:Can I load my original Office Small Business Edition 2007 software on a new computer running windows 10? ~ Steve Cheresnick
Tech+ Looks like yes!
At least that was the case when Windows 10 launched in 2015. According ,
Now, head over to Microsoft Office’s site — it, too, . However, there is a caveat: Microsoft no longer offers mainstream support for Office 2007. That means you should not expect any new features, fixes or security updates. And versions older than 2007 are “no longer supported and may not work on Windows 10,” according to the company.
This may have you thinking about upgrading — and it could cost you. Microsoft has moved most of its Office products to a monthly subscription plan — which on the plus side means phone or chat support is included. There is still a home and student version of Office 2016 available for a one-time cost of $149.99, but that extra phone and chat support isn’t included.
There are other options, including some freebies.
- The most notable is Apache OpenOffice, found at . It’s a software suite of programs just like Word, Excel and other Office software tools. It’s free because it’s an open-source project, which means a community of developers are supporting it and learning from it. On the down side, users will need to keep a DIY attitude and hunt down fixes for problems they find. , a mailing list and other helpful resources online.
- Another free alternative is LibreOffice, at , another community driven software that is based on Open Office. LibreOffice also has familiar Word-like products, which it calls (documents), (spreadsheets), (presentations) and .
- Apple fans can now get iWork software (documents, spreadsheet, the usual office-type suite) via download to computer or mobile device. It’s at but it’s only for Mac devices.
- WPS Office Software offers free and subscription-based plans for its suite of office software. The company, a subsidiary of China’s Kingsoft Corp., offers the complete suite free, if you don’t mind ads. But for $29.99 a year, it removes the ads and tosses in features like PDF signatures and splitting or merging PDFs to Word. Details at .
- For a pricier alternative, there’s Corel’s WordPerfect, which was discounted $50 on Friday and selling for $199.99. It’s compatible with Microsoft Office and has features like PDF form creation, publishing to eBook formats and . Details at
If you don’t have much storage space on your computer or tablet, use web-based options like Google Docs. Microsoft has an online version of some Office tools for free.
- Google Docs:
- Microsoft Office Online:
- WPS Office Software for free:
- Dropbox Paper offers simple document creation and sharing:
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