Microsoft now lets you use the basic Microsoft Office suite on your desktop PC without a subscription. Previously, you needed to sign in with a paid Microsoft account to use it directly on your computer, but now Microsoft offers a "Continue for free" option if you don't want to work in a browser or pay a monthly fee.
Microsoft 365 for Windows no longer requires a subscription
Previously, you had to pay for a Microsoft 365 subscription or buy Office 2024 if you wanted to use Microsoft's productivity suite directly on your PC. The company offers Office Online for free (and there are plenty of reasons why you should), but you have to use it in a browser and stay connected to the internet to do so.
However, the software giant is now making it easier for those who prefer to work with Microsoft Office directly on their computers (not through a browser). Instead of having to go through the trouble of getting a free Microsoft Office license, Microsoft will let you use the basic versions of its productivity apps — Excel, PowerPoint, and Word — for free.
To do this, simply download and install Microsoft 365 on your Windows computer as usual. Once the installation process is complete, launch any of the three apps mentioned above and when prompted to sign in, click Skip for now in the lower left corner of the Sign-in window .
You'll then see the "Welcome to free Word, Excel, and PowerPoint" dialog box and can select the Continue for free option . In the next window, click Save to OneDrive , which will save everything you do to your OneDrive account—then you can start using it.
Some notes when using Microsoft 365 free for Windows
While Microsoft is finally making its core productivity apps free, the service is actually worse than Microsoft 365 Online. That’s because it still requires you to be online to save your work to OneDrive, which is also limited to 5GB. This may not be an issue if you don’t use your computer for anything other than word processing.
But if you don't configure your OneDrive account yourself, and save photos and videos on your PC, you'll soon find yourself running out of storage space.
This means you'll need to free up OneDrive storage or buy more storage, which essentially defeats the purpose of free Microsoft 365. After all, if you sign up for a Microsoft 365 plan, you can get 1TB of OneDrive cloud storage (depending on your plan).
Additionally, you lose a lot of the advanced features that paid Microsoft 365 users get, including line spacing, tables, columns, etc. for Word. The free Microsoft Excel strips out conditional formatting, pivot tables, colors, etc., while the free PowerPoint strips out icons, SmartArt, charts, background formatting, etc. Additionally, all apps lose add-in features.
Since the app is free, Microsoft places a constant banner ad on top of the app to entice you to use the company’s other services. It even shows you a short video every few hours in the hopes that you’ll eventually buy something from the company. Also, the free version is only available on Windows—if you’re a macOS user, you’ll have to pay for it or use Apple’s built-in productivity suite.
Ultimately, you can only use these apps for the simplest of tasks, which is impractical for anyone who needs them for work or school purposes. Plus, the annoying ads might make you want to switch to free alternatives to Microsoft 365.
But if you prefer to work directly on Windows, have a terabyte of cloud storage, and save files locally, then an MS 365 subscription might be the smarter choice.
As you know, Chromebooks are different from regular Windows laptops and you can't install Windows apps on them. However, there is a way you can run Microsoft Office on Chromebooks for free.
The need to print double-sided paper is now much more popular. However, not all printers can support double-sided printing, or with printers that allow double-sided printing, how to do it?
What features do you get in the different versions of Office: Office 2016, Office 365, and Office Online?
Microsoft Office has a lot of features, but most people only scratch the surface. Even after a decade of use, people are still finding hidden gems that dramatically improve their productivity and workflow.
Removing photo background with web applications is very simple and the implementation is not complicated.
Dark mode is becoming an indispensable feature on any application platform.
Determining even and odd numbers is one of the regular jobs of the accounting industry. The following article will guide people to determine odd and even numbers in Excel.
WPS is considered a worthy replacement for Microsoft Office. So what is the reason? What is better about this tool that makes users forget the unique name in the office tool market for more than 20 years in Vietnam.
Microsoft Office 2019 is about to launch in 2018. But we can also sign up for Microsoft Office 2019 in advance to get Microsoft Office 2019 as soon as it appears.
Word, an indispensable tool for office workers when editing documents and editing documents to create professionally presented and arranged documents, Word often comes with Excel and PowerPoint in the Microsoft Office suite, caters to many types
Surely many of us when writing text in Word have encountered errors where the lowercase letter i automatically switches to uppercase, right? This error is quite annoying, just typing back to fix it is very time consuming.
OpenOffice is an office suite built on open source. Like Excel, this toolkit can be used on computer systems using Windows or Linux operating systems.
Thanks to its handy features, Microsoft Excel of Microsoft Office has become one of the most commonly used office tools today. One of the advantages not to be missed by this spreadsheet tool is the ch feature
When doing word processing or working on spreadsheets, one of the most important and essential things is page numbering. Not only helps users easily manipulate, but the number of Excel pages also helps us manage and work effectively
Struggling with Microsoft Teams "Error K" Security? Follow our step-by-step guide to fix it quickly—no tech expertise needed. Get back to seamless collaboration today!
Struggling with Microsoft Teams Update Error 0x80070002? Discover step-by-step fixes to resolve it quickly. Clear cache, repair files, and get back to seamless updates today!
Tired of Microsoft Teams "Web Error" blocking your browser login? Follow our step-by-step guide with proven fixes to resolve Teams web login issues fast and securely. Get back to work!
Stuck with Microsoft Teams "Error O" Offline? Discover proven, step-by-step fixes to get back online fast. Clear cache, restart, and more – no tech skills needed!
Frustrated by the missing Microsoft Teams icon in Outlook? Learn exactly where to find it, why it disappears, and proven steps to restore it for effortless meetings. Updated for the latest versions!
Struggling with Microsoft Teams "Windows 10 Error" login issues? Get instant fixes for cache clears, updates, and more. Step-by-step solutions to solve Microsoft Teams login error on Windows 10 fast and frustration-free.
Tired of the frustrating Microsoft Teams "Website Error" where tabs won’t load? Get step-by-step fixes to resolve it quickly and boost your productivity. Essential troubleshooting for seamless Teams experience.
Tired of the frustrating Microsoft Teams "Web Error" 503 Service Unavailable? Discover proven, step-by-step fixes for Teams 503 error on web. Get back online fast with our expert guide. Works on all browsers!
Struggling with Microsoft Teams "Win 7 Error" compatibility? Discover step-by-step fixes to restore seamless video calls and chats on unsupported Windows versions. Quick, reliable solutions inside!
Master troubleshooting Microsoft Teams Breakout Rooms license errors with this step-by-step guide. Quick fixes for common license issues, admin checks, and prevention tips to get your meetings running smoothly.
Struggling with Microsoft Teams "Version History" Error? Discover proven, step-by-step fixes to restore access instantly. Clear cache, update Teams, and more—no tech skills needed!
Tired of the frustrating Microsoft Teams Joining Error: Meeting ID Not Found? Get step-by-step fixes to rejoin meetings fast. Updated with the latest Teams patches for seamless collaboration. Solve it now!
Struggling with Microsoft Teams "Video Error" green screen? Discover proven, step-by-step troubleshooting fixes for seamless video calls. Quick solutions inside!
Struggling with the Microsoft Teams "How Teams Works" Tutorial Error? Discover proven, step-by-step fixes to resolve it quickly. Clear cache, update, and more for seamless onboarding. Works on latest versions!
Tired of the frustrating Microsoft Teams "Error Today" on Windows 10? Discover proven, step-by-step fixes to resolve it quickly and restore smooth teamwork. No tech skills needed!
