Office 365 about to run out.

[HappyHippyDad]

My free years subscription to Microsoft Office 365 is about to run out. I was happily set to take the laptop to the coffee shop this weekend to get some paperwork done and now I may not be able to do it!

I only use Word, nothing else. It runs out on the 8th and says 'Most features of word will be disabled'.

Is there a way of using MS word for free if you are not using any of the other stuff?

It says 'most features', will I still be able to write word documents and save them?

I know open office is a possibility, but I tried that before and it didn't seem to be compatible with Word.

Lastly, when browsing the web it says something about being able to use Word for free but calls it 'online word', does this mean I have to be online to use word? That would be a pain.

Cheers all.

 

[Deleted member 26818]

I changed my iPad and now can’t edit or write in Word.
Seems Word and Excell is free for devices up to 10.1 inches.
My new iPad is 10.5 inches.

There is a free program called open office, which may allow you to open and edit Word documents.

 

[littlespark]

Buy the subscription. Put it down as a business expense.

Or take the Jack Sparrow route... but I didn't say that....

 

[davesparks]

I use open office, it is open source software so is free to download and use. It can open most Microsoft document formats along with others and functions in a pretty similar way to office.

 

[happysteve]

Yeah, I use open office. It will load and save Word documents, though for complicated documents that have a lot of tables/pictures etc in them, there will likely be formatting issues. I only use it for invoices, making the PDF forms (a once-only job each time they change the forms), and doing the accounts on the open office spreadsheet.

If you have to load and edit Word documents that others have sent to you, then you need Word, really. You're going to have to suck it up and pay M$ the subscription.

If you just want to read Word documents that others send to you, then you can use the existing Office 365 (without a subscription) to do that.

If you want to send things to other people and not have to worry about it looking ok or not, then write the document in open office, then export as a PDF (which it does very nicely).

 

[Midwest]

I bought an MS Office package through some years ago, was about £30. Do you know of anyone in a work place environment?

If you got kids, you can have a student package, that lasts for donkeys.

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

you can use office for free usually via the microsoft website, its a slightly paired back version via the cloud, works fine as long as you get a web connection. for basic business stuff it is fine.
Free Microsoft Office Online, Word, Excel, PowerPoint - https://products.office.com/en-us/office-online/documents-spreadsheets-presentations-office-online?legRedir=true&CorrelationId=2ca6c4fb-82d6-4201-b684-999feb033ec3

 

[Squid]

What platform?

 

[HappyHippyDad]

Thanks all.

I had a few more questions, but each time I got to the next paragraph of happysteves post they got answered one by one

 

[HappyHippyDad]

What platform?

Absolutely no idea what that means.

 

[Bobster]

Absolutely no idea what that means.

What version of windows are you running or mac os?

 

[Strima]

I bought a second hand copy of Office 2016 from a well known auction site, it works very well.

 

[Starjack]

Just get office bought, it goes through the company so what's the problem.
Look at it another way you were recently debating buying a Tool belt, don't buy the Toolbelt , ok so you won't be able to go to that village people concert but you will be able to right a sorry letter with Word .
Every cloud and all that.

 

[Marti]

What platform?

It is web based so you can use it on ....anything. MS Windows, Apple OS even Android. Personally, I tried it and kept loosing files. Goole Docs is a similar web based system. A stripped down Word Excel et-ctera.

IMHO forget hacked and illegal software. You're running a business - if money is tight get on to Ebay and buy a legally licenced but earlier version of MS Office - Simples.

 

[FatBob]

I use linux; ubuntu is a user friendly distro that sits on linux;

Ubuntu PC operating system | Ubuntu - https://www.ubuntu.com/desktop

then as previously mentioned, it comes with libreoffice already installed;

all free

 

[NDG Elecs]

Pay out you skinflint!!

I think it costs me around £4.50 a month. Well worth it to have instant access to all my certs and quotes etc whilst out and about.

 

[HappyHippyDad]

Well I've just downloaded open office and it seems to be fine. I sent an open office document to myself and opened it in Word and it looks fine!
Happy days

 

[Squid]

It is web based so you can use it on ....anything. MS Windows, Apple OS even Android. Personally, I tried it and kept loosing files. Goole Docs is a similar web based system. A stripped down Word Excel et-ctera.

IMHO forget hacked and illegal software. You're running a business - if money is tight get on to Ebay and buy a legally licenced but earlier version of MS Office - Simples.

I wonder if Pete999 would be offended if you tried to tell him how to wire up a plug top............. as after being a Eletrikery Genius I spent 25 years in IT doing support as well as moves and changes, office moves and relocations and rollouts of hardware.

;o))))

 

[Squid]

Well I've just downloaded open office and it seems to be fine. I sent an open office document to myself and opened it in Word and it looks fine!
Happy days

Just been on to your comp and retrieved the document, are you sure it's working fine?

 

[SparkyAndGeorge]

Lookup WPS Office. Basically a free version of MS office.. its bad boy.

 

[Squid]

Lookup WPS Office. Basically a free version of MS office.. its bad boy.

Chinese based, hmmmmmmm

 

[Jim_e_Jib]

I wonder if Pete999 would be offended if you tried to tell him how to wire up a plug top............. as after being a Eletrikery Genius I spent 25 years in IT doing support as well as moves and changes, office moves and relocations and rollouts of hardware.

;o))))

 

[Squid]

I have a better one, whilst working at Virgin Records on the early shift back in the day I get a call from the girl that did the work for the NOW series of CD's, she says to me that her mouse isn't working, I ask her "has Fergus been in the office" she says nope we always shut the door, (Fergus was the company cat) anyways I did tell her to reboot the PC, 10 minutes later she phones back and says "you must think I am really stupid" my answer was "Yep" ;o))))

 

[Fitzy]

Office 365 personal is only £59.99 per year & home is only £79.99 per year.

 

[pirate]

£79.99/year and that's 5 users and 5 devices, so me, wife, daughter and guest...kinda cheap really when you realise you can run your whole life and business on it.

It's the best, so just pay for it...

 

[Squid]

£79.99/year and that's 5 users and 5 devices, so me, wife, daughter and guest...kinda cheap really when you realise you can run your whole life and business on it.

It's the best, so just pay for it...

Buzz LightYear needs to find out how to turn on the spell check option.

 

[Asinrute]

I bought a lifetime 365 subscription on an auction site for less than £10. I was very sceptical but that was nearly 2 years ago and it’s still working fine. It also downloaded a 2016 version of office on my PC which I will have even if the subscription stops

 

[jcs8215248]

Open Office has been mentioned several times in this thread. Support for this product does not seem to be very good and it is danger of being "abandonware". There is a lot of comparisons on the Internet.

The free product you should be considering is LibreOffice. It "forked" from Open Office several years ago and unlike Open Office is being actively developed. It is fully inter-operable with Microsoft Word and Excel (all versions) for normal document use. You can create Microsoft compatible documents and read/edit Microsoft compatible documents. Link is here Home | LibreOffice - Free Office Suite - Fun Project - Fantastic People - https://www.libreoffice.org/

I have used both Microsoft and LibreOffice suites extensively over many years with only minor issues. Until I retired last year my day job included documentation of complex computer systems (hundreds of documents) and I had very few compatibility issues (and any that were found have since been fixed).

There is a minor caveat - if you need to use any "Macros" then there is limited compatibility - these are typically complex Excel spreadsheets and Libre Office can often CONVERT Microsoft Excel macros to the LibreOffice equivalent but it is a one way trip.

 

[123]

The Google version I find very good, Sheets/Docs/Slides etc also free. I use a Chromebook mainly though, Windows Laptop is just for test certs.

 

[Marti]

A vote here for the alternative to MS Office - which really is Libre Office. Open office is fading and Libre Office is properly supported; it's only neg for me personally, was a slightly clunky interface. Down loaded as part of the Ubuntu operating system it's not perfect but hard to beat if you have your own reasons for not going MS Windows & Office. Make sure you spend a few minutes setting useful defaults before you use it.

 

[Paul P]

Try the well know auction site. Full licences are not much money. Search office professional.

 

[Paul P]

Try the well know auction site. Full licences are not much money. Search office professional.

 

[l4urence]

Open Office or Google Docs - if it must be MS Office then buy as media rather than online subscription. If you buy 2nd hand - make sure the license is valid.