Office is one of the essential programs to work from Windows. Microsoft‘s office suite brings us everything you need to be able to do all kinds of office work: a word processor, a spreadsheet, a slide show, databases, an email client and much more. Despite being a paid program (and quite expensive), it is the most used office suite. Therefore, we will explain how to download and install Office in Windows 10 without problems.
Microsoft currently maintains 3 different versions of Office. On the one hand, the 2016 version , one of the most used versions that saw the light with Windows 10 and that will continue to have support until 2025. Then we can find Office 2019 , the update of the 2016 edition with various improvements and corrections, and Office 365 , the subscription model that allows us to take full advantage of the office suite thanks to its integration with the cloud.
Office 2019 vs Office 365
Broadly speaking, both suites are the same. Furthermore, to be specific, Office 365 includes the 2019 office suite programs. The main differences between these two alternatives lie in the additional services and the price.
Office 2019, for example, is the heir to the 2016 version. This program can be purchased for a single payment and we can use the program forever without having to renew anything. Of course, we will not be entitled to new versions (although we will be entitled to updates while their support lasts). Office 365, on the other hand, has a subscription payment. This implies that we must pay a fee a year to be able to use these programs, but in return we can always have the latest version of the suite without having to pay more. We will even have the right to access the Insider version. This version includes additional services, such as 1 TB of OneDrive cloud storage and 60 minutes per month to talk on Skype.
In addition, there are also differences between the two programs in terms of users and operating systems. The 2019 version can only be used on Windows, while 365 is also compatible with macOS, Android and iOS . Essential if we want to use Word on the mobile or tablet. In the subscription model we can choose the number of users, or devices, that can install and use Office.
| Office 2019 | office 365 | |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | PC only | Windows, macOS, mobile |
| Extra services | Not | 1 TB on OneDrive, 60 min per month with Skype |
| Updates | 2019 only | Always up to date |
| Technical support | 60 days | Always |
| Price | 150 euros, one-time payment | 69 euros a year (Personal – 1 user) 99 euros a year (Home – 5 users) |
Minimum requirements to use Office
The latest versions of Office, both 2016 and 2019 and 365, have the same requirements, since except for the OneDrive cloud integration they have not changed much (even the main interface is identical). Therefore, to be able to download and use Word, Excel and other suite programs without problems, we must meet the following requirements:
- 1.6 GHz Dual-Core CPU.
- 4 GB of RAM
- 4 GB of hard disk space.
- Screen at a resolution of 1280 x 768.
- DirectX 9 graphics acceleration with WDDM 2.0.
Of course, although Office 2016 can work without problems in Windows 7, an essential requirement to be able to use Word 2019, Excel 2019 or any other version of the Office 2019 suite is to use Windows 10 .
Download Office
Microsoft allows us to easily download the latest versions of Office from its website as long as we have a valid license. For this, what we must do is access the following link . After logging in, we can see our main Office panel. Here we will see a button called ” Install Office “. We must click on this button to be able to go to the download section of the office suite.
This link will take us to the Office downloads and subscriptions section . Here we will find all the services that we have linked to our account. Since Office 2016, all licenses must be linked to a user account, therefore, regardless of having purchased the 2016, 2019 version or the subscription to Office 365, the programs will appear here.
As each account has a linked license, the website itself will allow us to download the version that corresponds to our license. We can download them directly by clicking on ” Install Office apps “. We can also access here to download the Office installer to install it on any PC.
We will simply run the installer to launch the wizard that will allow us to install the office suite on our PC. When the process is finished, it will be ready for use.
Word, Excel and PowerPoint from the Microsoft Store
In addition to being able to download and install the typical 32-bit and 64-bit versions, the latest versions of Office have universal apps, in UWP format, that will allow us to download the programs from the Microsoft Store. If we already have a license linked to our account, we can download these apps directly. Otherwise, the Windows store itself will allow us to buy the Office 365 subscription to be able to use these apps.
The links to the Microsoft store are:
These applications are the same as those installable through the installer. The difference is that they can be downloaded and installed individually, and they are also stored in UWP format, like the other apps in the MS Store, with the advantages that this format of applications entails.
Common mistakes
There are a number of errors that we can find when trying to download and install Office in Windows 10. The most common is one that shows us a message to switch to the premium version when we try to download the suite from the website.
This message appears because the Office website does not recognize any 2019, 2016 or 365 licenses in the account with which we are logged in. We must first purchase a license or subscription before we can access the download page.
If we have the wrong account, we can log out and reopen it to continue using the suite. And, in addition, we can also get a trial version of Office 365 completely free to download and use this suite.
Install Office
Once we have downloaded the installer from the Microsoft website, the next step will be to install the suite on our PC. The 3 current versions of the suite are installed the same. And one of the main complaints from users is that it does not offer any type of control over what we want or do not want to install. By default, after running the installer, all Office applications included in our license will be downloaded and installed.
The installation is completely unattended. We don’t have to do anything more than wait for the suite installation to complete on the computer. When it is finished, we can see a window like the one below that will indicate that the installation process has been carried out successfully, and we can close it.
We already have Office installed on Windows. Now we only have the last step before we can start using these programs: activate them.
Activate Word, Excel and PowerPoint
If we have downloaded the applications from the Microsoft Store, we do not have to do anything. These apps are already linked to our account, therefore, as long as we have the current subscription or license, we can use them without problems.
And if we download this suite from its installer, depending on the version we will have to activate it in one way or another. For example, in the case of Office 365 or Office 2019, it will be enough to log in with our Microsoft Account within Word, Excel and the other programs so that, when having a valid license, it is activated.
In the event that a license linked to our store is not found, or if there is any problem with the key, we can see a window like the one below in which we must enter our license key. This will be validated on Microsoft servers and, if it is correct, the program will be activated. Ready.
In the case of downloading Office 2016 , it may also be automatically activated by recognizing our account and the associated license. But the most common is having to complete a simple wizard like the following to activate the software before you can use it.
Once the program is activated, we can start using it. And if we have license problems, we can try activating the software over the phone.
