A lot of users see a .DOC or .DOCX file and worry that they cannot open this file without having an active Microsoft Office subscription.
However, contrary to popular belief, you can make use of easy workarounds to open and even edit Microsoft Word documents for free.
We will be showing you 2 tried and tested ways to both open and edit Microsoft Word documents without paying for Microsoft Office.
Open Word Documents Using Word Online
To compete with Google’s suite of free online productivity software, Microsoft also offers a free online version of Microsoft Word.
Using Word online, you can view, edit and even create Word documents of your own.
To open a Word document in Word online, all you need to have is a Microsoft (Outlook, Hotmail, Live) email account.
1. Visit Office.com, and sign into your Microsoft (Outlook, Hotmail) email.
2. Once you are signed in click on Upload and Open option (See image below)
3. Select the Word document you want to open
After the upload is complete the file will open automatically, and you can now start editing the Word document!
Now you might be wondering what the difference between Word online and the desktop Word app is?
The major difference between the two is that Word online is basically a simplified version of the desktop app and therefore is missing some features.
However, for the simple case of reading and editing a Word document, Word Online should be more than enough.
Open Word Documents Using Google Docs
Another way to open Word documents is by using Google’s free line of productivity software.
1. Visit docs.google.com and sign into your Gmail account.
2. Click on the Blank option to create a new document
3. Now click on File > Open
4. Click on Upload and then select the Word document you want to open
And just like that, the Word document will open on your screen, free for you to edit and read!