For the past year and a half, we’ve all been glued to our computer screens, either for work, school, personal use, or all of the above. It’s been stressful time of viral pandemic, after all. At the same time, lots of people have had their paychecks reduced or cut altogether.
If you work for yourself, thoughts of upgrading your computer software to include something a little more sophisticated like cloud computing might now seem like the stuff of pie-in-the-sky fantasy. Simply said, you just can’t afford it.
Says a recent report, at base, those people who depend on their computers for their livelihood and/or education are going to need at least some basic software tools like Microsoft Office 365 or its sister version, Microsoft 365. “Office” provides you with more features than your average software package. Even website/domain platforms like Godday offer one-stop-shop Microsoft packages such as their Godaddy Office 365 downloadable system.
But no matter how you choose to download the software, the big problem with Microsoft Office 365 and Microsoft 365, is that it can be expensive. But if you don’t want to spend any of your hard-to-come-by cash on the software packages, you need not stress out. Believe it or not, you can get the software for free.
Microsoft Productivity Software
The suite of productivity software included in the Microsoft Office 365 package usually includes Outlook, Word, Power Point, Excel, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive. It will run you around $150 for a one-time installation.
You can get the Microsoft 365 version for a $70 to $100 subscription which is renewable every year and thus doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of financial sense in the long run.
Apparently, Microsoft is making plans to release a new standalone version of Office for both Mac and Window for an as of yet undisclosed one-time fee.
But if you’re on a tight budget, here are some versions of Microsoft Office 365 and Microsoft 365 that you can find free online right this very second.
For Students and Teachers
According to MSN.com, If you’re a student, faculty member, or teacher, and can prove it with a valid school email address at your disposal, you are said to eligible to gain access to Microsoft Office 365 for absolutely no cost. The package includes Word, PowerPoint, Excel, OneNote, and Microsoft Teams. And get this, it also features special “classroom tools.” Not a bad deal at all.
Here’s what you need to do to get access to this free deal: you must enter your school email address in the designated place on Microsoft’s official website. You can then begin using Office 365 for free. But it’s possible you will be granted instant access only after passing the automated verification process.
That said, if you attend or work for an educational institution that requires verification, it could take upwards of a month for your eligibility to access the software for free to be confirmed.
Take note, if your recently graduated and you wish to stick with your Microsoft Office 365, you can access Office 365 Personal for only $12 for a full year. You will also need to use your valid school email address to gain access.
For Everybody Else
Even those of you who are out of school or don’t teach can have at least some free access to Microsoft 365 (as opposed to the “Office” version) software. More specifically, you can get it for one full month just to give it tryout.
However, you are going to be required to enter your credit card information. If you do not cancel after your one month trial, you will be charged $100 for the full, one-year subscription to the “Microsoft 365 Family,” or what was formerly known as Office 365 Home. Confused yet?
All confusion aside, there is still some good news to be had. If you don’t require the entire Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Office 365 package, it’s said you can access some of their apps for free online. These include Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel, Skype, Calendar, and more.
Just go to Office.com. Log into your Microsoft account if you haven’t already created one (Keep in mind that if you already have Windows, Skype, or Xbox Live, you already have a Microsoft account). Once inside the account, just go to the app you want to use, and go to town. Once you’re finished with your session, you can save your work in the OneDrive cloud.
