What is Microsoft Word?
Microsoft Word is a word processor for reports, proposals, letters and shared document review. Free web access and licensed desktop applications cover different editing needs.
Who is Microsoft Word for?
Writers and teams handing over Word documents, reviewing revisions or using established Office templates.
Which version of Word do you need?
Start with the document you must deliver: a shared draft, a reviewed proposal or a final report. A Word file can be part of any of these workflows. The important buying distinction is the application and licence used to edit it.
Microsoft’s Word offer separates free web access from paid packages. If you already have an organisational subscription, check your assigned application rights before buying another one.
Microsoft Word features
The core capabilities to consider for your workflow.
- Document formatting, headings and tables
- Comments, Track Changes and shared review
- PDF export and licensed desktop offline editing
Web review versus desktop authoring
Both web and desktop Word support Track Changes and PDF export. Microsoft’s feature comparison places offline authoring, mail merge and bibliography creation on the desktop side. That is a reason to identify required actions rather than count product names in a bundle.
For a proposal handover, agree who owns the master file and who accepts revisions. Keep a final editable copy as well as the approved delivery format; a PDF and a working document serve different purposes.
Microsoft Word pricing
Free plan available
Desktop Word is available through eligible Microsoft 365 subscriptions and one-time purchase routes. Compare the retained app, device rights and business-use requirements, rather than treating every Microsoft 365 tier as desktop access.
Calculate the cost of your quote →Free access & evaluation
Word for the web is free with a Microsoft account. It is separate from a paid desktop licence or a temporary Microsoft 365 trial.
A subscription is one buying route
An eligible Microsoft 365 subscription is one route to installed Word. Microsoft also documents one-time purchases, including standalone Word and Office 2024 options. Their update and device arrangements differ.
For a company, record the edition, operating system, user/device rights and support in the quote. The Microsoft 365 profile explains why Basic, Business Basic and desktop-app packages should be assessed separately.
Before you choose Microsoft Word
Word for the web does not include offline authoring, mail merge or every desktop feature.
Desktop editing requires an appropriate licence; web access alone does not provide it.
Confirm the operating system, retained edition and required template behaviour.
Use the same handover brief
Take a non-sensitive copy of a document with headings, a table, a footnote and a proposed edit. Have the intended recipient reopen it, review the edit and produce the final output. Record any layout changes before moving established templates.
Compare Word with Google Docs for browser drafting, or Word with LibreOffice Writer for a desktop alternative. These pages provide evaluation briefs rather than claimed file-compatibility test results.
Explore Microsoft Word in more detail
Take a closer look at the decisions behind this product.
Microsoft Word vs Google Docs
Read the articleCompare Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word vs Google Docs
Word vs Google Docs: compare free web access, desktop offline editing, DOCX handling and suggestions versus Track Changes, with four document handover briefs.
Read the comparison
Microsoft Word vs LibreOffice Writer
Word vs LibreOffice Writer: compare free desktop access, Word file compatibility, macro limitations and support, with four practical document review briefs.
Read the comparisonExplore the individual profiles
Microsoft Word FAQs
Is Microsoft Word free?
Word for the web is free with a Microsoft account. The installed desktop application requires an appropriate licence.
Can Word for the web work offline?
Microsoft’s feature comparison does not include offline viewing and authoring in Word for the web. Use an appropriately licensed desktop application for that requirement.
Does Word for the web have Track Changes?
Yes. Microsoft lists Track Changes for both Word for the web and desktop Word.
Can I use mail merge in Word for the web?
Microsoft lists mail merge as a desktop Word capability, rather than a Word for the web feature.
Can I buy Word without a Microsoft 365 subscription?
Yes. Microsoft documents standalone Word purchases and one-time Office 2024 packages. Check the exact edition, device rights and included applications.
Is Microsoft Word the same as Microsoft 365?
Word is an application. Microsoft 365 is a set of subscription offers whose app and service entitlements differ. Confirm that the chosen package includes the Word version you need.