How to ditch Office for Docs and Excel for Sheets

Microsoft Office has been around for a long time, and understandably, people love the familiarity with its applications. But it is expensive.

As more businesses and educational institutes switch to Google programs such as Docs and Sheets, it can’t hurt to check them out. And you can save money by switching.

Office history

Microsoft Office was launched in 1990 as a suite of apps, including Word and Excel. MS Office has grown to include versions for the web, smartphones and Windows PCs. A subscription model exists under the name Office 365.

While there’s a free, lightweight version known as Office on the web, if you want the full capability of the apps, you’ll have to buy the programs outright or subscribe to them. Either method is an expensive proposition.

Google programs such as Docs and Sheets are free to use with a Google account. If you’re considering a switch, you will save money. There are other factors to consider, however. Will the adjustment from Microsoft to Google be difficult? Read on to find out.

From Word to Docs

You shouldn’t have much trouble picking up Docs if you’re a Word veteran. The two apps share many of the same functions.

Start with the toolbar across the top of the screen. You’ll see similar icons for formatting text: bold, italic, underline, alignment, font and text size and color.

The File and Insert menus contain many of the same options, and both apps have easy access to undo and redo buttons in the form of curved arrows.

Let’s review how some actions work in MS Word vs. Google Docs.

RELATED: Google trick: Shortcuts to quickly open Docs, Sheets and your calendar

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10 free budgeting spreadsheets to help get a handle on your money

Keeping track of your finances can be a daunting task. Wouldn’t it be great to know exactly where your money was?

When I started on my own, recording and managing my finances was non-existent. If you’re not good at keeping track of what you have in your accounts or what is coming or going from those accounts, this may be the answer for you.

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🔎 FYI, Google users: Next time you need help, there’s a search box where you can type what you want to do in everyday language. It sure beats digging around in the tool menus. In Sheets, you can type Remove column, or, in a Doc, try Who last edited this? Handy!

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5 simple, useful Google Sheets formulas everyone should know

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5 free alternatives to Microsoft Excel

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Free versions of Excel if you don’t want to pay for Microsoft 365

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Google Sheets shortcuts to double your productivity

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