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.

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Opt-Out Tuesday: How to see what Microsoft knows about you and shut down tracking

Thanks to people search sites, your information is all over the internet whether you’ve ever accessed the site or not. Tap or click here to remove yourself from these invasive data collectors.

There are a few apps and services that don’t require you to sign in or create an account. But the more you use your details on various sites, the more information that company gathers on you. Eventually, these companies compile the data into a neat bundle and use it to serve you personalized advertising.

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Phone(y) bills: If you use Verizon, watch out for phony invoice emails from “33mail.com.” They link you to a fake Office 365 sign-in page that could allow them to hack your account. Don’t click that link. If you get an email that looks “phishy” or has mismatched sender names and addresses, mark it as spam ASAP.

This phishing attack lets hackers read and send emails from your account

Passwords are heading toward becoming a thing of the past. That’s because more and more websites enable you to use your Google or Microsoft credentials to log in instead of creating new ones.

This functionality is called Open Authorization (OAuth) and grants third-party apps permission to access your information. For example, think of the ability to post Instagram photos to your Facebook or Twitter feed.

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Have a Gmail or Hotmail account? Microsoft says to keep your eyes out for this scam

Scammers have been employing sneaky tactics to get at your information and finances since the internet first arrived. Email is among the oldest vehicles for bad actors to ply their trade, and they’re still at it decades later.

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Big Tech companies have profiles on you - Here's how to see them

It should be no surprise to anybody that social media and tech companies gather a lot of information about you. In most cases, you supply the data willingly (or sometimes begrudgingly) so that you can access their services. Tap or click here for 10 Facebook privacy and security settings you need to change right now.

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These 2 new Google scams are easy to fall for - Don't become a victim

The internet has been a hotbed for scams since it gained widespread use. Some of the earliest tricks involved phishing, in which scammers imitate a known company or service in an attempt to access victims’ credentials or financial information. They also send malicious links containing malware.

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Kim's 5 reasons to set up a financial Chromebook

Do you have a Chromebook in your arsenal of gadgets? If you don’t know, they are similar to a laptop but just a little bit different. Chromebooks run on Chrome OS, which was specifically built to be used with an internet connection.

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Microsoft is tracking what you do - and reporting it back to your boss

Working from home has many benefits for workers, but a major drawback for some employers is a lack of supervision. Without a physical office space, there are few ways to keep track of worker productivity without some seriously creepy tactics.

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All the ways you can get Microsoft Office for free

Microsoft Office Suite — Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook, OneNote, Access and Publisher — is the standard when it comes to digital office software. It set the precedent of what organization and presentation software should be and continues to be the software set you need most for basic computer and work tasks.

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Microsoft wants to fix your crappy writing

Do you struggle at the keyboard? Do you cringe when you need to write a school assignment, work email, or other documents all because you don’t excel at spelling or grammar?

Relax, even those tasked with checking for writing errors have experienced the embarrassment of a misplaced apostrophe or misspelled word. Thankfully, with grammar and spell checkers, your writing errors don’t have to make the front page.

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Microsoft's easy-to-use new app combines Word, Excel and PowerPoint

Microsoft recently launched the Microsoft Office app for Android, which includes Word, Excel and PowerPoint. It’s free to use and download, but the premium features will cost you. If you’re on a strict budget, tap or click here to learn more about how you can get Microsoft Office for free.

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FBI warning: Avoid these Microsoft and Google scams

Google and Microsoft are taking bold stances in the face of the coronavirus outbreak. Rather than upcharge customers forced to work from home, they’re actually offering their premium business services for free. This makes it easier for employees to operate remotely across the country.

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