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How Can I Get Microsoft Software Affordably?

Below are several alternative ways to get Microsoft software (esp. MS Office) that might be needed in your job search or retraining efforts, besides just buying a full retail box version in a store or opting to include it on a new PC you're buying.  The below was primarily written for MS Windows versions, but some items may be applicable to MS Office for Mac.  The ways described below include, in sequence:

  • Free-to-use public workstation PC's
  • Multi-PC licensing you may already have
  • DreamSpark, BizSpark, and WebsiteSpark promotions (free or nearly-free)
  • Free upgrade for recent purchasers (i.e., Technology Guarantee)
  • Free trial (incl. trick to extend it)
  • Upgrade Pricing (MS doesn't offer it, but there is a way)
  • Steeply-Discounted group licensing/resale (educational institution and corporate offers)
  • Discounted single-PC license without disc
  • Just the basics, for less
  • Free weak substitutes from MS (Office Starter pack, MS Live Office)
  • Free Not-Quite-Equivalent Alternatives (Google Docs, Open Docs)
  • Used Software:  Caveat Emptor!

Free MS Office on Free-To-Use Public Workstation PC's

  1. The PSG Room workstations have Office 2003 software (at least as of mid-2010).
    • Be careful to never leave your private USB memory stick in a public PC
    • Be sure to log out of any online services (and go back to them after logging out to ensure they don't remember your sign-in info)
    • Be wary of entering private information like passwords, social security numbers, and credit card numbers into publically-shared PC's since someone might have installed spyware on it.
  2. You might be able to find Office 2007 on free workstation PC's at your local or county library.
    • The same security warnings listed above apply to these, too, of course.

Free On 2nd/3rd PC:  Multi-PC Licensing You May Already Have 

  1. If you have or buy a retail-boxed (or downloaded) version of MS Office "Professional" edition (2007 or 2010) from an authorized dealer, its license terms may allow you to install the suite on your primary licensed device (e.g., desktop or workstation PC) and also on your portable device (e.g., laptop).  See details here, but be sure to check your EULA (end-user licensing agreement) terms here and here to be sure.
  2. If you have or buy a retail-boxed (or downloaded) version MS Office "Home and Student" edition (2007 or 2010) from an authorized dealer, and that inexpensive level of suite meets your needs, its license terms may allow you to install it on up to up to 3 PC’s in a home.  Be sure to check your EULA (end-user licensing agreement) terms here and here to be sure.
  3. Other versions of Office will may have similar multi-PC licensing terms, so check your EULA (end-user licensing agreement) terms (possibly here and here) for the specifics in your case.  For example, "Home and Business" suite licensing seems similar to "Professional" suite licensing.

Free For Students:  Microsoft DreamSpark

  1. Microsoft's DreamSpark promotion offers free software to students. See https://www.dreamspark.com/default.aspx
    • It applies to current students of accredited colleges and high schools, full or part-time, as long as your school participates in Microsoft's procedures to validate that you are currently a student.  (Does not seem to apply to students of training companies.)
    • For 12 month period from the last time you re-verified your student status, you can use any of the software offered by the Dreamspark promotion, including not only MS Office but also many development tools and platforms.  (It is only offered via Internet downloads without any physical media or materials.)
    • DreamSpark licensing restricts you to using the software only to "increasing your education, skills, and knowledge in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, or design."  This obviously includes learning how to use the software, and doesn't include subsequent business use, though I doubt Microsoft will go after you if you're using it for your personal job search until your student status expires.

Free For New Entrepreneurs:  Microsoft BizSpark

  1. Microsoft's BizSpark promotion offers nearly-free software for new entrpreneurs developing software-based products or services as a core piece of their business. 
    • The business must be privately held, small (<$1M revenue), and in business for less than 3 years. 
    • There is no up-front cost, but you will be committed to paying a $100 fee when you exit the BizSpark program, and you need to renew your participation annually until then.
    • The offer includes just about every MS Office application and every development tool you could imagine, and even a MSDN Premium subscription.
    • The MS software can be used by every member of the entrepreneur's start-up for as long as the business qualifies, and thereafter upon payment of the $100 exit fee.*  Licensing is per-user, so each team member can use it on all their computers.
    • See http://microsoft.com/bizspark and in particular the informative pages at  http://www.bizspark.com/v2/Programs/Pages/BizSpark.aspx

*Exception: The license for using production software (i.e., server-based software) expires upon exiting the BizSpark program, but you can continue to the PC software like MS Office, Visual Studio, etc.

Free For New Web Site Consultants:  Microsoft WebsiteSpark

  1. Microsoft's WebsiteSpark promotion is similar to BizSpark, but for professional web site development and design firms smaller than 10 employees.
    •  Like BizSpark, participation is limited to 3 years, there's a $100 exit fee, and the license for production (e.g., server) software expires ... unless you take advantage of one of the 'graduation' offers that can be as cheap as $200 per year per server processor.
    • See http://microsoft.com/web/websitespark

Free Upgrade for Recent Purchasers:  Technology Guarantee

  1. According to the Microsoft Office Technology Guarantee, if you purchased and installed and activated a qualifying MS Office 2007 product between March 5 and September 30, 2010, you are eligible to download the corresponding Office 2010 product free.
    • Versions that weren't purchased are not necessarily eligible.  For example, a MS Office Trial isn't eligible.  But if you bought a new PC with a MS Office 2007 bundle pre-installed, you probably will qualify (but be sure to double-check with Microsoft or your retailer before relying on that).
    • You must have installed and activated your qualifying Office 2007 product by September 30, 2010.
    • You will need your Product ID to register for the upgrade.  (A Product ID is created when you activate software with its activation Product Key.  And even after you've upgraded to 2010, you'll need to retain a copy of your Office 2007 25-character Product Key in case you ever need to reinstall Office, such as after a hardware failure.)
    • Once you’ve purchased and activated Office 2007, you can redeem your Office 2010 upgrade online. You can immediately download the 2010 software or, for a fee, can also have a DVD-ROM backup copy sent to you.  (I recommend that!)
    • Note well that you must request your Office 2010 upgrade no later than October 31, 2010, and must meet all eligibility requirements.
    • See http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/tech-guarantee

(Although Microsoft urges Windows customers to use the 32-bit version and makes that the default for downloading and installation because it is more likely to be compatible with old 32-bit add-ons, and it only works on PC's using 64-bit Windows.  Nonetheless, your purchase includes the 64-bit version, too.  It is included on the DVD-ROM, and you can submit a question to Microsoft for you can download it.  If you install from the DVD-ROM, you'll have to hunt around the disc for the 64-bit version setup program because it won't proactively offer a choice.)

  1. For Apple Mac users, there's also a Technology Guarantee for MS Office for Mac:  If you purchase and installed and activated a qualifying MS Office for Mac 2008 product between August 1 and November 30, 2010, you are eligible to download the corresponding MS Office for Mac 2011 product free when it becomes available.  Click here for details.

Free MS Office 2010 Trial (Formerly MS Office 2010 "Beta")

  1. Microsoft offers a temporary free trial for MS Office "Professional" or "Home and Student" suites (bundles). 
    • Note:  The trial period would be 60 days unless they've changed it to 30 days.  (Microsoft now omits the duration from their web site, so if you see it explicitly on their site, please let us know where.)  FWIW, they do explicitly require you "activate" your trial within 30 days of starting to use it.
    • Reportedly there is a simple trick that will let you delay your initial "activation" of your trial period up to five times (an extra 30 days each time, for a total of 180 days).  It certainly seems to violate MS's intention and we can't vouch for it's reliability, legality, or safety.  It probably won't work if you've already "activated" your trial, and you'd have to repeat it on the last day of each extension to get the full benefit from it.  Nonetheless, for those interesting in learning more about it, see
      http://www.google.com/search?q=extend+office+2010+trial+180+days 
    • If you were one of the lucky people were able to enroll in the MS Office 2010 beta test (i.e., final public testing, formerly from http://office2010beta.microsoft.com), your beta software will expire on October 31, 2010.  You will then have to uninstall the beta version and replace it with either the above-described Trial version or or a fully-licensed version.  (If you're moving to the Trial version, you may want to delay doing that until the Beta is about to expire so you can get the longest free period you can.)
  1. Apple Mac users interested in MS Office for Mac 2011 may want to keep a lookout for a beta offer from Microsoft, but please be careful to not be lured into downloading it from any site except an official Microsoft site.

Upgrade Pricing:  Gone, But There's Still A Way

  1. Alas, Microsoft has stopped offering reduced-price upgrade versions of MS Office, beginning with Office 2010.  (They seem to assume most PC's are sold with pre-installed Office software that won't be upgraded until the PC is replaced.) 
    But luckily,     for those of you with an old pre-2007 version of Microsoft Office (for PC) who were thinking of upgrading to MS Office 2010 at traditionally much-cheaper upgrade pricing, there is, temporarily, still an indirect way to do it.
    • The trick is to take advantage of the above-described Technology Guarantee in conjunction with buying a MS Office 2007 Upgrade, if you can find a retailers that still has that in inventory.  (For example, see Amazon or Google Product Search; don't try eBay because those aren't usually authorized dealers.)  This will only work if you can find the 2007 upgrade product and meet the Technology Guarantee requirements and deadlines!
    • If you already have Office 2007, you probably won't want to bother upgrading because Office 2010 is so similar.  (In contrast, 2007 was a big change in terms of the GUI, Graphical User Interface.)  The main change in Office 2010 is that Outlook adopts the new GUI that Excel, Word, and Powerpoint adopted in 2007, but if you want to learn more about what changed, Wikipedia offers a fair summary here.
    • If your old PC originally came pre-installed with a pre-2007 version of MS Office on it (an “OEM” version), your OEM license terms might allow you to follow the above upgrade path (reduced-price retail upgrade to 2007 then free upgrade to 2010).

Note: If so and you pursue that path, be sure to save your original “OEM” discs for your old MS Office software from the manufacturer or else make complete “image backups” of your PC before and after you do each upgrade.  (Upgrade software looks for the old software, so if your hard drive ever fails and you have to reinstall things all over again, you’ll be in trouble if you can’t insert the old Office discs.  Doing a complete “restore” of your PC from a clean image backup copy after you’ve updated can bypass that hassle and get you working again faster than going back to scratch.  Or you could “restore” your PC’s hard drive to how it was before you did any upgrading, and you’re your upgrade software could find your older OEM versions on your hard disc.) 

    • If you only have a "Home and Student" edition today and want to stay at that level in a 2010 version, you might as well just buy the full Office H&S 2010 version because it’s an inexpensive route (but also see variations described below).
    • If you have Office H&S and want to upgrade to a more advanced bundle (which includes more programs), you might be able to do the above-described two-step upgrade process to 2010; just be aware that your old license would then convert to the new version’s terms (e.g., as described above, the H&S version can be installed on up to 3 PC’s in a home).
    • Office "Professional" and "Home & Business" editions allow an individual licensee to install the suite on their primary licensed device (PC) and also on their portable device (laptop), so if you have both a PC and a notebook PC and you want the Professional version, try paying once not twice (if you qualify). 
      (I.e., upgrade to 2007 Pro and install it on both your primary PC and your laptop, take advantage of the free upgrade to 2010 on each.)  Before buying, of course, be sure to confirm with your retailer that this can apply to you.

Steeply-Discounted Group Licensing/Resale

  1. Besides DreamSpark, students have been able to purchase Microsoft software at extremely-discounted prices.  For example, currently Microsoft offers an Office 2010 Professional Academic version for a mere $80 here.
    • These licenses often came with some limitations, so you'll want to check what those limitations are in your case.  For example, a retail Academic license does appear to allow installation on the same number of PC's as their regular retail equivalents and might allow the student to permanently continue using the software after they stop being a student even for commercial purposes, but check the EULA's (e.g., here and/or here) to be sure.
  2. If you are in a job retraining program and are eligible through it for special student pricing, you might consider whether that would be useful for you (if better options don't apply).
  3. Large enterprises are able to license Microsoft software at significant discounts.  Sometimes these licenses allow an employee to install the software on their personal PC's, too, at no additional cost or for a small fee.  If you benefited from such a program, enjoy it!  If you live with a family member who can benefit from this (for your benefit), that option might be worth exploring.
    • Be aware that such licenses come with limitations, and might not qualify for major upgrades such as from Office XP or 2003 to 2007.

Discounted Single-PC Product Key Card Licensing

  1. Microsoft offers a discount for single-PC licenses for its Office 2010 products in the form of a "Product Key Card."  For example, a "Professional" key card from major online retailers may be as little as $310 (vs. $415 retail-box with disc), or "Home & Student" as little as $110 (vs. $220 retail-box with disc).
    • This would be used with the applicable version of Office 2010 that is available on a new PC but isn't usable without buying the product key card.
    • "For a limited time", customers buying a PC without Office 2010 preloaded, if they've bought the product key card, can download and self-install the software at http://office.com/productkeycard.  (If they remove the download link on that page someday, try here or even here.)
    • The Product Key Card gives you a long alphanumeric code that you'd enter into your Office software to activate and use it.
    • Note:  A key card version is a single-PC license, not the 2- or 3-PC licensing you might choose with a retail box.

Just the Basics for Less:  MS Office Home & Student

  1. Microsoft Office 2010 Home & Student (H&S) is a reasonably affordable option, for about $120 or so at major online retailers (or $150 at local retail stores).
    • It only includes Word, Excel, and Powerpoint (not Outlook, not Access).
    • An even cheaper single-PC "product key card" can be hand for as little as $110 or so at major online retailers.  This would be used with the Office 2010 Home & Student version that is available on a new PC but isn't usable without buying the product key card.  ("For a limited time", customers buying a PC without Office 2010 preloaded, if they've bought the product key card, can download and self-install the software at http://office.com/productkeycard.)  The Product Key Card gives you a long alphanumeric code that you'd enter into your Home & Student software to activate and use it. 
      Note:  The key card version of Office 2010 Home & Student is a single-PC license, not the 3-PC licensing you'd get with a retail box.

Free Weak Alternative:  MS Office Starter 2010

  1. Microsoft Office Starter 2010 is often preloaded on PC's by participating PC manufacturers.  (MS has discontinued their "Microsoft Works" bundle.)
    • Only MS Word Starter and MS Excel Starter are included, so you're not likely to be satisfied with it for long.  These are reduced- functionality versions of MS Word and Excel with advertising in the lower right area of the task pane.  Office Starter does not include PowerPoint, OneNote, or Outlook.
    • If MS Office Starter does meet your needs, but you miss the email, contact management, and calendaring functions that were formerly offered in with MS Works, Microsoft wants you to consider using their free ad-supported online equivalents of those functions (and others) offered by Microsoft Live Office at http://office.live.com

Free Weak Alternative:  Online MS Office Web Apps in MS Live

  1. Microsoft offers Office Web Apps versions of basic MS Office applications as a feature of its MS Live Skydrive service within its MS Live online services portfolio.
    • Limited-capability versions of Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and OneNote are offered.
    • If you have Office 2010, you can also open and edit your Skydrive files in that;
      if not, you'd use the more-limited web-based apps.  (There's even an iPhone app for viewing documents in your Skydrive, except not Excel spreadsheets yet.)

Free Not-Quite-Equivalent Alternative:  Google Docs

  1. Google Docs offers some online applications that work like very limited versions of MS Office ones.
    • Google Docs that are exported to MS Office format files (e.g., .doc, .xls) may not look ideal and might still be a little buggy (e.g., losing paragraphs), though sometimes they might suffice (e.g., for cover letters).
    • Note:  Recruiters want your resume in real .doc format, not a Google Doc.  You'll have to decide for yourself whether you think Google Doc's exported files will suffice or not.

Free Not-Quite-Equivalent Alternative:  Open Office

  1. Open Office offers free, open-source applications that can import MS Office files and can export .doc, .xls, and .ppt with some imperfections.
    • Open Office cannot export to modern .docx, .xlsx, .pptx files, at least not when this comment was written). 
    • Note:  Recruiters want your resume in real .doc format.  You'll have to decide for yourself whether you think Open Office's exported files will suffice or not.

Used Software?:  Caveat Emptor!

  1. “Caveat emptor” if you buy used software. 
    • Sometimes you can get old software for cheap (via eBay or CraigsList or Freecycle.org), but beware:  Microsoft licensing forbids selling OEM or student/educational licensed copies, and forbids selling used copies that haven't been uninstalled or have been used to qualify for a later upgrade.

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