is the free version of office word /excel only available through web-based outlook account?

[brannsiu]

I don't need advanced features so I think the free version is good enough for me. But I'd like to know if the free version of office word/excel can only be accessed through web-based (browser-based) ?? For example, have to login hotmail account and do it?

It often takes quite some time to load and start a new or saved document using the web-based version which is something painful

 

[glamdringfh]

Hi brannsiu,

If you only need basic functionality I recommend looking into LibreOffice. It is a free open-source office suite that is compatible with all Microsoft Office documents:

https://www.libreoffice.org/

This is a wonderful way of both editing Microsoft Office files while not having Office on your computer, as well as making new files that can be opened in Office later.