Technologies

Free Microsoft Office? Get Word, Excel and PowerPoint for $0 with these tips

Yes, you can use every tool in Microsoft 365 without spending a cent. Just note there are some caveats.

It’s likely you’ve needed access to a Microsoft Word document, a PowerPoint presentation or other basic tools from Microsoft 365 at least once — for either work, school or personal use. Although the software may seem like a necessity, its high price tag makes some people run the other way. If you don’t want to spend your money on Microsoft 365, don’t stress. There are a few ways to get the service for free.

Microsoft’s suite of productivity software contains Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Microsoft Teams, OneDrive and SharePoint. The collection typically costs between $70 and $100 every year for subscription access across devices and family members (as Microsoft 365). Microsoft also released a new stand-alone version of Microsoft Office for Windows and Mac, called Office Home and Student 2021 — for a flat price, no subscription required — on Oct. 5, the same day Windows 11 began its rollout.

Here are the versions of Office 365, Microsoft 365 and their apps that you can find online for free right now.

How to get Microsoft Office 365 free if you’re a student or a teacher

If you’re a student, teacher or faculty member with an active school email address, you are likely eligible to get access to Office 365 for free through Microsoft, with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Microsoft Teams and additional classroom tools.

All you have to do is enter your school email address on this page on Microsoft’s website: Get started with Office 365 for free. In many cases, you’ll be instantly granted access thanks to an automated verification process. If you attend an institution that needs to be verified, it might take up to a month to confirm your eligibility.

Recent graduates who want to stick with Office 365 can also get Microsoft 365 Personal for $12 for 12 months, with a valid school email address.

How to get Microsoft Office suite free if you’re anyone else

Anyone can get a one-month free trial of Microsoft 365 to try it out. However, it does require you to enter a credit card, and if you don’t cancel before the month is up, you’ll be charged $100 for a one-year subscription to Microsoft 365 Family (formerly called Office 365 Home).

The good news is if you don’t need the full suite of Microsoft 365 tools, you can access a number of its apps online for free — including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive, Outlook, Calendar and Skype. Here’s how to get them:

Go to Office.com.
Log in to your Microsoft account or create one for free. If you already have a Windows, Skype or Xbox Live login, you have an active Microsoft account.
Select the app you want to use, and save your work in the cloud with OneDrive.

So what’s the catch for the free version?

You may be saying, wait a minute — if I can get all of those apps for free, why pay for Microsoft 365 in the first place? The reason is that the functionality of these apps is limited: They only run in your web browser, and you can only use them when you’re online. They also have fewer features than the full Microsoft 365 versions.

There are still a number of benefits, however, including the ability to share links to your work and collaborate in real time, similar to what G Suite tools allow. If you’re looking for basic versions of each of these apps, the free version should work well for you.

For more, check out all of the best new features in Windows 11 and what you need to know about upgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 11.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Monday, July 14

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for July 14.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Oh, come on, New York Times — that 8-Across answer in the Mini Crossword today is just a bunch of letters! It could almost be any letters that seem to make a sound! Stumped by this or any other answer today? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Account used to log into Threads, familiarly
Answer: INSTA

6A clue: Upscale gym freebie
Answer: TOWEL

7A clue: Bad thing to feel toward the end of a marathon
Answer: CRAMP

8A clue: Vowelless grunt
Answer: HMMPH

9A clue: Vegetable in fried rice
Answer: PEA

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Reason to scratch one’s head, perhaps
Answer: ITCH

2D clue: Standard
Answer: NORM

3D clue: Shrek’s home
Answer: SWAMP

4D clue: Arizona city between Phoenix and Mesa
Answer: TEMPE

5D clue: Gen ___ (kids born in the 2010s)
Answer: ALPHA

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for July 14, #294

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for July 14, No. 294.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition might be tough, if timely. I guess I’m not up on the 2025 HR Derby, but maybe you are. Read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Gotta get through it.

Green group hint: Big piece of furniture.

Blue group hint: Homes for hoops.

Purple group hint: They hit with power.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Rough patch.

Green group: Played on a table.

Blue group: NBA arenas.

Purple group: 2025 MLB HR Derby participants, informally.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is rough patch. The four answers are drought, funk rut and slump.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is played on a table. The four answers are air hockey, ping pong, pool and snooker.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is NBA arenas. The four answers are Ball, Rocket, Scotiabank and State Farm.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is 2025 MLB HR Derby participants, informally. The four answers are Cal, Jazz, Junior and O’Neil.

Technologies

Dyson Reveals Futuristic Farming Vision

Dyson, a company best known for its vacuums and hair dryers, has unveiled a new rotating farm design that aims to make food production more local, sustainable and dependable.

Dyson, a company best known for its vacuums and hair dryers, unveiled a new circular farm design featuring rows of strawberry plants that rotate to share sunlight, robots that do everything from harvesting to releasing helpful insects, and sensors to help farmers keep an eye on things.

The company is also getting into the renewable energy game. Check out the video in this article to find out how it all connects and what it could mean for the future of food.