How can you get Microsoft Office for free? All available options
Just like most software, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint typically aren’t free. However, Microsoft 365 does offer some ways to access Microsoft Office apps for free. Here’s an overview of the available options.
Is Microsoft Office free to use?
Yes, you can use free Microsoft Office, now known as Microsoft 365. However, this applies only to the limited web versions of Office services Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Alternatively, free licenses are available for charitable organizations, teachers, and students. Additionally, Microsoft offers a free trial month for Microsoft 365.
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Microsoft 365 for free – what options are available?
Below, we present the various ways to use free Microsoft Office, including the respective requirements and limitations.
Web application
Microsoft 365 is available as a free web application, formerly known as “Office Online.” With a free Microsoft account (registration required), you can use apps like Word, Excel, or PowerPoint for free through your browser. The following limitations and requirements apply to the Microsoft Office Online web apps:
- You need your own Microsoft account.
- The web services can only be used through the browser.
- The online versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are feature-limited versions.
- Usage is only possible with internet access.
- Files, apart from images, cannot be saved locally but only in the cloud.
- Team functions such as co-editing, editing, and sharing documents are heavily limited.
- Input via touchscreens or tablet pens is not possible.
To access the free, limited online version of Microsoft 365, visit Microsoft Office Online.
Free trial month
For those who want to try out Microsoft 365 first, Microsoft offers a free 30-day trial version. The trial month includes premium features, enhanced security functions, and significantly larger cloud storage than the free 5 GB of a Microsoft account. A personal Microsoft account is required to use it.
The benefits of the trial month specifically include:
- Every important Microsoft app free as a desktop version (including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneDrive, OneNote, Defender, Clipchamp, and Microsoft Designer)
- Available for one to six people per offer
- For up to five devices per free trial month
- For PC, Mac as well as iOS and Android
- Up to 6 TB of cloud storage with 1 TB per person
- Without active cancelation, the trial month transitions to a paid, cancel-anytime subscription after the trial period.
- Free trial versions are available for families and as a business trial phase for companies.
You’ll find the offer on the Microsoft page for a free trial month of Microsoft 365.
Microsoft Office 365 Education for students and teachers
Under the name Office 365 Education, Microsoft offers a free educational plan in the form of Microsoft 365, including the latest Microsoft apps and premium features. The following conditions apply for use:
- The free Microsoft 365 plan is valid for eligible educational institutions, as well as for students and teachers.
- A valid email address from the eligible educational institution is required for application and registration.
- Usage is valid for up to five PCs and Macs as well as up to five iPads or tablets with Android or Windows.
The free plan includes:
- the latest Office versions like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, and Publisher
- an Office online version
- additional educational tools
- 1 TB cloud storage on OneDrive
Find the free offer on the Office 365 page.
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Microsoft 365 for non-profit organizations
Microsoft provides non-profit and charitable organizations, along with their employees, free, discounted, or donation-based full versions of Microsoft 365. The free versions vary according to the size of the organization:
- For small and medium-sized non-profits: Free version Microsoft Business Basic for up to 300 users, including 1 TB of OneDrive cloud storage, applications like Word, Excel, Teams, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Exchange, as well as reliable data protection; or heavily discounted versions of Microsoft Business Standard and Premium
- For large non-profits: The subscription plans for very large companies are available to non-profit organizations and their employees at heavily discounted prices (annual price for the E3 plan: $9.00 per month instead of $33.75, annual price for the E5 plan: $22.80 per month instead of $54.75).
You can find offers for nonprofit organizations on the Microsoft page. For more information on Microsoft’s support for non-profits, visit the overview page for Microsoft’s nonprofit solutions.
What free alternatives to Microsoft 365 are there?
If you don’t want to buy Microsoft 365 or use the productivity solution for free, you can also opt for powerful, free Office alternatives like LibreOffice or OpenOffice. Additionally, Google, as one of the largest Microsoft competitors in business solutions, offers Google Workspace — a free, cloud-based office application and collaboration software.
Who are the free Office versions suitable for?
The free online versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint offer numerous advantages even for non-business use, despite their limited features. After all, Microsoft’s Office services are considered the standard in their field.
For businesses, the Office online versions are not a sensible alternative. They lack important team features for many participants, which are standard in subscription plans with Microsoft Teams or the Exchange Server. Additionally, the web apps require constant internet access, do not offer large cloud storage in OneDrive, and do not have enhanced security features or adequate GDPR data protection compared to business versions.