Overview
This article outlines ways to access Microsoft Office and similar products outside of the University of Oregon's Microsoft Office license.
Please Note: The options outlined in this article are not directly supported by UO. The Technology Service Desk and User Support Services departments will not be able to provide any support with Office for the web, personal Microsoft subscriptions, Google Workspace, or Apple workplace applications. If you need assistance with the options outlined here, you will need to contact their respective support team.
Table of contents
Free Microsoft Web Applications
If you only need to be able to edit documents online, you can access those applications for free: Microsoft 365 apps for free on the web. Please note that these web-based applications require an internet connection to access.
Microsoft Workplace Discount Program
Microsoft offers a Workplace Discount Program which allows affiliates of eligible organizations to purchase a recurring Microsoft Office 365 subscription at a discounted price.
The Office 365 subscriptions available through the Workplace Discount Program include the latest versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Defender, Designer, Clipchamp, and OneDrive. This includes the ability to download the desktop applications.
To verify your eligibility for the Workplace Discount Program, you must first enter your UO email address on the Workplace Discount Program page. You will then receive a link you can follow to purchase an Office 365 subscription at a discounted price.
Please Note: After verifying your eligibility for the Workplace Discount Program with your UO email, you must use a
personal Microsoft account tied to your
personal email address (NOT your UO email) to sign up for and purchase an Office 365 subscription through the Workplace Discount Program. You will be unable to sign up for a plan with your UO account.
Instructions for creating a personal Microsoft account can be found here.
For more, see The Microsoft Workplace Discount Program from Microsoft.
Office 2024
Office 2024 is a Microsoft Office package that can be purchased as either a recurring monthly subscription or as a one-time purchase for a single user to install on a single PC or Mac. Several variations of the Office 2024 package are offered, providing differing configurations of Office applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. More information on Office 2024 can be found here.
Google Workspace
Google Workspace is a suite of applications which includes Google Docs (equivalent to Word), Google Sheets (equivalent to Excel), and Google Slides (equivalent to PowerPoint), all of which are compatible with existing Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files.
Documents created via Google Workspace programs are saved by default to Google Drive cloud storage, which is similar to Microsoft's OneDrive cloud storage, but can be then downloaded to your computer's internal storage if preferred.
- Google Workspace programs are available via most web browsers (such as Safari, Firefox, Google Chrome, and Microsoft Edge), and as applications for Android and iOS devices.
- Google Workspace programs accessed through a web browser require an internet connection to use.
- Free versions of Google Workspace programs have a 15 GB Google Drive storage limit. Users who exceed this storage limit can purchase additional storage.
Google Workplace is available for free by creating a Google account. Once you have created an account, the free programs offered by Google can be accessed by signing into Google Docs.
Useful links from Google
Apple iWork
Mac users can use Apple's iWork suite which includes Pages (equivalent to Word), Numbers (equivalent to Excel), and Keynote (equivalent to PowerPoint) programs for free on their Apple devices through their iCloud account. These programs can read their equivalent file formats from Microsoft.
Useful links from Apple