Microsoft’s Office suite has been the go-to productivity tool for professionals, students, and even amateurs at home for nearly three decades. The majority of the time, Microsoft Office had to be purchased separately from Microsoft Windows, and this hasn’t changed. When Office 365 was introduced in the middle of 2011, the situation remained the same. To access the suite, you still needed to pay a monthly fee. Microsoft 365 is the renamed version of Office 365. The good news is that you can now access Microsoft Excel, Word, Powerpoint, Outlook, and OneNote—part of the Microsoft 365 suite—for free.
Yes, they are free, but as always, there is a catch. The catch is that there are some restrictions on using Microsoft Word, Excel, and the rest of it for free. In a moment, we’ll go into each of those circumstances. The most w ell-liked and practical way to access the office suite is by purchasing a Microsoft 365 subscription. However, with annual subscription charges ranging between $70 and $100, many people may find themselves unable to afford them.
The benefit of subscribing is that it can be used by multiple family members and devices. I should point out that Microsoft also offers stand-alone Home and Student 2021 editions of Office for Windows and Mac. These cost $150 and don’t require a subscription of any type. Let’s now examine the free usage of PowerPoint, Word, and Excel.
1. Free for Students and Educators
Anyone with a legitimate school email address, including faculty, staff, and students, is qualified to receive the free Office package. Just visit the Office 365 Education website and input your email address to get started. You will have free access to Microsoft Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other classroom tools as a result.
Most of the time, after entering the school email address, you will be given immediate access. An automated verification technique is used to accomplish this. It could take up to a month to receive the permission if your educational institution has not already been validated. However, you can continue using the suite at a special discounted rate once you have earned your degree. You must pay $12 annually, but you must have a legitimate school email address.
2. Free Microsoft 365 Apps for Everyone
Anyone can sign up for a free one-month trial of Microsoft 365, but you must provide your credit card information. You will be billed automatically for a year’s subscription, though, if you fail to cancel at the end of the month. The $100 Microsoft 365 Family subscription that will be automatically renewed. On the other hand, you can utilize a couple of the online apps for free if you do not want the whole office suite.
Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Outlook are among the free standalone Microsoft applications. Visit Office.com and click Sign up for the free version of Microsoft 365 directly below the Sign in button to obtain those free standalone Microsoft apps. Follow the prompts and choose the app you want to use at the bottom of the Services & subscriptions tab.
Caveats behind Free Versions of Microsoft 365
Before registering for the free versions of Microsoft’s Office suite, it is important to keep in mind that functionality is limited. As you can see, these free apps only have minimal functions; the fully paid ones provide more capabilities. It is recommended that you sign up for one of the paid programs if you are a seasoned professional power user. A web browser with an internet connection is also required to use the free versions, which are only available online.
Who would ever pay for the complete programs, after all, if the free versions worked just as well? The problem is that. You now know everything you require to know about gaining free access to and using Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.
Did you previously utilize these free versions? How are things going for you with them? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments area below.
