No need to look for dubious methods to restore popular Microsoft Office applications for free. There is actually a completely legal way to use Word, Excel and PowerPoint without spending a dime.
Despite the years and profound developments in IT, Microsoft's Office suite remains one of the most popular and widely used products in the world. Its three flagship applications Word, Excel and PowerPoint remain indispensable tools in the professional world and can also provide many services in private life. However, this software is not free and its cost can quickly become prohibitive for simple or casual use. To purchase a single license you have to expect to pay just under €150, which you also have to pay for each new major version of the product. And for the subscription called Microsoft 365 it will cost around ten euros per month. However, there is a completely legal and surprisingly little-known way to use the famous Word, Excel and PowerPoint applications, but also other Microsoft Office products such as forms or lists, for free.
To respond to changes in usage and the increasing power of competing Office applications such as Google Docs and Sheets, Microsoft has made online versions of certain software from its Office suite available free of charge. This means it is entirely possible to use Word, Excel and PowerPoint in your favorite internet browser without spending a single euro. To benefit from it, all you need is a Microsoft account, which can be created free and quickly in a special section of the Microsoft website and which most Windows users already have. To access the applications, simply go to the Office online site and sign in with your Microsoft credentials. Once this is done, you will access a dashboard that will allow you to launch and use the Word, Excel and PowerPoint applications in your web browser.
Online versions of software are very similar to their desktop counterparts. We find the familiar interface of the Office suite, with the ribbon grouping the various tools available in the form of tabs so that you don't get lost and you can quickly find your way if you are used to working with the Office versions of Word , Excel and PowerPoint. However, please note that certain features are not available in the online version of the applications: in Word it is not possible to perform a mail merge or add a watermark to the document, in Excel you cannot create personalized cell styles or insert calculated fields in Add pivot tables and PowerPoint, for example, doesn't offer as many transition effects as its classic version.
However, these limitations affect only some of the most complex functions, and the range of tools available largely covers the vast majority of office automation needs, be it for writing intricately formatted documents, analyzing large amounts of data, or creating sophisticated presentations. In addition, two lesser-known applications from the Office suite are also available for free, Forms and Lists, which, as the name suggests, allow you to create forms and interactive lists. Finally, note that your documents must be stored online on Microsoft's OneDrive service in order to use these applications in your browser. However, the free plan gives you 5 GB of storage space, which is more than enough to store a large number of Office files.