ChatterBank0 min ago
New Laptop / Old Office
23 Answers
I have to buy a new laptop which will be windows 10. I need to put Microsoft office on it, but don’t want to pay the monthly rental. I’m happy to buy an old Office 2013 which I use on my PC. Would I be able to buy Office 2013 now, and would it work if I installed it onto a new laptop?
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An alternative is to download and install Apache Open Office which is completely free and does everything Microsoft can do. Many, more technically advanced than me swear by it.
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Most home PC users (and quite a few big businesses these days) don't bother with Microsoft Word at all. They simply choose one of the freebies, which are just as good anyway (and fully compatible with Microsoft Office).
OpenOffice has long been the most popular freebie. (It's what I use):
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However LibreOffice has a rapidly growing fanbase (both here on AB and in the technical press):
https:/
WPS Office is less well-known but equally well reviewed:
https:/
If you really must have Microsoft Office (er, WHY???), the latest version that doesn't require a subscription is Microsoft Office 2019, with the Home & Student Edition officially priced at US$149.99 (or £112.71 in PC World) but it's available far cheaper online. [Check out independent reviews for any site that's offering really cheaply though. They might not all be genuine].
If you wanted an older version (but more recent than the one you've currently got), you can buy Microsoft Office 2016 online for around twenty quid.
However if you've got an installation disk for Microsoft Office 2013, it's fully compatible with Windows 10, so you could run it on your new laptop. (It would seem silly to buy it now though, as you can get hold of Microsoft Office 2016 for around the same price or, as I suggested above, just use a freebie anyway).
OpenOffice has long been the most popular freebie. (It's what I use):
https:/
However LibreOffice has a rapidly growing fanbase (both here on AB and in the technical press):
https:/
WPS Office is less well-known but equally well reviewed:
https:/
If you really must have Microsoft Office (er, WHY???), the latest version that doesn't require a subscription is Microsoft Office 2019, with the Home & Student Edition officially priced at US$149.99 (or £112.71 in PC World) but it's available far cheaper online. [Check out independent reviews for any site that's offering really cheaply though. They might not all be genuine].
If you wanted an older version (but more recent than the one you've currently got), you can buy Microsoft Office 2016 online for around twenty quid.
However if you've got an installation disk for Microsoft Office 2013, it's fully compatible with Windows 10, so you could run it on your new laptop. (It would seem silly to buy it now though, as you can get hold of Microsoft Office 2016 for around the same price or, as I suggested above, just use a freebie anyway).
The freeware Office suites are more than fine for the vast majority of users, apart from those who are heavily into Office programming via the VBA programming language, which some people (including Microsoft themselves!) call "macros". Unless your code is very simple, you will almost certainly have to do some rewriting to use the different object models:
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"Most home PC users (and quite a few big businesses these days) don't bother with Microsoft Word at all."
Home PC users maybe, any business worth it's salt this is rubbish.
"If you really must have Microsoft Office (er, WHY???), the latest version that doesn't require a subscription is Microsoft Office 2019, with the Home & Student Edition officially priced at US$149.99 (or £112.71 in PC World) but it's available far cheaper online."
I am sorry but this may not be the best advice. Go for Microsoft 365 (previously known os O365). Check here for prices https:/
If you a re a family it is difficult to beat especially given the One Drive allowance.
Microsoft 365 is what most small to medium businesses are moving to often alongside Azure.
I am an IT professional, not a Googler. ? Use Libre Office or similar if you want free but MS365 in the cloud if you want the 'pro' stuff.
Home PC users maybe, any business worth it's salt this is rubbish.
"If you really must have Microsoft Office (er, WHY???), the latest version that doesn't require a subscription is Microsoft Office 2019, with the Home & Student Edition officially priced at US$149.99 (or £112.71 in PC World) but it's available far cheaper online."
I am sorry but this may not be the best advice. Go for Microsoft 365 (previously known os O365). Check here for prices https:/
If you a re a family it is difficult to beat especially given the One Drive allowance.
Microsoft 365 is what most small to medium businesses are moving to often alongside Azure.
I am an IT professional, not a Googler. ? Use Libre Office or similar if you want free but MS365 in the cloud if you want the 'pro' stuff.
Youngmafbog- thanks for that; thing is, I’m in no position financially to pay a subscription for Microsoft Office/365 and morally I think it’s wrong. So I’m looking to buy a program I can install and keep. I’ve been using Word 2013 and it’s fine for my basic use. Just want to be able to buy it legally and make sure it works!
>>> Windows 10 comes with "Word 2016".
No it doesn't. Some computer manufacturers (or retailers, such as PC World) may choose to include a version of Microsoft Word when they offer their products for sale but Microsoft Word isn't part of Windows 10, per se. Windows 10 only includes Notepad and WordPad. (The Windows 10 laptop I'm typing this on is less than a week old. The vendor opted not to include any Microsoft Office components but pre-installed OpenOffice instead).
No it doesn't. Some computer manufacturers (or retailers, such as PC World) may choose to include a version of Microsoft Word when they offer their products for sale but Microsoft Word isn't part of Windows 10, per se. Windows 10 only includes Notepad and WordPad. (The Windows 10 laptop I'm typing this on is less than a week old. The vendor opted not to include any Microsoft Office components but pre-installed OpenOffice instead).
^^^ It must have been a gift from whoever installed Windows 10 then. It's not part of Windows 10 itself and it's not included when using the free upgrade from Windows 7 or 8 either.
There are two reasons that Microsoft don't include Office (or any component thereof, such as Word) in Windows itself. The obvious one is that they're not going to give something away when they can get them to pay for it. However it would also be illegal for Microsoft to include a full word-processing program as part of their operating system within the EU, as an EU court ruling has declared that such practices are anti-competitive. (i.e. other software developers couldn't hope to sell their own programs if people who paid for Windows 10 were getting equivalent programs thrown in for free).
There are two reasons that Microsoft don't include Office (or any component thereof, such as Word) in Windows itself. The obvious one is that they're not going to give something away when they can get them to pay for it. However it would also be illegal for Microsoft to include a full word-processing program as part of their operating system within the EU, as an EU court ruling has declared that such practices are anti-competitive. (i.e. other software developers couldn't hope to sell their own programs if people who paid for Windows 10 were getting equivalent programs thrown in for free).
Sanmac, when you received the laptop, you will have surely received a registration key for Windows 10, either as a sticker on the back of the machine itself, or maybe on a piece of paper with the DVD. Did you also receive a key for Office? If so, you are either very lucky or you have been charged for it unbeknownst. If not, you've almost certainly got a trial / evaluation version which will stop working soon until you put the registration key in, for which you'll have to pay separately.
