Instead of Microsoft Office
LibreOffice
Opens and saves the formats you already have. Full suite, no subscription, no account, no sign-in.
What it is
Documents, spreadsheets, presentations, drawing and a database tool. Installs locally, runs offline, asks for nothing. Reads and writes .docx, .xlsx and .pptx.
What you give up
- Complex Word documents with heavy formatting can shift slightly when passed back and forth.
- Excel macros and pivot-heavy workbooks are the real breaking point — test yours before committing.
- Real-time co-editing is not comparable to what Microsoft or Google offer.
- The interface is functional rather than fashionable.
How to move
- 01Install it alongside Office. Nothing needs uninstalling on day one.
- 02Open your three most important existing files and check they survive the round trip.
- 03Set it as the default handler for documents you create yourself.
- 04Keep sending .docx to people who expect .docx. Your choice of tool is not their problem.
- 05Cancel the subscription only once a full month has gone by without opening Office.