How to get Microsoft Office for free

If you want to use Microsoft Office and its suite of productivity tools, you don't always need the software installed locally on your device.

With a valid Microsoft account, the tech giant will let you use Word, Excel, PowerPoint and more on the web. That means you can continue working on documents that you started typing up on another device linked to your email.

Below, our experts explain how to get started. Plus, we've got details on free Microsoft Word alternatives including Google Docs and LibreOffice.

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Question of the month: Can I use Microsoft Word and Excel for free?

'My subscription for Microsoft 365 office apps is due to expire and, although I find it useful, I'm cutting down on my outgoings and don't want to pay for it again. It costs £60 a year. I only purchased it because I had Home and Office 2010 on my old PC and needed to know I could access my documents on my new, Windows 11 PC.

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Using Microsoft Office 365 online

The free version of Microsoft Office has a solid number of features. You can access all of your Office files at a glance, or see a feed that generates a history of your edits.

To try it for yourself, just follow these steps:

1. Head to the Microsoft Office 365 Online website.
2. If you need to create a Microsoft account, choose Sign up for free. Otherwise, select Sign in.
3. From the home screen, select an application on the left-hand side – we'll use Word for this example.
4. Now, you can choose Create new to generate a Blank document, or select Recently opened to edit documents you've worked on from another device.

Struggling with a slow laptop? If you're thinking of treating yourself to an upgrade, find out which models we recommend in our expert pick of the best laptops.

Free Microsoft Office alternatives

Google tools – Drive, Docs, Sheets and more

If you'd prefer to use a service other than Microsoft Office, you can explore Google's version of Office online for free. Before you get started, you'll need a Google account (see: How to create a Google account).

Google has a host of apps you can add to your arsenal of productivity tools – the list includes Google Drive (OneDrive alternative,) Docs (Word alternative), Sheets (Excel alternative) and Slides (PowerPoint alternative).

To run Google Docs, work through the following steps:

1. Head to the Google homepage.
2. In the top-right corner, select the nine-dot square icon to access Google Apps.
3. Choose Google Docs to head to the app's home screen – you can start a new document using a template or edit an existing one.

When working on a document, choose Share in the top-right corner to send it to somebody else. Enter the person's email in the Add people and groups box to generate a link, but note that you should configure file permissions under the General Access heading before selecting Done. That way, you can decide if the document is view-only or not.

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LibreOffice

If you prefer a standalone program that works like Microsoft Office, and lets you open its files, take a look at LibreOffice.

LibreOffice is a free, full office suite – you get Writer (Word), Calc (Excel) and other programs. It's very similar to older versions of Office, so you should feel at home if you're used to older versions.

Notable features include an icon-packed toolbar for dealing with formatting, pre-made templates for CVs and letters, plus the ability to convert documents from their original file type.

To try LibreOffice for yourself, do this:

1. Head to the LibreOffice website and click the 'Download now' button
2. Choose the newest version of LibreOffice, select your operating system and download the file
3. When the download is complete, double-click the file and follow the installation wizard – choose Typical when prompted.

For more details on what LibreOffice has to offer, see our overview: Best LibreOffice features explained.

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Additional reporting by Tom Morgan. 

Update: This article was originally published on 26 January 2024. Checked and republished: January and February 2025.