Everyone has to work with docs sometimes. Even if you’re a musician or a player gambling at Vave Casino professionally, from time to time you have to write some texts. But what if you don’t want to pay for the Microsoft Office package? Then use these tools.
Microsoft 365
From November 2022 to January 2023, Microsoft rolled out a campaign to implement changes related to the Office web and mobile app. Office has been renamed Microsoft 365, the interface and icon of the program have changed, and the functionality has been greatly expanded.
Microsoft 365 is a great free analog for those who are used to the classic Microsoft suite. Why look for MS Office analogues when there is the usual free “Office” for Windows in the web version. All the important buttons remain in their usual places. You won’t have to google how to change line spacing in Word or how to insert the necessary formula in Excel. MS 365 is a cloud-based Windows platform, i.e. you need an internet connection for stable and correct work. You will not be able to work fully off-line. It’s easy to make changes to a document on the road or during a business trip: 365 has a mobile app that can be downloaded for owners of Android and iOS smartphones. Besides network access, a Microsoft account is required.
The MS 365 web version is completely free, although its functionality is partially cut down in comparison with the classic Microsoft Office. For example, a maximum of 5 GB of files can be stored in the cloud. Storage can be also increased: for each invited friend who has registered in OneDrive, you get 0,5 GB of space, and the maximum possible volume is 10 GB. If you use Office functionality a few times a month and don’t keep an archive of documents, it’s enough for office work. MS 365 is constantly updated. Previously, users could not save documents from WebWord in PDF format, but now there is such a possibility.
WebWord has another interesting feature: you can dictate text using the device’s microphone, and the program will convert it into text. In the settings you can enable automatic punctuation.
Google Docs, Tables, Presentations, and Forms
Google’s suite of services is the perfect web-based solution for teamwork and a great replacement for Word and Excel. Created documents can be downloaded in different formats, including DOCX, XLSX, and PDF, allowing colleagues with the “standard” Office installed to open them on their personal devices. This scheme also works in the opposite direction: files sent in the traditional format can be easily opened with the help of Google services. Except that some of the formatting often gets lost.
One of the tricks of the service: even when there is no internet connection, you can open, create, and edit files of Documents, Tables, and Presentations. Extension for offline access must first be enabled on a special page in Google Chrome. The browser window must not be open in incognito mode.
A convenient tool for teamwork Google makes the comments function. The author of a document needs only give access to his colleagues via a link. All project participants can exchange opinions, comments and dialog directly in the created file in real time. Up to 100 people can simultaneously work on one document. If more than 100 people are connected, the right to make changes will be given to those to whom the author has given access. Other participants will only be able to use the view function.
Thanks to the full cross-platform capability, users can work from any device.
Another big plus will be the mobile app of Google Docs that allows viewing and editing files. You can be sure that important documents will always be at hand.
LibreOffice
Free office software with support for more than 30 languages. Works on the most popular operating systems, including Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS and Android. Thanks to the open source code, you can use the program completely free at home and in the workplace: for commercial or educational purposes.
LibreOffice has the built-in Base editor, which is designed to work with databases. This software has a unique tool for working with mathematical formulas and vector diagrams – LibreOffice Math and Draw.
The program’s interface is like Microsoft Office 2019, so you don’t have to worry about coming across a completely new design.
You can save documents in all traditional formats. New tricks and features are added regularly thanks to a responsive development team that listens and considers users’ opinions.
LibreOffice also has its own mobile app. You can use it to open and view documents, search for keywords in a file, print a file, copy text, or even play text.
