Can I download Office for free?

It’s tough to escape Microsoft Office. Millions of us use one or more of the applications in this software suite every day — at work, at home or both.

If you use Office — which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Access and Publisher — at home, chances are good that you pay for it. The price of Microsoft Office 365 begins at $69.99 a year for individuals and climbs if you want other options.

With a little ingenuity, however, you can cut those costs all the way to zero. Following are a few ways to get Microsoft Office for free.

1. Check out Office.com

Microsoft offers Office free to anyone who accesses it directly from Office.com.

Just be aware that when you use Office.com, you are not getting the full-powered versions of Office that you get when you pay to use this software. According to PCMag.com:

“You’ll find all the editing and formatting commands, and some additional features, but not much more. However, if all you need are the basics, this is an option worth trying.”

2. Download Microsoft apps

You can download Microsoft’s revamped Office mobile app, available for iPhone or Android devices, for free. Released in 2020, it combines Word, Excel and PowerPoint in one app.

While the app itself is free, its premium features are not. Microsoft explains:

“The app is free to use, even without signing in. However, signing in with a Microsoft Account or connecting to a third-party storage service will enable you to access and store documents in the cloud. An Office 365 or Microsoft 365 subscription will also unlock various premium features, consistent with those in the current Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps.”

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3. Enroll in Office 365 Education

Students and educators can access the suite of Microsoft software for free by using Office 365 Education.

You get access to a range of Microsoft Office services — including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. To qualify, you simply need a valid school email address.

Make money playing on your computer

Getting Office for free can save you money when using your computer. But how about going a step further and actually making money with your laptop or desktop?

As we have reported, InboxDollars offers a way to put some extra cash into your pocket:

“Founded in 2000, InboxDollars pays millions of members cash — not just points, like many rewards sites. It’s not a get-rich-quick scheme, but you do earn cash for reading emails, taking surveys, playing games and signing up for offers through the InboxDollars website. A few bucks here and a few bucks there — it all adds up!”

The Microsoft 365 Office Suite hosts some of the most widely-used applications for work and education, including Word, PowerPoint, Excel, OneNote, and now, Microsoft Teams. However, ranging from $70-$100 a year, the Suite's subscriptions can cost a pretty penny. While Microsoft's release of Office Home and Student 2021 for a one-time flat rate of $150 is a nice deal, many of us still working and learning from home -- or just wanting to save money -- could really use a free option. 

Believe it or not, free options are available. Here are three methods you can use to access the Office suite at no cost.  

What's the catch?

You may be asking yourself, "If I can access all of these apps and programs for free, why should I even pay for Microsoft Office?" While these cloud-based methods on the web and mobile come at no cost, they do require you to be connected to the internet at all times, the amount of storage that Microsoft provides is capped, and there are several software tools and features from the paid versions that are unavailable.

There are a few different methods on how you can go about this, so read on to see which method makes the most sense for you. 

Method 1. Access through Office.com

The first free option is accessing Microsoft Office via the web. All you need is a stable internet connection to do so. Similar to Google Drive, by logging into your Microsoft account in Office.com, you can use the cloud-based versions of Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and more, instead of installing them. This is the best option if you simply want access to the standard suite of Office apps, the basic editing and formatting capabilities, as well as 5GB of OneDrive cloud storage. 

Open Office.com on your web browser from your PC or Mac computer.

Sign in using your current Microsoft account credentials.

No account? No worries. It is easy (and also free) to create one from scratch! Note that if you have a Skype or Outlook account, either one can be attributed to your Microsoft login.

Note that you will see pop-ups and messages to "Get Office" or "Upgrade your Office plan" throughout the website. Unless the paid version is what you're after, ignore them.

Screenshot by Christina Darby/ZDNET

From here, you are free to start creating with the Microsoft Office suite, including Word and Excel documents, PowerPoints, and more. Simply select the "Create" widget in the left corner (circle with a plus inside) and you'll have the option to start from scratch or access different templates that are included with Office.

 More: Get an entire career's worth of Microsoft training for only $60. 

Method 2. Download the Office app for mobile 

If you're like me and find yourself working from your phone more often than you should, then allow me to introduce you to the Microsoft Office app for mobile. Like the web version, the app allows users (iOS and Android) to dial into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other programs via the OneDrive system. 

With the latest version of the Office app, you can now transfer your phone's photos into Word and Excel documents for quick editing, and create and sign PDFs without needing to switch over to a computer.

Method 3. Microsoft 365 Education for students and teachers

If you're a student or teacher with an active school email address, you may be eligible to get complete Office suite access for free through Office 365 Education. 

With Office 365 Education, you have access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and even Microsoft Teams. If you're a teacher, you can even take advantage of Microsoft Teams' new classroom tools for enhanced organization and file management. 

More: What's new in Microsoft Teams: Polls updates and more 

Simply visit the Microsoft Education homepage and enter your school email address to see if you qualify. If the registration is denied, you likely need to speak with your institution's IT department to permit access.  

How to download Microsoft Office for free?

Here's how to get them:.

Go to Office.com..

Click Sign up for the free version of Office under the "Sign in" button..

Log in to your Microsoft account or create one for free. ... .

Select the app you want to use, and save your work in the cloud with OneDrive..

Is there a free version of Office?

Microsoft 365 for the web is a free version of Microsoft 365 that you can use in a web browser. All you need is to sign up for a Microsoft account with a new or existing email address. Try the Office for the web apps. Not sure what you have now?

Is MS Office free of cost?

Yes, you read that right. In a world where most basic applications and services are available on a paid program, Microsoft keeps its Office suite free to use. As part of this free MS Office suite, you have access to Word, Powerpoint, Excel, OneDrive, Outlook and Teams – all without paying any money.

Is free office safe to download?

There are channels available to download Office illegally, but there is truly no reason to do such a thing considering the related risks. If and when you download Microsoft Office through these methods or websites, you're opening your computer up to nefarious attacks, including malware, viruses, trojans, and more.