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As someone who works in a tech-related job, I’m regularly bombarded with questions about best smartphones, why emails may have suddenly stopped appearing, and how to back up photos and videos. Another common question I often hear is: How do I use Microsoft Office for free?
Judging by the frequency with which people ask me this, I’m assuming there’s still a sizable portion of the population that doesn’t know that you can use Microsoft’s official online version of Office in your web browser for free – Or that Office as it is nowadays called Microsoft 365. All you need is a Microsoft account and an Internet connection.
Sure, you miss out on some features—Microsoft isn’t going to give away its flagship product completely for free—but if you need to quickly open or edit a Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file, online Tools can do the job well. Here’s how to get started and what features are available to you.
launch
go towards Microsoft Office Online Portal, and not only will you get a reminder that Office is now Microsoft 365 (regardless of the domain name), but you’ll also be able to sign in with your Microsoft account. We’re assuming you’ve set up a Microsoft account for some reason, but if you haven’t, you can do so here.
After you sign in, you’ll get a beautiful-looking dashboard where you can get all the files stored in OneDrive, as well as a variety of Microsoft web apps – apps including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. You can click on a file to open it or create a new file from the row of icons at the top.
Select an app from the bottom panel on the left, and you can see recent files and some templates specific to that app that you can use to get started more quickly. They include retirement planners in Excel and resumes in Word. You can also upload a document, spreadsheet, or presentation from your computer via the Upload button.
Each new file opens in its own tab, so you can work in multiple Word, Excel, and PowerPoint tabs at once if you need to. The interface doesn’t offer many options: you’ll have to take what Microsoft gives you here to see how everything is organized and works.
editing files
If you’ve used the desktop version of Microsoft Office (or Microsoft 365), you’ll be right at home with the web interface. Your ribbon menu is at the top of the tab window, allowing you to format what’s already there and insert new elements as needed. Of course, the features available depend on which app you’re using.
In the upper right corner of the screen, you find controls for adding comments, sharing the file with other people (keeping it always online makes collaboration much simpler), and switching between different modes of operation: editing, review ofAnd Look, If you’ve installed it you also have the option from the same menu to open the file in an equivalent desktop program.
All the key features are easy to understand, whether you are a complete beginner or already accustomed to the desktop application. If you get stuck, there is a large search box at the top of the screen. You can use this to view a particular option in the menu. click on Help For more help, enter the ribbon menu.
As web apps go, these are pretty extensive – you can select, drag, right-click and do much more, just like you do in the traditional Word, Excel and PowerPoint versions. You won’t find a Save button, because everything is automatically saved and synced to the cloud as you make changes, but you can use file Menu if you need to download a local copy as well.
What you can and can’t do
Office online apps are cut-down versions of their desktop counterparts, although many users may not notice the difference, depending on how demanding their needs are. Basic opening and editing functions are here; As mentioned, everything is automatically synced to your OneDrive account.
With respect to Microsoft Word on the web, you cannot access some layout features, such as the option to show gridlines or create columns in your document. You’re unable to add watermarks, themes, or page colors, and you can’t drop charts, bibliographies, or citations. Some other advanced features, such as mail merge, are also disabled.
As far as Microsoft Excel on the web is concerned, it is not so easy to immediately recognize the differences in the online app: it is only when you start digging deeper and accessing more sophisticated tools that Discrepancies appear. For example, the Web app doesn’t offer as many chart types or as many data import options, and you can’t name selected ranges—all features that only advanced users will need.
Like Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint on the web looks like a close match to the desktop version until you try to go beyond the basics. The online tool has fewer animations and transitions to choose from, can’t import audio or charts, and is limited in how slideshows can be played. So again, a lot of the core functionality is present, but power users will always choose full-fat desktop applications.
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