How to obtain free Microsoft Excel - Excel from Microsoft is the most popular spreadsheet program, and that doesn't look like it will change any time soon. As a key part of the very popular Microsoft Office productivity suite, it has a set of features that can't be found anywhere else.
But if you want to get the most out of Excel, you'll need to pay for a Microsoft 365 subscription. This comes with Word, PowerPoint, and several other Office apps, as well as cloud storage and regular updates.
But it doesn't make much sense to pay a monthly fee when you only use one app. Spending money on the latest version of Microsoft Office that can be used on its own
When it comes to using Excel, you don't have to pay full price if you don't want to. In fact, there are ways to get to it for free.
Version for the web
You only need a Microsoft account to use Microsoft Excel and other core Office programs for free on the web.
Go to Office.com and click "Sign in" to fill out your information. If you don't have an account yet, choose "Sign up for the free version of Office" and follow the instructions.
After that, you'll be taken to the main page of your office. To open a new spreadsheet, click "Create" and then "Workbook" in the left pane.
As you can see, you can also make documents in Word and PowerPoint, and there is also a free version of Microsoft Teams and Outlook. All of these are "Web Apps," which means you can only use them through your browser. When you work on a file here, it will be saved to OneDrive, which is Microsoft's cloud storage service.
In fact, you can probably thank Google for making this software available as a web app. Google's free Docs and Sheets software and the way it works with Google Drive made it hard for Microsoft to keep charging users.
Since the web version of Excel is less full than the desktop version, it's a better comparison to Google Sheets than the full desktop version. Still, both services should be able to meet the needs of a casual user.
Read Also: How to Open VBA in Excel and Use It
Use on a cell phone
Microsoft's Office mobile apps are free and can be used on most smartphones, tablets, and other modern devices. This may be another response to Google.
Both Android and iOS users can get the Microsoft Excel app. Even though it makes sense that Microsoft keeps some of its best features for its Microsoft 365 subscription, the mobile apps are still very useful and work with OneDrive.
Check to see if it's free at your school or place of work.
Many employers give their employees free access to Microsoft 365 apps. Even if the last part of your work email address is the name of the company, you can still use it to sign in to your Microsoft account. Of course, you might work in an office where Excel and similar programs are already set as the defaults.
If your school has signed up for Microsoft 365 Education, all staff and students should be able to use Office apps for free. To find out, go to the Microsoft website and enter the email address you use for school.
But if your school hasn't signed up yet and you have the power to change that, you can compare plans and start the process of signing up here.
Pay the full amount
But not everyone is a good fit for these free options. If you need more than just the basic functions of Excel and don't have access to the app through school or work, you'll have to pay full price.
At the time of writing, the cheapest Microsoft 365 subscription is Personal, which costs £5.99/US$6.99 per month or £59.99/US$69.99 per year. For £7.99/$9.99 per month or £79.99/$99.99 per year, the Family plan gives access to 2–6 people. Both give you a free month to try them out.
Read Also: How To Use Excel for Beginners and How To Use It
You can also pay for Office 2021, which is the latest stand-alone version. In the UK, this is a one-time payment of £119.99. or
