How about creating assignments, forms, PPTs, and performing data analysis on Mac without Microsoft Office? Well, that seems something less right? But it is not! Several methods let you access MS Office free of cost on Mac.
Further, there are some better alternatives to the Office that you can use for free on Mac! So, if you are wondering how to use Microsoft Office for Mac for Free, we have you covered!
Hacks to Use Microsoft Office for Mac Free
MS Office provides a range of free access options, especially on macOS. All of them are simple, quick, and effective without any cracked versions or similar.
The following are some of the methods to access MS Office for free on Mac:
Method 1: Download MS Office for Mac Education Edition
If you are into the educational sector, it does not matter whether you are a student or teacher; you have a boon. You can download the Education Edition, which is mainly for students. Several institutions pay for Microsoft Office 365.
Students and teachers of the organization can use this plan. You can install Microsoft Office on your MacBook and use it free of cost.
So, instead of trying different sites to fetch the cracked versions that may harm your devices, you should avail yourself of the benefits. When close to education, you can use MS Office for free.
Method 2: Sign up for the Microsoft Office for Mac Free Trial
Like you have free trials for every premium service, you can access Microsoft’s free trial for the purpose. Though, free trials require you to enter your credit card credentials.
However, you can cancel your subscription anytime, so you will not incur any bills or interest. Make sure to cancel your subscription at the end of the trial period.
By signing up with a free trial, you can download MS Office for the desktop that’s accessible for the MacBook. It allows you to avail Microsoft Office 365 Home Plan.
Therefore, you will benefit from essential Microsoft software like Word, Excel, Outlook, and even PowerPoint. Further, you will also get 1 TB storage on its Cloud Storage- OneDrive. If you need MS Office services for enterprise needs, you can apply for Office 365 ProPlus free trial.
Method 3: Use Microsoft Office Online
Nowadays, everyone, be it in personal life or enterprises, rely significantly upon SaaS services. It implies that you do not need to install software on your device, but you can access them online via browser.
MS Office works on a similar approach to no-cost services to users. You can log in to its official website via Safari or any other default browser.
Using the official website, you can access only programs like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Besides, you can even access Outlook and OneDrive from their respective websites.
As the web version is made for users to access Office freely, it suffers from a drawback. You can create and edit documents online but cannot work on them offline. Besides, it’s limited in functionalities as compared to its desktop application.
Method 4: Ask for a Microsoft Plan Invite
You might have colleagues, friends, family, or similar connections who would have subscribed to Microsoft 365 Home Plan. Using the package, the subscriber can invite up to five people through an email link.
So, you can ask any of them to send you the Office Sharing Page invite using their MS account. Therefore, it lets you download MS Office for Mac Free of cost. You will also get 1 TB Storage capacity on OneDrive.
Another cost-saving method remains splitting the subscription plan amongst five of your folks. Thus, the plan will be affordable for you rather than subscribing all alone. However, if you do not want to proceed, you can try several alternatives, most of which have more benefits than Office.
Best Free Alternatives to Microsoft Office on Mac
With frequent updates, expensive subscription plans, bigger size, and fewer features in today’s era MS Office have disappointed the users in several aspects.
Fortunately, you have several alternatives that let you create and edit all types of documents. So, you can get rid of Office and have an advanced edge with added features!
The following are the best free alternatives to Microsoft Office for Mac OS:
#1 Google Workspace
With various apps to meet your contemplating needs of productivity, meetings, communication, and record-keeping, Google Workspace is the ideal alternative to MS Word on Mac.
Sheets, Docs, Slides, and Forms are a part of the software. These serve the same purpose as what Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Forms do on MS Office.
The cool part is that you get Google Drive (Cloud Drive), which is much better than the Microsoft OneDrive. Further, Gmail, Meet, and Calendar are also included to help you keep a check. You can even access PDFs and transfer your Docs file to any format you desire.
Choosing Google Workspace is ideal as users now rely more on Google apps than Microsoft due to its rich functionalities. You can share files through the apps in the package and track the changes live online as it is widely used, therefore standardized, and better for collaboration. It even lets you share your iWork files.
Earlier known as G Suite, it was rebranded in 2020 for a better approach amongst users. It contains a comprehensive range of tools that help you enhance your productivity and was released in 2006 and had been meeting users’ needs for 16 years.
It has a user-friendly GUI but suffers from a drawback. Non-Google account users are restricted from some of the unique features of Workspace.
#2 LibreOffice
When you juggle between your Mac and Windows Operating system, then LibreOffice is the one that bridges the gap. You can access any files on both Mac and Windows. Further, as its UI is similar to MS Office services, it’s easier to adapt its functionalities.
It supports several file types and is available for free. LibreOffice is open-source software that includes Word Processor, Presentation Software, and Spreadsheet. The most remarkable feature of the suite is you can access it in 110 languages.
If you are one of the users often irked by MS Office repeatedly occurring updates, this software will relieve you. As per your prerequisites, you can choose to share or export files as a PDF.
Besides, it will consume less space on your Mac as its size is only 228 MB. With faster download, less storage, and free-to-use, it is one of the most credible alternatives to MS Office for Mac, Linux, and other operating systems.
However, there is one drawback to it. There are font formatting issues when you export LibreOffice files to Microsoft Office.
#3 iWork
As the name suggests, iWork is one of the best options for ones using Mac, iOS, and other OS. It is flexible to use the suite on Apple devices.
Using the suite on an iPad lets you use Apple Pencil to create illustrations, vectors, and other purposes. Most Mac and iPad users prefer iWork as it is small.
The suite contains Pages, Numbers, and Keynote and has the same functionality as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint of MS Office. You can create documents on iWork, export them on iCloud or other drives and access them on different devices, including non-Apple ones.
#4 Apache Open Office
With six excellent software in its suite, including Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, Base, and Math, similar to Word, Excel, and Powerpoint lets you create seamless documents on the go. Besides, Draw, Base, and Math have added more functionalities than MS Office.
You can create 3D illustrations and vector art in Draw. The base is an all-in-one app for editing tables and preparing forms and reports. Apache Math has a friendly GUI for quick and simple calculations. Due to such software and a rich set of features, it is more advanced than Microsoft Office.
You get ultimate experience as it is an Open Source Package. So, if you find any app bugs, glitches, or drawbacks, you can connect with the developers and share feedback. Apache’s hyperactive community quickly resolves issues based on users’ feedback.
#5 WPS Office
WPS Office is the easiest to use. Its unique feature is that you can open tabs and work as you do in the Web browser Safari or Chrome. This suite offers free 1GB of cloud storage, another best alternative to MS Office.
You can even customize the menu as per your convenience. It suffers from the drawback of ads, and you have to pay $30 to get rid of them.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to Use Microsoft Office for iOS free?
You can download the Office app from PlayStore, log in or sign up and set it up for use. Using the app, you can even scan pictures to pdf, create pdf and use Lens besides other apps of Office. The app is free-to-download and use. Subscription to a premium plan is an option.
The Final Word
Were you wondering about how to use Microsoft Office for Mac Free? Since you have come this far, then you would have got the answers. You can use MS Office for Mac Education Edition, use the Free trial for Mac, access it online via web browser, or ask for a plan invite from your connections.
The most incredible idea is to use alternatives to Microsoft Office like Google Workspace, LibreOffice, iWork, Apache Open Office, and WPS Office to give you several benefits.
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