Why You Can Trust CNET Here’s How to Get Microsoft 365 for Free for No-Cost Word, Excel and PowerPoint
You can get a heap of apps, including Microsoft Office, PowerPoint and Excel at no cost, whether you're a student, teacher or just on a budget. Here's how to get Microsoft 365 for free.
You can use Microsoft Office apps for free.
A Microsoft 365 subscription includes Microsoft Word for writing, PowerPoint for creating presentations, Outlook for email and OneDrive for cloud storage. Whether for work, school, personal use or all of the above, chances are you’ll want access to these apps -- we definitely find them helpful.
A paid Microsoft 365 membership normally starts at $2 a month or $20 a year for Microsoft 365 Basic tier, so you’ll shell out anywhere from $20 to $100 annually, depending on the plan. While a few bucks a month may not sound too bank-breaking, subscription services can add up. Thankfully, you can get Microsoft 365 at no cost if you're a student or teacher. Even if you don't have a school email address, you can still use Microsoft 365 without paying by taking advantage of a free trial or relying on the zero-dollar but limited functionality of online-only versions of apps like Word, meaning anybody with internet access to a free version of Microsoft 365.
Whether you're a student, teacher, budget-conscious shopper or all of the above, here’s how you can get Microsoft 365 for free.
Students and teachers can get Microsoft Office 365 Education for free with a school email address
Microsoft Excel can be a great tool for crunching data sets, tracking grades and other applications in the classroom -- for teachers or students
If you're a student, teacher or faculty member with an active school email address, then you're probably eligible to get access to Office 365 for free through Microsoft. An Office 365 Education subscription provides access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and Teams, plus other classroom tools.
All you have to do is punch in your school email address on this page on Microsoft's website: Office 365 Education. In many cases, you'll be instantly granted access thanks to an automated verification process. If you attend an institution that needs to be verified, it might take up to a month to confirm your eligibility.
College students can also get Microsoft 365 Personal for $3 a month with a valid school email address -- that's a considerable savings when compared with the standard $7 a month ($70 a year) price for non-students.
If you're not affiliated with an academic institution, you can use Microsoft 365 without paying using online-only apps or via a free trial
Not everyone can take advantage of an email address through an academic institution to get the Microsoft Office suite at no cost. Thankfully, anyone can get a one-month free trial of Microsoft 365. You do need to enter a credit card number. If you don't cancel your subscription before the month is up, you'll be charged $100 for a one-year subscription to Microsoft 365 Family (formerly called Office 365 Home).
The good news is that you can access a number of apps online for free, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive, Outlook, Calendar, My Content, Skype, Designer and Clipchamp as long as you don't need the full suite of Microsoft 365 tools. Here's how to activate Microsoft 365 for free:
1. Go to Microsoft365.com.
2. Click Sign up for the free version of Office under the "Sign in" button.
3. Log in to your Microsoft account or create one for free. If you already have a Windows, Skype or Xbox Live login, you have an active Microsoft account.
4. Select the app you want to use and save your work in the cloud with OneDrive.
Use the browser-based version of the Microsoft Word app for free.
Wait, what's the catch with the free version?
You might be thinking, "If I can get all of those apps for free, why pay for Microsoft 365 in the first place?" The functionality of the free apps is limited, so they only run in your web browser and you can only use them while you're actively connected to the internet -- there’s no offline version. They also have fewer features than the full Microsoft 365 versions. For instance, Microsoft Teams calls are limited to group calls of 100 participants for 60 minutes per month with the free app, and calls of up to 300 participants with a 30 hour monthly allowance for the paid version of Microsoft 365 Personal or Family.
For most folks, those limitations should still give them more than enough to work with. However, for more demanding situations, like small businesses and classroom settings, you may need to pay for a full account or snag a free copy of Microsoft 365 using a school email address.
There are still benefits to the free version of Microsoft 365, including the ability to share links to your work and collaborate in real-time, similar to what the Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) productivity tools allow. If you're looking for basic versions of each of these apps, the free version should work well for you.
For more productivity coverage, check out what Microsoft 365 Basic offers customers, all of the best features in Windows 11 and how to take screenshots in Windows 10 or 11. You can also take a look at CNET's list of the best Windows laptops.
How to get Microsoft 365 for free FAQ
Can I get Office 365 for free?
Yes, you can get Microsoft 365 for free -- and accordingly get Microsoft Word for free along with other apps, including Excel and OneDrive. Students and teachers can get Microsoft Office 365 Education at no cost with a school email address. If you're not a student or faculty member, you can use the online-only versions of many apps like Word for free, or sign up for a one-month Microsoft 365 free trial.
Can I still use Office 365 without a subscription?
You can use several Microsoft Office apps, including Word, without a paid subscription. However, you'll be limited to online-only versions of these apps instead of having the ability to work offline as well.
Is there a free version of Microsoft 365?
Yes, the web version of Microsoft 365 is available free of charge -- all you'll need is a Microsoft account. You can only use Microsoft 365 for the web in a browser, so there's no offline functionality. Additionally, there are some usage limits, like Microsoft Teams calls being limited to groups of 100 participants for 60 minutes per month with the free version, versus calls of up to 300 participants with a 30-hour monthly allowance for the paid tier of Microsoft 365 Personal or Family.