Do I need the Office 365 subscription to use Microsoft Word & Excel?

[Windows Central Question]

I have a desktop computer. It has Windows 10 and apparently I had Office 365. Now I am being asked to renew my subscription. I don't use the cloud storage or anything just want to be able to use Word and Excel and save things to my hard drive. Do I need the subscription to do that?

 

[TechFreak1]

You can use office online for free and the mobile apps as readers, on windows phone you can edit and save without a sub.

If you are student, you may be able to get 365 license from your college / university.

 

[xandros9]

There are two ways to pay for Office.

The subscription Office 365 and a standalone license.
Naturally MS is pushing the former because money.

I think you'd be better served with a single-purchase license of Office unless 365's perks make sense to you.

Either way, you'll be able to do what you need.

Alternatively, if cost is prohibitive, you can also look into alternatives like the web browser-based Office Online or other office suites like LibreOffice.