Microsoft Office 2019 (?)

Hi,
Anyone know the best place to get a genuine copy of Microsoft office professional. Need to install on my new laptop.
Thanks

If you’re happy paying per month rather than one off – Office 365 would do it. Pick the level that suits.

Otherwise, I’m sure others will be along with best places to get licences etc

Ask yourself if you really need it, Google office apps, and libre office suite are free and compatible unless you need really advanced spreadsheet features or other niche features.

https://www.libreoffice.org/download/download/

Can’t hurt to try for nothing…

Thanks – rather stick old school non-subscription. I’d probably need the advanced MS features.

I’d probably need the advanced MS features.

For work then? Can’t yr employer spring for it? They may already have a scheme

Just me not work.

Thanks – rather stick old school non-subscription. I’d probably need the advanced MS features

You can install the desktop version with your subscription. Same features as any other version.

fastsoftware.co.uk

That’s where I got my Office 2019 for mac.

You need the full MS Office Pro suite locally for personal use and nothing else will do? Why? What “advanced features” do you need?

Not trolling, just trying to refine your question.

Yep you’ve broken me – maybe not that advanced. I work a lot with spreadsheets and databases so like to dabble away from work.

Does your work use MS products? If so you might be able to get a cheap copy through the Microsoft Home Use Program.

^or a cheap subscription to Office 365

Right. Well MS Office is free online, but it doesn’t come with Access.

Google do an office-a-like but again, no database.

So, LibreOffice might be your best bet.

As Kamakazie says, HUP might be an option if your employer is signed up to it. That came out at like a tenner a month for O365 last time I looked (but a non-subscription version was no longer an option).

Otherwise you’re looking at shelling out North of £400 for Office Pro.

HUP might be an option if your employer is signed up to it. That came out at like a tenner a month for O365 last time I looked

I don’t pay that much, I think mine was about £60 this year and that Covers several family members. Does it vary by employer?  Best part for me is that they still give the discount so long as I continue to subscribe despite me having left the employer over a year ago.

amakazie
Subscriber

Does your work use MS products? If so you might be able to get a cheap copy through the Microsoft Home Use Program.

The Home Use scheme is actually more expensive than through Amazon (but from Microsoft) at the moment

Have a read of this Techradar article to see if you want to buy it. If you do there there are instructions as to what to do in the artical.

<mod>
I’ve removed the previous recommendation. We cannot promote illegal content and whilst that site may be operating via some legal loophole, any website selling a £400 product for £20 is inherently sketchy so I’ve removed it for readers’ protection if nothing else.

You might well have got a key that worked but a quick google would suggest that many others haven’t been so lucky.

</mod>

Be highly sceptical of web-sites selling MS licences that are far cheaper than retail cost. They might well be genuine licences but they almost certainly won’t be allowed to be resold and at some point in the future the volume licence agreement that licence came from could be voided and for some MS products that will disable the software. Admittedly it’s pretty rare for MS to investigate and void agreements and some products like Office Pro are crazy expensive at normal retail price – just don’t kid yourself you’re buying a perfectly legitimate licence.

Hadn’t realised MS still offered a one-off MSO purchase. not worked for anyone without O365 since…2016?

Subscribing for Office 365 just seems easier and gets whole family use and 1TB OneDrive storage for each family member.

Though tbh I’d go for Office 2011 (Mac) or 2013 (win) as a one-off install. It hasn’t gotten much better.

excel? I’m trying to eliminate it from my work and use R instead. Much easier to do repetitive stuff with. Tired of excel being ‘smart’ and doing things I don’t like. Used to be ‘suggesting’ stock ticker names instead of some common abbreviations.

if I were buying it as a one-off I’d likely check out Amazon and my local PC store.

The Home Use scheme is actually more expensive than through Amazon (but from Microsoft) at the moment

That’s poor. I last used it years ago where it was something like £30 for a standalone licence. None of this subscription £££.

Be highly sceptical of web-sites selling MS licences that are far cheaper than retail cost. They might well be genuine licences but they almost certainly won’t be allowed to be resold

The site link I deleted was “legitimate” as far is I could tell but seemingly resells from illegitimate sources so it’s pot luck as to whether you get a ‘good’ licence or not. It looks like they also resell a key multiple times.

Though tbh I’d go for Office 2011 (Mac) or 2013 (win) as a one-off install. It hasn’t gotten much better.

This is really an “it depends” statement. If like 95% of users you “need” Office to write a letter every couple of months and add up the scores in your weekly Zoom ‘pub’ quiz then Office 2019 / O365 isn’t going to be bringing much to the table over Office 95.

If on the other hand you’re using it in anger then it’s come on leaps and bounds in recent years. You get versioning via OneDrive, so never have to press “Save” again. Collaboration and document sharing is light years ahead of previous versions. Integration with other apps, Active Directory backed security…

TBH, most home users who “need” MS Office probably don’t. There’s a reason the core apps are free online now, no-one’s going to pay several hundred quid for a hugely complex software suite that they barely use (and indeed, barely know how to use).