Suppose you want to create your resume; Microsoft Word is the best choice for creating an outstanding resume for you. But, you must pay a subscription fee to use Microsoft Word, even if you want to use it for a short time. Is there a free version of Microsoft Word? How to download and use Microsoft Word for free?
In this article, we will guide you on how to download the free version of Microsoft Word and how to use it. We will also tell you some best free alternatives to Microsoft Word. Stay with us!
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word is the best word processing software to create, edit, design, and format your documents. The latest version of MS Word has the feature of Copilot. Copilot will edit, summarize, give suggestions, and help you in many other ways while writing your document. Copilot will also create the first draft for your organizational projects and help you rewrite any text.
Features of Microsoft Word
MS Word also comes with a lot of other features. Some of them are:
Automatically checks for grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation in your document
Share your documents with anyone and make changes together by suggesting and commenting on the document
Save your document to OneDrive, making it accessible from anywhere at any time
Design your documents with built-in templates
Immersive Reader's feature helps you use audio and visual tools to understand better and experience the document better.
Easily edit your documents with Action Pen feature. No need for a keyboard anymore.
Free Version Of Microsoft Word
Two options are available if you want to use MS Word for free. You can use the online version of MS Word, Word for the web, or the free Microsoft Word app on your mobile device.
Word For The Web
Word for the Web is the online version of Microsoft Word. You can use your browser to open and use Word for the web. You will also need a Microsoft account to log in to the Microsoft Office website. If you do not have an account, you can create an account for free. All the documents created using Word for the web will be saved to OneDrive, making them accessible from anywhere at any time.
Word for the Web helps you collaborate with friends and make document changes easier. Word for the Web is equipped with all standard features; however, it lacks some advanced features of the Word desktop app. For example, there are no advanced options for alignment and layout in Word for the Web. You can not create a table of contents, citations, and bibliography.
Pros
Free to use
No need for installation
Built-in templates
Automatically saves and stores documents in OneDrive
Collaborate with your teams more easily
Cons
Requires an internet connection to work
Lacks advanced features e.g., alignment and layout options, advanced proofing options, etc.
Word App On Mobile
Microsoft Word is also available as an app on Google Play Store and Apple Store. You can download and install it on your mobile device for free. However, there are certain drawbacks to using Word on mobile phones. Typing a long document using your phone”s keyboard is difficult. You might have a bad user experience viewing documents on a mobile phone's small screen.
Using Word on your mobile phone is good when you just want to view a document sent by someone. You can also make small changes to the document.
Pros
Free to use
Easily accessible on mobile devices
Suitable for viewing and minor editing of documents on mobile devices
Equipped with all basic formatting and editing options
Cons
Lack of advanced features such as citations, references, bibliography
Challenging to create large documents due to typing restrictions on a mobile phone keyboard
Although Word for the Web and Word apps for Mobile phones are free, they are not the best and permanent solution. Because they lack many advanced features, you must pay a subscription cost to get a full-featured Microsoft Word desktop app. Don't worry; we have some best alternatives to Microsoft Word that are free and easy to use and contain almost all the features of Microsoft Word.
Free Alternatives To Microsoft Word
1. Best Alternative To Microsoft Word - WPS Office Writer
WPS Office Writer is the best alternative to Microsoft Word. It is an excellent and robust software freely available on its official website. WPS Writer is part of the WPS Office suite that includes much other software such as Presentation, Spreadsheet, a PDF editor and reader, etc.
Features of WPS Writer
Create well-designed professional documents
Compatibility with all Microsoft Word file formats
100,000+ built-n templates
Supports file conversion between PDF and Word
Saves documents in WPS Cloud for easy access
Includes all advanced features of Microsoft Word such as table of contents, citations, references, auto spell check, autosave, etc
Options to save the documents as PDF, DOC, DOCX, and WPS file formats
2. Google Docs
Google Docs is another excellent alternative to Microsoft Word. It is a web-based word processor, and installation is unnecessary. It is offered by Google and saves your documents to Google Drive.
Features of Google Docs
Free Web-based word processor
Collaborative features let you create and edit documents with your friends from anywhere.
Automatically saves your documents in Google Drive for easy access
Tracks changes made to the document
Supports all file formats, e.g., DOC, DOCX, ODT, etc
Supports Add-ons
Automatic spell check and grammar check feature
3. LibreOffice Writer
LibreOffice Writer is an open-source and free word processing software. It supports all file formats of MS Word. It has all the standard and essential features of modern word processing software.
Features of LibreOffice Writer
Spell check, auto-correct, and auto-complete features
Built-in templates to create complex documents easily
E-book creation feature
Simple and modern interface
Built-in dictionary
Free Download Microsoft 365
Microsoft Office is now called Microsoft 365. MS Word is a part of the Microsoft 365 solution. How can you download Microsoft 365 for free? Here are the five easy ways.
1. Download From Microsoft Website
You can download a free trial version of Microsoft 365 from Microsoft's official website. Remember that the trial version is only valid for one month. The free trial includes all the Office apps, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive, etc. You can get the trial version of Microsoft 365 by following these steps.
Visit the official website of Microsoft Office.
Click on the Try 1 month free tab.
Sign in to your Microsoft account.
Remember that you have to add your payment method to get the free trial. You will be charged after your trial period ends.
Select your desired payment option and enter your payment details. After entering the payment details, click on Confirm Subscription.
The Microsoft 365 will be downloaded on your PC. Install it and enjoy using fantastic apps。
2. Microsoft Office Web Solution
You can also use the online version of Microsoft 365 for free. It is also equipped with all utilities, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and all other apps of Microsoft 365. To use Microsoft 365 web solution, follow these steps.
Go to the official website of Microsoft 365 web solution.
Sign in with your Microsoft account.
Select your desired Office app from the homepage and start using it.
You can also install your desired app from here.
3. Download from Softpedia
Softpedia is an online platform that hosts different software applications. You can get Microsoft 365 from Softpedia in the simple steps outlined below.
Go to the official website of Softpedia.
Click on the Download button. Unfortunately, it is not freely available on Softpedia.
4. Download from CNET
You can also download Microsoft 365 from the official website of CNET by following these steps.
Visit the official website of Download.CNET.
Search for Microsoft 365 in the search bar.
Click on Microsoft Office 365 Home Premium and then click on Visit Site.
It will redirect you to the official website of Microsoft Office. You can get one month free trial by downloading it.
5. Download from TechSpot
You can also get free Microsoft Office from TechSpot. Although it does not offer the latest version of Microsoft 365, you can get an earlier version for free.
Visit the official website of TechSpot.
Search for Microsoft Office and click on Microsoft Office 2016.
Click on the Download button to get Office for free.
FAQs
Can I just download Word from Office 365?
With most Office 365 plans, you can download and install full versions of Microsoft Office programs like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint on your PC, Mac, or mobile device. However, you can also get the standalone version of Word from Microsoft Office's official website.
What are the other alternatives to Microsoft Word?
Apache OpenOffice Writer
Zoho Writer
Coda
Evernote
Summary
In this article, we have given a detailed procedure to get a Microsoft Word free download for Windows. Although Microsoft Word is an excellent software with advanced features, it costs you money. No version of MS Word is free for a lifetime. There are numerous alternatives to MS Word available.
The best alternative to MS Word is WPS Office Writer. It is equipped with all the standard and advanced features of MS Word. It also supports all file formats of MS Word. WPS Writer is part of the WPS Office suite. You can get other office applications in the WPS Office suite, e.g., a spreadsheet program, a presentation maker, a PDF editor, and many more. There are also options to convert between different file formats, e.g., Word to PDF, PDF to image, etc.
WPS Office is available for Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux, MacOS, Android, and iOS users. You can get your free version of WPS Office from its official website.
