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Today, I want to show you how you can get Microsoft Excel entirely for free. First, Â
we'll look at how you can get Excel on the web, and then we'll look at how you can get the desktop Â
version, or the version that you can install on your computer. I've done this video before, Â
but since then, Excel on the web has just gotten a lot better. All right, let's check this out. To Â
use Excel on the web, simply head to the address excel.new, and look at that, you're now in Excel Â
on the web in a brand new spreadsheet. This video is basically now done. If you went to that page, Â
but you saw a login screen, you'll have to log in with your Microsoft account, or you could click on Â
create one and you can create a free account. Once you log in, then you'll drop on that spreadsheet Â
view. There are also other ways to get to Excel on the web. You can go to excel.office.com Â
and that'll drop you on the Excel start page. Here, you can start a new spreadsheet. You could Â
also start from a template and down below you can get to recent spreadsheets. You can also head to Â
office.com, and once you log in, you'll land on the main office.com page. In the top left-hand Â
corner, you can click on the plus icon to kick off a new spreadsheet. On the left-hand side, Â
you can also click on the Excel icon and this once again will drop you on the Excel start page. Â
If you're running Windows 10 or 11, you can search for something called the Office app. Â
This comes pre-installed on Windows. Once you open up the app, this will look very similar to Â
what you find on office.com. Now, let's say you have a spreadsheet that you started working on Â
offline. You can also edit that using Excel on the web. On the Excel start page, you can simply Â
drag and drop the spreadsheet directly into your browser. That'll upload it and then automatically Â
open it in Excel. As an alternative, you can also upload that file into OneDrive, Â
then simply click on that, and that'll also open it in Excel on the web. Now, let's say Â
you want to get your spreadsheet back offline. You can go up to the file menu, click on save as, Â
and then here you can download a copy to your computer. You might be thinking, well, is Excel on Â
the web any good? I mean, it is free, so how good could it be? Well, it has gotten so much better. Â
You get access to all of the latest functions. For example, you could use the new XLOOKUP function. Â
You could use filter, unique, let. You also get more advanced functionality. For example, Â
you can view all of the changes that have happened to your spreadsheet since you last touched it. You Â
could use all of your favorite keyboard shortcut keys. There's data validation. You can insert Â
tables. You can use conditional formatting. You can insert pivot tables, charts, you can Â
even work together with other people in real time. And there's also something called Office Scripts. Â
This is like a modern version of those legacy macros that you might be used to Â
from the desktop version of Excel. You might be wondering; this sounds far too good to be true. Â
Are there any downsides? Well, first off, it's called Excel on the web, meaning that you need an Â
internet connection to be able to use this. Also, there are some missing features. For example, Â
there's no Power Query, but I would say that the core functionality is there and that'll Â
satisfy most people. Now that we've looked at how you can use Excel for free on the web, Â
let's look at how you can get the desktop version that you can install on your PC also for free. Â
If you're a student or a teacher and your school has a contract with Microsoft, you may be eligible Â
to download Office entirely for free. Simply head to the following website. I've included a Â
link right up above. You'll have to type in your school email address and then you should be able Â
to download it. If that didn't work, there's one more option to getting the desktop apps for free. Â
You can use something called Microsoft Rewards. I've included a link right up above. It's kind of Â
like a frequent flyer program. You have to search using the Bing search engine, and when you do, Â
you earn points. Once you accumulate enough points, you can trade them in for a gift card. Â
And what do you know, you can use your gift card to buy Office. The only downside is it'll take a Â
bit of time before you can get Office for free, and unfortunately, this option is not available Â
in all markets. All right, well, those are all of the free ways of getting Microsoft Excel, Â
at least all of the legal ways. If you just want to buy Office, I've included Â
a link to a video right up above that walks through all of the different available plans. Â
There are one-time options where you just pay once and you get Office, or you could sign up for Â
a subscription. In that video, I walk through some of the pros and cons of the two different options. Â
To watch more videos like this one, please consider subscribing. I'll see you next time.
