Subscriptions can add up. Here’s how to get Microsoft 365 for free

Microsoft 365 is a productivity suite that includes Word for writing, PowerPoint for creating presentations, Outlook for email, and OneDrive for cloud storage. Whether it’s for work, school, personal use, or all of the above, chances are you’ll want access to these apps — we find them to be absolutely useful.

A paid Microsoft 365 membership starts at $2 per month or $20 per year for the Microsoft 365 Basic tier, so you’ll pay between $20 and $100 per year depending on the plan you choose. While that may not sound like much, subscription services can add up. Fortunately, you can get Microsoft 365 for free if you’re a student or teacher. If you don’t have a school email address, you have options including a free trial or relying on the free but limited-feature online-only versions of apps like Word.

Here’s how to get Microsoft 365 for free.

Students and teachers can easily get Microsoft Office 365 Education for free

Let’s say you’re a student, teacher, or faculty member with an active school email address. You’re likely eligible for free access to Office 365 through Microsoft, which includes access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Teams, plus other classroom tools.

All you need to do is enter your school email address on this page on the Microsoft website: Office 365 Education. In many cases, you will be granted immediate access through an automated verification process. If you go to an institution that requires verification, it may take up to a month for your eligibility to be confirmed.

Students are also welcome here Microsoft 365 Personal for $3 per month with a valid school email address.

You can still use many Microsoft 365 apps for free if you’re not a student or faculty member

Not everyone can take advantage of an email address through an academic institution to get the Microsoft Office suite for free. Fortunately, anyone can get a one month free trial of Microsoft 365. You will need to enter a credit card number. If you do not cancel your subscription by the end of the month, you will be charged $100 for an annual subscription to Microsoft 365 family (formerly 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 get them:

1. Go to Microsoft365.com.

2. Click Sign up for the free version of Office under the “Sign Up” button.

3. Sign in to your Microsoft account or create one for freeIf you’re already signed in to Windows, Skype, or Xbox Live, you have an active Microsoft account.

4Select the app you want to use and save your work to the cloud with OneDrive.

What is the disadvantage of the free version?

You might be saying, “Wait a minute, if I can get all these apps for free, why would I pay for Microsoft 365 in the first place?” The free apps have limited functionality, so they only run in your web browser and you can only use them when you’re actively connected to the internet — there’s no offline version. They also have fewer features than the full Microsoft 365 versions. For example, 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 monthly allowance of 30 hours for the paid version of Microsoft 365 Personal or Family.

There are still benefits to the free version, including the ability to share links to your work and collaborate in real time, similar to what 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 fine for you.

For more productivity coverage, check out what Microsoft 365 Basic has to offer customers, all the best features in Windows 11, and how to take screenshots in Windows 10 or 11. You can also check out CNET’s list of the best Windows laptops.