How to get Microsoft 365 for Free

Do you want to get your Microsoft 365 Plan for free? There are some options you should try first.

I know, the prospect of a free Microsoft 365 sounds kind of farfetched. But it’s not. If there is a legal way that you don’t have to pay, you’ll find it here.

Of course, one way is to simply get the free trial of Microsoft 365 if you don’t have it already. This is limited but will give you a chance to try it before you buy.

Here are some ways to get full edition of Microsoft 365

1. Get Microsoft 365 through your school

Microsoft offers Microsoft 365 Education for free through many schools and universities. If you are a student or educator, and your institution is eligible, all you need is a valid school email address.

This is a truly free version of Microsoft 365, and you should enjoy this benefit for as long as possible. In addition to your familiar MS apps, it comes with tools to encourage collaboration in the classroom, like Access, Sway, Teams, SharePoint, Stream, and Flow.

However, Microsoft will verify you are still an active educator or student. Once your Microsoft 365 Education plan expires, applications will become view-only after 30 days. After 60, you will lose access. To keep working, you will need to subscribe to Microsoft 365, or back up your files and use Office Online.

If you used to be a student, see if your school address will work. If not, access the alumni discount they offer for Microsoft 365 Personal.

 

2. Get the free trial of Microsoft 365

This is the easiest free option for accessing Microsoft 365. But it only lasts for a month. After that, you’ll have to begin a subscription or use one of the other methods here.

Remember to turn off recurring billing in your Account Settings unless you want to start paying.

Unlike the online version, when Microsoft 365 is installed locally you have full document editing capabilities offline. You can share the free Microsoft 365 trial version with up to five other people. Each person gets 1TB of OneDrive cloud storage, plus the ability to sync and share files across Windows, Apple, and Android devices.

This is a great option, but only for the short-term. You only get a single free trial per email and credit card, so unless you try to bend the terms of the license agreement, it’s a one-shot deal. Or is it?

 

3. Convince your company to get Microsoft 365

If your need for Microsoft 365 is strictly for work. And you constantly find yourself in need of full-versions of Word or Excel, you probably have a strong case to make to your employer.

Office Online is great, considering it’s free, but the lack of function or offline capability can be extremely frustrating. If these things are getting in the way and costing you time, it’s likely costing the company more money a subscription would.

This isn’t always going to work—but I told you we were looking at every option to get Microsoft 365 free of charge.

 

4. Free Microsoft 365 (with purchase of a PC)

Here’s an option that is not going to be right for everyone, but if you are in the market for a new computer, this could be an answer. Some PCs come with one year of Microsoft 365. This sometimes includes ultra-affordable laptops, and you still save $99 annually on an Microsoft 365 subscription.

One thing to make sure of is that you are getting what you want. Some computers will only come with Microsoft 365 Personal, and others may not even have an OS installed.

 

What about Office Online and Mobile?

Now you know how to get a free download of Microsoft 365, but I should mention two easy, free-forever Office options just in case they do the trick.

Get Office Online

Office Online is entirely cloud-based and works on most browsers. As long as you have the internet, you have access to familiar MS Office tools like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, as well as Sway, OneNote, Outlook, Calendar, OneDrive, Forms, People, and Skype. Simply create an account and log in from anywhere to collaborate with anyone.

While Office Online doesn’t take up any space, the downside is that you need the internet in order to use the programs and your documents. If you can rely on wifi wherever you need it, this limitation isn’t so bad. Plus, you can always sync your computer with OneDrive so that files are automatically stored for offline access.

The features are greatly limited compared to Microsoft 365, but for personal use, it’s probably okay as long as you plan ahead. The extra logistics required to coordinate larger teams using Office Online, however, probably don’t end up saving much money.

 

Get the Office mobile app

The Office mobile app works on Android and iOS on your phone or tablet. Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are combined into a single app that syncs with all of your devices that use Office.

You can download additional apps, which take up some space, but all of your documents are stored in the cloud. You’ll be able to create and sign PDFs, and edit documents, tables, and slides—but be aware that the editing features are limited without the Microsoft 365 subscription.

Similar to Office Online, the mobile app is okay for personal needs but quickly reveals itself wanting at the enterprise level.

Final note: If you have to pay… it’s really not that bad!
In the end, Microsoft 365 is an extremely valuable set of programs. Getting it for $99/year is pretty amazing. and now there is a special offer for one year, one user, 5 devices on www.keyingo.com , and it is only $25 USD, if you can't access these free edition, don't miss this opportunity