Use Microsoft Office for free - is that possible?
"Microsoft Office" is the standard office software in schools, offices and at home. We'll show you ways to use Office for free - but also two alternatives to Microsoft Office Suite.
Microsoft Office Starter for free with your new PC
If you buy a new laptop, there is a good chance that at least "Microsoft Office Starter" is pre-installed.
- You can use it to open Word files and make small changes, for example.
Microsoft Office Home & Student free to Windows tablets
If you want to buy a new device anyway, you should probably choose a Windows 8 inch tablet or a Windows RT tablet. There is currently Microsoft Office Home & Student including Outlook free of charge.
- Microsoft itself offers with its Surface 2 an all-rounder including office, here is our test.
Use Microsoft Office Online for free with a Microsoft account
Microsoft offers a slimmed-down version of Office through its online service Outlook.com. All you need is a Microsoft account, which you can create free of charge directly on the page.
- "Microsoft Office Online" includes email, calendar, OneNote notes, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and the cloud storage service Skydrive.
- Skydrive offers you 7 GB of free storage space, including Windows integration. Office Online can be opened in any browser with the usual office look and operation.
Free alternative Google Drive
Similar to Microsoft Office Online, you can work with Google Drive online. The range of functions is similar, but you have to get used to a different menu control.
- With the in-house Chrome browser, you can also use Google Docs offline.
Free alternative "Open Office"
If you don't want to work online and you need a feature-rich offline installation, you should take a look at OpenOffice.
- You can find OpenOffice and its evaluation in our download database.
- Open Office is very similar to Microsoft Office, but not exactly the same. You have to change the menu navigation in many areas.
Favorable offer for students
If you are a student, you should take the chance and take advantage of the Microsoft Office 365 University offer.
- You get a complete office package including cloud functions from Office 365 for 4 years for less than EUR 80.
If you are looking for even more free alternatives, we have a suitable article for you here.