You can use basic Microsoft 365 apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote) for free indefinitely via the web with a Microsoft account, offering limited features and 5GB OneDrive storage; a full Microsoft 365 Family/Personal experience requires a paid subscription or a 30-day free trial that needs cancellation to avoid charges, but students/teachers with valid school emails get free access to more features and storage.
Use Microsoft 365 apps for free on the web. Get free access to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint using Microsoft 365 for the web (formerly Office).
How long does the Microsoft 365 free trial last? The Microsoft 365 free trial lasts for one month (30 days). During this period, you can explore the full suite of apps and features, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and cloud storage through OneDrive.
Microsoft 365 for the web is a free version of Microsoft 365 that you can use in a web browser. All you need is to sign up for a Microsoft account with a new or existing email address. Use Word, Excel, PowerPoint and more for free on the web.
Grace Period in Office 365
After the expiry of the Office 365 subscription, you get an Office 365 subscription grace period. During this period, you would still have access to the data and services, but the subscription that you used to pay for will be considered inactive.
If you don't renew your Office 365 subscription, you'll lose access to all the Office apps and services that are included in your subscription. This means you won't be able to create new documents, edit existing ones, or access any online storage that's included in your subscription.
If Office activation fails, you'll see Unlicensed Product or Non-commercial use / Unlicensed Product in the title bar of your Office apps, and most features of Office are disabled.
Microsoft says these price increases are largely down to the inclusion of new AI features, including: Copilot Designed to assist with tasks in Microsoft apps like Word and Excel, to help users write, summarise and analyse content more efficiently.
How to buy Microsoft Office without a subscription. Office 2024 is sold as a one-time purchase (without a subscription), which means you pay a single, up-front cost to get Office apps for one computer (PC or Mac).
You activate Microsoft 365 by signing in with a Microsoft account. If we detect your Microsoft account, we'll show it on this screen. After you sign in, your product is added to your Microsoft account, so that you can reinstall it later, or manage your new subscription, without a product key.
Compare Microsoft 365 with Office
Important: If you cancel a Microsoft 365 Basic, Personal, Family, or Premium subscription, your storage allowance will revert to 5GB of cloud storage, which includes your OneDrive and Outlook.com attachments, and 15GB of Outlook.com storage.
Who is eligible for the free Microsoft Office 365 A1 plan? Educators and students with an eligible school email address can get Office 365 A1 for free.
With the free Office apps on your mobile device, you can do some core tasks like viewing, creating, and editing files. However, you will need a qualifying Microsoft 365 subscription if: Your mobile device is larger than 10.1".
Top Microsoft 365 Alternatives
This message is often triggered by a problem with your Microsoft 365 subscription payment. For example, if your payment was declined due to an expired or cancelled credit card, your subscription may become expired or suspended.
Yes, you can get Microsoft 365 for free through web versions of core apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) with a Microsoft account, a free trial, or for students/educators via eligible school accounts, though desktop apps and more storage require a paid subscription.
Microsoft 365 is a subscription service with always-updated apps (Word, Excel, etc.), cloud storage (OneDrive), and premium features like Copilot AI, usable on multiple devices; Office 2024 (formerly Office) is a one-time purchase for a single computer, providing a static set of core apps with only security updates, ideal for users wanting a fixed, offline experience without ongoing costs. The core difference is continuous updates and cloud integration (365) vs. a perpetual license for a fixed version (Office 2024).
Disadvantages of Microsoft 365
With a Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, or Premium subscription, you'll always have the most up-to-date productivity tools with the latest AI-powered features, such as Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Designer.
Starting on April 1, 2025, all new and renewing monthly billing plans for annual/triennial subscriptions will be priced 5% higher than the annual/triennial billing option for those subscription plans.
It looks like they're still selling perpetual licenses. A quick search brought me to this page - Buy Office Home & Business 2024 (PC or Mac) - Download & Pricing | Microsoft Store.
If convicted, you can be fined up to $250,000, or sentenced to jail for up to five years, or both. Apart from legal consequences, using copied or counterfeit software also means: Greater exposure to software viruses, corrupt disks, or otherwise defective software. Inadequate or no documentation.
Common Reasons for “Unlicensed Product” Message in Microsoft Word Online. Microsoft Word unlicensed product error is a problem that occurs when a user's product license is invalid or the license has expired. In this case, the user is unable to access and use the Microsoft Word application.