You don't have to pay for the entire Microsoft Office suite if all you need is Word. While you can get Microsoft 365 Basic for as little as $2 per month, it only includes the mobile versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. If that's not good enough, let us show you all the ways you can get Microsoft Word for free.

1. Get Office 365 Education for Free

Microsoft Office 365 Education

Students and teachers can get Office 365 Education for free if your school supports it. You can check your Office 365 Education eligibility on the official site.

However, be warned that the 1TB of OneDrive storage is associated with your school's account, which means a school administrator can change permissions and access. Like students, non-profit organizations can get Microsoft 365 Business Premium for free.

2. Try Microsoft 365 for Free

Microsoft 365 for Home Use

If you temporarily need the full version of Microsoft Word for free on your PC or Mac, get a one-month trial subscription to Microsoft 365.

Until a few years ago, buying Microsoft Office was a one-time cost, but a hefty one. Now, Microsoft has embraced the subscription model, which actually increases the price but makes a lot of sense if you are using Office on multiple computers for your whole family. Plus, there are some cool freebies packaged with it.

Once you have finished your trial period, you need to make a decision whether to stick with one of the free Microsoft Word versions below or pay for the full version. You can choose from one of these packages for home users:

  • The Microsoft 365 Family package comes with Word, PowerPoint, Excel, OneNote, and Outlook and 1TB of cloud storage for each user. If you plan on sharing your Office with members of your family, this is the best value-for-money deal you can get. It applies to six users, meaning you can install Office offline on six computers (PC or Mac), six tablets, or six phones. You also get additional safety features for Word Mobile on your smartphone. This option is available for $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year.
  • The cheaper Microsoft 365 Personal package costs $6.99 per month or $69.99 per year but supports only one user for 1TB of storage, offline installation on one computer, one tablet, and one phone.
  • Finally, the Microsoft 365 Basic package offers the mobile versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and OneDrive, as well as Outlook and 100GB of cloud storage. It's only $1.99 per month or $19.99 per year.

Looking for a way to get Microsoft 365 Business Premium for free? Good luck with that! However, you can get Microsoft 365 Business Basic for as little as $6 per user and month, which is a very affordable plan.

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MICROSOFT 365

If you don't like the new subscription model, you can purchase Office at a one-time cost varying from $149.99 to $399.99. Before you make a decision, check out these methods to get cheap Microsoft Office and Word licenses.

3. Free Microsoft Office for Android and iOS

Microsoft's all-in-one Office suite for Android and iOS combines Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Forms, and a host of PDF options in a single app, and it's completely free.

Perhaps the best part about the free Microsoft Office mobile app is how well it represents documents filled with charts and graphics. This has historically been a problem with most mobile office suites, but such files show up perfectly on this app, scroll through smoothly without lag, and are smartly optimized for mobile screens.

The app also features a strong dictation mode. Apart from turning your voice into text, you can make lists, add punctuation, change lines, and much more. Not bad, considering you're getting Microsoft Word for free.

Download: Microsoft Office: Edit & Share for Android | iOS (Free)

Use the Android App on Chromebooks

Microsoft Office: Edit & Share is also the best method to get Microsoft Word free on Chrome OS. All Chromebooks now run Android apps, so go to the Play Store and download the same app for the Android linked above.

It will work as if you were using a tablet. The app works fine with a keyboard, and you can keep using the regular keyboard shortcuts you are accustomed to. But in the end, that's a mobile version of Word, not the proper desktop one. For something closer to the desktop Word experience on a Chromebook, you're better off using our next option; Office Online.

4. Free Word Mobile for Windows

Word Mobile for Windows

For a long time, Microsoft offered a free program called Word Viewer to open any DOCX file without paying for the full version of Office. But Word Viewer was retired a few years back. What you have instead is the new Word Mobile.

You can install Word Mobile on any Windows laptop, desktop, tablet, or phone. If your screen is larger than 10.1 inches, however, you can't create or edit files with the free Microsoft Word Mobile. Unless you have a Microsoft 365 subscription, you can only open documents and read them on larger screens.

To grab the app, head to the Microsoft Store and search for Word Mobile. Otherwise, follow the link below and click the Get in Store app button to open it in the Microsoft Store on your Windows computer. Proceed to download the Word Mobile app like any other app.

Download: Word Mobile for Windows (Free)

5. Free Office Online

Office Online document

If you have an active internet connection, you can use the free Office Online instead in your browser. All you need is a Microsoft account, which you can register for free, and then choose the Word app.

We can think of a few reasons why you should use Office Online instead of paying Microsoft to use Word. For starters, you can access documents anywhere through the 5GB of free OneDrive storage you get with a Microsoft account. It also accurately retains Microsoft Word formatting, unlike other apps. And it automatically saves your work, so you don't lose it.

Office Online also makes it easier to share documents and work with others. Like Google Docs, you and your friends can collaborate on the same document in this free Microsoft Word online app. It's an easy step to cloud computing for anyone who is already hooked into the Microsoft Office ecosystem.

However, you can't use Office Online without an internet connection. When you need an offline office suite, fully installed on your own PC, then the good old Office is still your best bet.

Still Nothing? Try Microsoft Word Alternatives

Microsoft Word has always been a fantastic word processor. Maybe you have moved away from it because of its price. Though these alternatives aren't the full-fledged Office suite that you expect to grab for free, you can still rely on these methods and use them for your productivity.

Otherwise, you might want to consider these fresh alternatives to Microsoft Office. You never know which of those free or cheap alternatives will work out for you.