It is possible to obtain the applications of Microsoft Office: Word, Excel and PowerPoint on an iPador even on an iPhone
When Microsoft first revealed its Office apps compatible with Mac and iOS devices, they were quite limited.
The iPad version offered Microsoft 365 subscribers some basic editing features while on the iPhone, the only option available was read-only.
Things have changed since then. Most iOS or iPadOS users can now edit their Word, Excel or PowerPoint documents via their Apple smartphone and tablet without signing up for Office 365.
In this article, we show you how to download Microsoft Office apps for free, install them, and use them on your iPad or iPhone.
Microsoft has long provided the top Office apps for iOS, especially the iPad. Word, Excel and more are available on tablets.
Productivity
Increase productivity with the option to easily install the keyboard. However, there was no complete Office app that brought all the tools together in one place.
The full Microsoft Office app is tailored to the idiosyncrasies of the iPad, so most users can peruse the basic Office tools without spending at least a dime.
The included apps aren’t complete with just Word, Excel, and Company (especially for Office 365 subscriptions), but they’re more than enough for a regular iPad app.
Microsoft Office for iPad: All in one app
After almost a year of development, Microsoft has released its Office app for the iPad. The iPhone version has been available on the App Store since the end of February 2020, and Microsoft then promised to roll out an iPad version as well. The Office application combines Word, Excel and Powerpoint and therefore facilitates the creation of documents on small screens.
The developer continues to support the predecessor version iPadOS 13, and there is a restriction in the range of functions depending on the diagonal of the screen:
If you sign in with a free Microsoft account, only devices with a screen diagonal of up to 10.1 inches can sign in.
Therefore, free use of the application is not possible on iPads Pro. (11 and 12.9 inches), on the seventh and eighth generation iPad, on the fourth generation iPad Air.
Only the iPad Mini, with its tiny screen, is guaranteed to be used; for the other models, you have to check very carefully that the device itself does not exceed the 10.1-inch limit established by Microsoft. With a paid Microsoft 365 subscription, you can unlock any iPad and use the app on it.
Microsoft has recently invested heavily in AR development, so mobile apps (on the iPad and iPhone) take advantage of the built-in camera.
Boards
For example, a table taken with the camera can be directly imported into Excel, and it is not necessary to type the data thoroughly. The app also recognizes photographed documents and instantly converts them into an editable Word file. PDF files can be signed in the app with the Apple Pencil or by fingerprint.
Microsoft has also published the necessary data protection information since the end of 2020, which is pleasantly short compared to Facebook or Youtube.
The Microsoft 365 subscription can be purchased directly in the app through an in-app purchase; the prices do not differ from those indicated by the provider on its website: 6.99 euros for an individual subscription and 9.99 euros for a family subscription.
Microsoft Office for iPad now with mouse support
The Microsoft Office program, which has become standard on all office computers, is one of the most popular applications in the world.
However, many users use Word, Excel, and PowerPoint not only on their PCs, but also on the go. This is not a problem, thanks to apps that are also available on iPhone and iPad.
With version 2.45, the long-awaited mouse and touchpad support is available to all users. Microsoft started rolling out features to early adopters in October, and now all iPad owners can finally take advantage of this feature.
Microsoft Office for iPadOS: finally it can be used with mouse and keyboard
So far, the iPad version of the Office program is almost the same as the iPhone version. Mainly, the larger screen allowed for a more comfortable user experience.
The situation in this area is changing with the introduction of trackpad and mouse support. Gesture controls can now be used to access, select, move graphics, and more to different tools.
This provides a user experience similar to a Windows or Mac computer. This works with any device that can connect to your tablet via Bluetooth or cable, not just the Magic Keyboard.
Download Microsoft Office for iPad and iPhone
Microsoft Office for iPad and iPhone is free. There is a Microsoft Office Student Advantage program that will allow you to learn all the ins and outs of the software. These apps (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) also help with OneDrive, so there’s no problem sharing documents via Dropbox or iCloud Drive.
Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook apps can be downloaded to your iPad for free through the App Store, as long as your iPad is running iOS 12 or later.
Please note that you do not need to subscribe to Microsoft 365 to create, edit, or print your documents.
However, you need a Microsoft username, for this you will have to create an account by entering an email address and password.
How compatible is the Word app with the iPad?
Word and all other MS Office programs are explicitly adapted to all the innovations of iPad OS. For example, the app supports a new multi-window mode that lets you edit multiple documents at the same time, and can also be operated with your tablet’s mouse and trackpad.
So you can decide for yourself whether to use split screen or jump from one app to another. Compatibility between Word documents and the iPad has also been considered. Compared to browser apps, iPad apps offer a much better fit.
Very handy: Word brings these features to the iPad
Basically, Word can be used on iPad just like a PC or laptop. You can create, modify and save documents. You can format fonts, check spelling, and use paragraph features.
With the free writing program, you can also create PDF files and insert tables and graphs. To access the document, you can import it via OneDrive, Dropbox or simply via email. However, you need a free Microsoft account to use the Word app. You can then customize the text and layout to suit your needs.
Microsoft Office is not free on the iPad Pro
Those who bought the new 12.9-inch tablet need a paid Office 365 subscription. With this, Microsoft adopts the known free usage limit on Android devices, which is tied to the diagonal of the screen. Office can still be used for free on smaller iPads.
Download Microsoft Office on an iPad Pro
Microsoft Office for iPad is free, so it’s perfect for students who don’t have a lot of money. It’s also great for teachers because it has all the features you need to create presentations, spreadsheets, and documents on your mobile device.
While Office Pack apps are freely available for iPads under 10.1-inch, it’s not as obvious for the iPad Pro and 10.2-inch iPad (2019).
These models are excluded from this offer as they are considered professional devices. Therefore, to take advantage of this offer, you will have no other option than to subscribe to Microsoft 365.
As a reminder, if you use Word, Excel, and Powerpoint for professional or business purposes, then you must be a legal Microsoft Office subscriber, regardless of the device used.
There is an advantage program for Microsoft Office students that will allow you to know all the details of the software
If you are a student, there is the Microsoft Office Student Advantage program that will allow you to learn all the ins and outs of the software. The program offers students free access to Microsoft Office 365 for four years.
This means students can use Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote on their iPads or iPhones while at school at no cost. If they decide to purchase their own copy of these programs after graduation, they will receive deep discounts on the purchase price!
Sign up for Microsoft 365
With Microsoft 365, you benefit from premium versions of Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook), including advanced change tracking and tools for formatting charts, tables, and images.
Plus, you can enjoy 1TB of online storage through OneDrive, compared to 5GB without a subscription. Also, depending on your subscription, apps are or are not compatible with macOS.
You also get 60 minutes of free Skype calls every month and OneDrive storage for 5 users.
The price of an annual package in Microsoft 365 starts at 69 euros with the Personal package.
Word, Excel and PowerPoint utility on iPad
Apple offers its own alternative, letting you create and save files, spreadsheets, and presentations, which are then compatible with Microsoft Office applications.
Apple’s office suite, called iWork, consists of:
Pages for word processingNumbers for spreadsheets, charts, and tablesThe keynote for making your presentations
Please note that iWork is provided when you purchase an iPad or iPhone.
In conclusion, unless you are forced to work in the Office Pack, you will not have the use of it since iWork performs similar functions.
Synchronization options with Microsoft Office
OneDrive, the Microsoft cloud, is automatically integrated into the Office suite for iOS.
In this way, all the documents created in one of the Office applications will be accessible from the iPad, and in the same format, what does not happen on the iPhone?
Please note that in order to work with your files, make sure you have saved and downloaded them to your tablet.
If you’re offline, then feel free to create new documents and save them, without going through Drive.
Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps on iPad and iPhone
These apps (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) also help with OneDrive, so there’s no problem sharing documents via Dropbox or iCloud Drive.
You can also use OneDrive to share your documents on the Internet. It’s a…