

The office suite is available for both Windows and macOS. When it comes to desktop software, there's the venerable OpenOffice, which includes a word processor as well as multiple other applications that you don't have to pay for.

Pages is a great step up from Docs- especially for a free program- and will definitely suit most users’ needs.

However, steer clear of the mobile app it’s not worth it. Word for the web can’t save documents in the. Google Docs is fantastic for light users who need a free word processor, and it is great because it saves instantly and it available everywhere. While it doesn't quite have the reach and range of features that Microsoft Word does-particularly when it comes to some layout formats and options for longer documents-you can access it from any computer, and sharing documents is very straightforward. Word for the web displays documents in these formats, but to edit the document in the browser, Word for the web saves a new copy of the document in. Co-authoring on the desktop version of Word requires saving the file in OneDrive (Microsoft’s cloud storage). There is of course Google Docs, which is completely free to use and runs inside a web browser as well as on mobile in app form. But, collaborating on Word documents through the web means some features arent available. That means you don't miss out if the rest of your colleagues use Word and you don't. docx file format that Word does, and anyone you're sending to or getting files from doesn't have to know you're not using Word.
#Microsoft word vs word how to#
It may seem like cheating to tell you to use an alternative in a guide to how to use Microsoft Word for free, but bear in mind that a lot of these alternatives are now perfectly comfortable handling the same. Google Docs can save documents in Word format.
