly is easy, but it's extremely dependent on screen size.

For example, editing a Word document on my Samsung Galaxy S8 is reasonable , but trying to navigate an Excel spreadsheet is messy and frustrating. In contrast, editing a Word or Excel document on a larger tablet-sized screen is really nice.

I'm still not convinced you're running your company accounts from Office Mobile, but it'll certainly work in a pinch.

Android

6 ways you can use Microsoft Office without paying for it 6 ways you can use Microsoft Office without paying for it

Microsoft offers individual mobile apps for Android 4.4 (KitKat) and up. For a long time, Microsoft offered Android users 4.3 or earlier version of Microsoft Office Mobile. However, this all-in-one Office app is no longer available.

Android users later than 4.4 must download the new and individual applications:

  • Word
  • Stand out
  • PowerPoint
  • OneDrive
  • panorama
  • A note
  • SharePoint

iOS

Microsoft removed the Microsoft Office Mobile app from iOS long before the Android version. Like Android, there is no legacy version of the app. Note: iPad Pro users need a qualifying Office 365 subscription to create and edit documents.

I'm not going to list the individual apps as I have for Android, as there are differences between the iPad and iPhone versions. But you can find the Microsoft Corporation App Store page here, and it contains the individual download links. Just like Android, Microsoft is actively developing its iOS apps. 6 New Microsoft Office Features on iOS to Know About 6 New Microsoft Office Features on iOS to Know About If you use Microsoft Office on iOS, here are some more new features you may have missed. Read More

3. Sign up for the Office 365 trial

6 ways you can use Microsoft Office without paying for it

Office 2019 introduced numerous changes to the Microsoft Office 2019 suite:everything you need to know Microsoft Office 2019 is coming:everything you need to know The standalone version of Microsoft Office 2019 will be exclusive to Windows 10. When will it be released? how much will it cost? Here is everything we know. Read more . If you haven't already signed up for Office 2019 elsewhere, you can give it a try before you empty your pockets. As such, you can take a one-month free trial of Office 365.

The trial will give you access to the full suite of Microsoft Office 2019. Plus, you get 1TB of OneDrive cloud storage and 60 minutes of Skype Credits per month. Of course, there is a "catch." You must provide a valid credit, debit, or PayPal account during the registration process. Microsoft will automatically charge your account after your trial expires.

4. How about the trial version of Office 365 ProPlus??

Once your 30-day Microsoft Office 365 trial ends, you're ready to try something different. Alternatively, why not give it a try? other judgment? This time using the trial version of Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus.

You'll get another 30 days to try Microsoft Office 2019 and access the same range of Microsoft Office programs as before.

5. Buy hardware with office included

Microsoft Office rarely comes bundled with a new desktop or laptop. Unless it is a specific introductory agreement, you will purchase Microsoft Office as an add-on. And if you're building your own PC, well, you're out of luck.

That said, these types of deals are not impossible, you just have to attack while the iron is hot. Unfortunately, that means you need a circumstantial trifecta:new hardware with a bundle, the money to take advantage of said deal, and the need to upgrade your hardware.

One option is the Acer Aspire One Cloudbook series. Most of these laptops come with a 1-year Microsoft Office 365 Personal subscription. While this is helpful, you will need to maintain your subscription to continue accessing Microsoft Office.

Acer Aspire One 14" Cloudbook Laptop PC AO1-431-C8G8 with Intel Celeron N3050, 2GB Memory, 32GB eMMC, Windows 10 and Office 365 Personal Mineral Gray Acer Aspire One 14" Cloudbook AO1-431-C8G8 Laptop PC with Intel Celeron N3050 , 2 GB memory, 32 GB eMMC, Windows 10 and Office 365 Personal Mineral Gray Buy now on Amazon

Similarly, there are some Dell Inspiron 2-in-1 laptops that come with a full installation of Microsoft Office 2016, without a subscription.

Dell Inspiron 3168 2-in-1 Laptop - Pre-Installed Microsoft Office 2016 Professional / Windows 10 Professional Software Dell Inspiron 3168 2-in-1 Laptop - Pre-Installed Microsoft Office 2016 Professional / Windows 10 Professional Software Buy Now On Amazon $449.99

6. Ask your employer or school

6 ways you can use Microsoft Office without paying for it

Everything we've covered so far lets you get Microsoft Office for free, but it also comes with limitations:availability, functionality, hardware. This penultimate option, however, offers some of you a very good opportunity to acquire a full version of Microsoft Office 2019 or Microsoft Office 365 completely free.

First, you'll need to check with your employer or, if you're a student, your school. Many companies and schools may offer a free or extremely cheap Microsoft Office license for one reason:the people who work or study there. need it's. Companies will have to pay, but mass licensing may mean your employer can provide a free or cheap option.

Additionally, Microsoft has always supported schools with free Office 365 Education packages. You may just have to ask directly.

The best things in life are free

Taking a full version of Microsoft Office for free is not possible for everyone. But you do have some great options, though. The combination of Office 365 free trials and Office 365 ProPlus gives you 60 days of Microsoft Office.

After that, the choice is yours. I think 60 days is really a great amount of time to decide if you need the full spectrum of Microsoft Office 13+ Reasons Why You Should Upgrade to Microsoft Office 2016 13+ Reasons Why You Should Upgrade to Microsoft Office 2016 Microsoft Office 2016 is here and it is time for you to make a decision. The productivity question is:should I upgrade? We bring you the new features and the new reasons to help you... Read More