If you are a student or educator at an eligible institution, you can often download the full desktop version for free. Free Office 365 for Students and Educators - Microsoft
Here is the smart, safe, and completely legal way to get Excel for free—along with a few "secret" alternatives that might actually be better for you.
To install OpenOffice:
To access Excel Online:
Sign in with a Microsoft account (Outlook, Hotmail, or live.com). If you don't have one, you can create a free account using any email address. install excel for free
| Option | Features | Limitations | | --- | --- | --- | | Microsoft Excel Online | Basic features, online access | Limited features, requires internet connection | | Microsoft Office 365 Free Trial | Full features, 30-day trial | Trial period, requires subscription | | LibreOffice | Compatible with Excel, free and open-source | Different interface, some features may not be compatible | | Google Sheets | Online access, compatible with Excel files | Limited features, requires internet connection | | OpenOffice | Compatible with Excel, free and open-source | Different interface, some features may not be compatible |
If you don't specifically need Excel for a job requirement, is the fiercest competitor to Excel, and it is free forever. If you are a student or educator at
Microsoft 365 Education for students and teachers. Microsoft Excel can be a great tool for crunching data sets, tracking grades an... CNET Free Microsoft 365 Online | Word, Excel, PowerPoint Free Microsoft 365 Online. ... Word, Excel, PowerPoint. ... Use Microsoft 365 apps for free on the web * Featured apps. * Free ben... Microsoft Free Microsoft 365 Online | Word, Excel, PowerPoint Use Microsoft 365 apps for free on the web. Get free access to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint using Microsoft 365 for the web (former... Microsoft What's the difference between a Microsoft 365 subscription and free ... Table_title: Compare the free Microsoft 365 web apps with a paid subscription Table_content: header: | | Free Microsoft 365 web ap... Microsoft Support How to Get Microsoft Excel for Free (Legally) in 2025 Jan 21, 2025 —
To get started:
Microsoft offers a free online version of Excel that you can use in your web browser. This version is a great option if you don't need the full features of the desktop application or if you're using a device that doesn't support the desktop version.