Use Microsoft Office for free - all info at a glance

The Office package from Microsoft includes Word, Excel and PowerPoint tools for all everyday office tasks. Office can be purchased either as a permanent license or by subscription. In addition, however, Microsoft also offers a way to use the tools for free.

How to use Microsoft Office for free

In addition to the desktop applications, Microsoft also offers a free online Office suite.

• Unlike the normal Office applications, you can only access the web version via the browser.
• In order to use the online offering, you also need a Microsoft account. If you don't already have such an account through Windows 10, you can create a new one via the Microsoft website.
• Online Office includes just three of the core Office applications: Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Programs such as Outlook or Access are not included in the web version.
• The online versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint are also stripped-down versions that do not have all the features of the normal application.

If you would like to use Microsoft Office offline and to its full extent, you cannot avoid taking out a subscription or buying a permanent license.

Microsoft Office alternatives

If you are looking for an alternative to Microsoft Office that you can also use offline, you have a few options to choose from. For example, the free office packages from OpenOffice and LibreOffice offer comprehensive alternatives to the Microsoft Office suite. With a Google account, you also have free alternatives to the online Office. Google namely also offers its own web-based office package with Google Docs, Google Spreadsheets and Google Presentations.