#GENERIC OFFICE SOFTWARE FOR MAC FREE FULL#
#GENERIC OFFICE SOFTWARE FOR MAC FREE PLUS#

Recommending Excel Online to the average Excel user is fine-it does all the basics of the desktop version while adding automatic cloud saving in OneDrive, and it has real-time collaboration tools that Office 365 and Office 2019 lack. It's not to say that Excel Online is unusable or not worth your time-it's definitely more like Excel than Google Sheets, so if you prefer a familiar interface, you may want to opt for Excel Online instead of going the Google route. Not to be outdone by Google, Microsoft has created its own online version of Office, which includes a stripped-down version of Excel that is closer to Google Sheets than to the desktop version of Excel.

#GENERIC OFFICE SOFTWARE FOR MAC FREE PLUS#

On the plus side, scripting is still available in Google Sheets, though it's JavaScript based and not Visual Basic for Applications. There have also been reported issues of formulas in Excel spreadsheets breaking when they're uploaded to Google Sheets, so be aware that you could run into issues moving. Users can see the cursor position of other people in the document, see what they're doing as they're doing it, and chat right in the document window.Īdvanced features that some Excel users need are missing, though, so if you're an Excel power user, it's a good idea to find out if the features you need are available before migrating. As with Google's other office tools, Sheets features real-time collaboration that allows multiple users to edit a document at the same time. You never have to worry about losing a single calculation, either-Google Sheets saves everything in Google Drive, making a crashed computer of no concern to your important data. It's also hosted in the cloud and runs in a web browser, so it's platform independent and can be run on Windows, macOS, and Linux systems. make edits and comments on a document) in real time.Google Sheets is Google's cloud-based answer to Microsoft Excel, and it's capable of doing the vast majority of what the average Excel user needs. If you don’t want to have to email documents back and forth for editing-which can play havoc with version control -you’ll need an alternative that includes cloud support for easily sharing files and ideally the ability to co-author (i.e.

Collaboration capability: The irony that we still rely on “office” suites when many of us no longer work in physical offices means the ability to collaborate remotely with others is now a required feature.

Make sure you’re comfortable with the way a suite lays out its tools and that you don’t have to dig too deeply for those you’ll use a lot. Polarized opinions about Office’s ribbon toolbar underscore this.

Interface: The way you access an office suite’s features matters as much as the features themselves.

Look for a suite that can cleanly read and write Microsoft Office formats, from the current DOCX, XLSX, and PPTX file types to legacy formats. That means you’ll still have to work with official Office files.

Office compatibility: Most of the working world will continue to use Microsoft Office long after you’ve jumped ship.

For many of us, they are the only three we need in a suite. That’s because nearly everyone uses these three apps regardless of the nature of their work.

The big three: Though Microsoft Office has expanded over the years to include programs like Outlook, Access, and Publisher, its bread and butter is still its original trio of programs: Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

At minimum, keep these considerations in mind: Depending on your situation, that could be robust spreadsheet calculations and dynamic presentation design or the ability to access files from anywhere and share them with remote team members.

When evaluating Office alternatives, don’t look to replicate every feature, just the ones you need and use most.

#GENERIC OFFICE SOFTWARE FOR MAC FREE FULL#

(Read our full review.) What to look for in a free office suite Its relatively spartan interface is a welcome respite from Office’s busy toolbars, too. It also has tight ties with other Google products, including, of course, search, giving it capabilities you won’t find in any other office suite. Its document review features and integration with Google Drive make it our go-to solution for anyone who routinely needs to co-author documents with others in real time. Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides simply can’t be beat for collaboration. With its Office compatibility and excellent collaboration features, Google's productivity suite is a great option for road warriors, teams, and else who needs the flexibility to work from anywhere.

Generic office software for mac free