Microsoft's Office suite is one of the most popular sets of tools for productivity, whether that's for work or school. However, it can be pretty expensive to buy it, especially if you're a student. A perpetual license of Office will cost you $149.99 for the Home & Student subscription, which includes Word, Excel, and PowerPoint (there's also OneNote but that's a free app), or you can go with Microsoft 365, which costs $69.99 per year. That's not an insignificant amount of money. However, there are a couple of ways to use Microsoft Office apps without having to spend anything. You may not always get the full set of features, but you don't have to pay for the essentials.

Use Microsoft Office on the web

If you're on a computer, the easiest way to use Microsoft Office apps is to use their web versions. Microsoft offers versions of Word, PowerPoint, and Excel that you can access from your web browser, and you can do most of the work you'd usually need to do just fine this way. There's also a version of OneNote, but because it's free you may as well download the proper desktop app.

These web versions are fairly feature-complete, even if they don't have every single feature you might see on the desktop apps. You can, of course, write your documents, format text, insert images or tables, and even use the review features to track changes. The web versions even allow for real-time co-authoring, so you and a coworker or classmate can work on the same documents at once.

A quick and easy way to access all these apps on Windows 11 is to use the Microsoft 365 app (previously called Office) that's built right into the OS. This app gives you links to the web versions of all these apps, and it even lets you quickly access your previously edited files stored on OneDrive. Otherwise, you can visit the Office hub here to get started.

While we're here, it's also worth mentioning that you can access Outlook on the web, though it currently only supports Outlook accounts, and you can't use other email servers.

Use the Office mobile apps

If you're not on a computer, and you want to get some quick work done from your phone, that's also possible. Microsoft's Office apps are free on both Android and iOS. There are standalone apps for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, but you might actually prefer to go with the Microsoft 365 app, which has the functionality of all three, plus a lot of bonus features, including things from older apps like Office Lens, so you can scan physical documents with your phone's camera. The app is mostly free to use without major restrictions, but there are some advanced features that are exclusive to Microsoft 365 subscribers.

In addition to the main Office apps, Microsoft also makes standalone apps for OneNote and Outlook to round out the set of Office features you might want. And, unlike the web version, the Outlook mobile app does support multiple accounts, so you're not limited to just Outlook emails, either. If you're interested, check out the Office mobile apps below.

Android: Microsoft 365 | OneNote | Outlook

iOS: Microsoft 365 | OneNote | Outlook

Get Office through your school

While this won't apply to everyone, you might be able to get a Microsoft Office license through your school if you're a student. Many colleges and schools have volume licenses of Microsoft Office or Microsoft 365, and students are free to download and install the apps on their PCs. In this case, you'll be getting the full experience with the desktop apps (though the web-based apps are always available, too). Microsoft 365 licenses also generally include more apps beyond the standard Word, Excel, or PowerPoint. You may be able to use Access, Publisher, and more, depending on your school's plan.

If you're a student, and you're not sure about what your school offers, try asking someone. The downside is that you'll probably be cut off from using it once you finish school, but that's to be expected.

OneNote is already free

OneNote is one of the best parts of Office, making it easy to organize all your notes in different sections and pages. While it's not exactly useful for creating professional-looking projects, you can use it to keep track of all kinds of information, and it's a great tool for students. The good news is OneNote is already completely free (though there are some paid features here and there). You can download the full version of OneNote here without having to pay for anything.

On that note, Microsoft is working on a new Outlook client based on the web app, and that will be available for free. Once it's available, you can use a wide range of Outlook features, including support for multiple accounts.

Those are the easiest legitimate ways to use Microsoft Office for free, but there are ways you can try to save money, such as by splitting a Microsoft 365 Home subscription. That one costs $99.99 per year, but it can be used by up to five people, so you can divide the cost among them, and $20 is a much more reasonable price tag.

If you're looking for other kinds of content creation tools, maybe take a look at the best photo editing apps for Windows if you'd like to create some nice-looking images for whatever projects you have. Or, if you're more into video, check out how to use Clipchamp, the video editor Microsoft includes with Windows 11.