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Free Microsoft Office Document Viewers

Read, copy, or print documents online even if you don't own the suite

By Cindy Grigg Cindy Grigg Writer Cindy Grigg is a former freelance contributor to Lifewire and a productivity writer who teaches Microsoft Office software to students and pros. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on March 6, 2020 Tweet Share Email Fotosearch/Getty Images Tweet Share Email MS Office Word Excel Powerpoint Outlook Looking for a free way to read Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Visio, or Lync documents without buying the latest versions of these applications yourself? Similarly, if you own the Microsoft Office suite, do you share documents with those who don’t? Most office software power-users will be frustrated using a tool like this every day, due to the limited tools, but your situation may merit using one of these free, web-based viewers anyway. While you cannot edit documents in these free online interfaces, you can view, copy, or print Office documents authored by others – without having to commit to Office yourself. Microsoft has discontinued the free viewer apps for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Microsoft recommends, "installing the Word mobile app or storing documents in OneDrive or Dropbox, where Word Online opens them in your browser."

Alternatives to Free Viewers Free Office Software Suites and Apps

Before downloading a viewer, also consider the free Microsoft Office Online (Web Apps), which allow you to both read and perform a limited but effective range of editing. You will find Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote apps available for Windows, Mac OS X, iOS, and Android. If someone sends you file permissions to a document housed on Microsoft’s cloud OneDrive, you can make edits using this web app. Since both the viewers and the web apps are used in your browser, and therefore require an internet connection, the latter may make more sense to you as a solution. There are other free or open source office software suites and apps available.

Microsoft Visio Viewer

Even some Office power users have never heard of Microsoft Visio. This is a diagramming program for creating flow charts, organizational charts, or other visual representations. While you cannot create or edit in-depth, you can do the following within the viewer: view files with extensions such as .vsd, .vsdx, .vsdm, .vst, .vstx, .vstm, .vdx, .vdw, or .vtx, use keyboard shortcuts and shortcut menus, view shape properties, adjust some layers settings, print some elements which fit to a given screen, and use some comment functions. Since Visio is not typically included in some of Microsoft’s pre-packaged versions, it makes sense for businesses, for example, to buy one copy for the main user or a single computer device. This way, the Visio 2013 Viewer can be installed for free for others on the team to collaborate on.
Download the Visio 2013 Viewer

You May Also Need This Compatibility Pack

Keep in mind that the viewers may not resolve some of the more intricate compatibility glitches you could run into. For that reason, Microsoft also offers its Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint File Formats. Since each new program version tends to allow new file types, you may need this compatibility pack to properly upload the file you are interested in.

Always Read License Terms

As with all downloads, make sure to read license terms regarding fonts and other aspects of files you may be interested in copying or printing. Even though you have not purchased a full version of Microsoft Office, you are still agreeing to license terms for these viewers by using them. In fact, you cannot install or use the fonts on other devices at all, because you have not purchased the right to do so. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Use Microsoft's Free PowerPoint Viewers How to Install Microsoft 365 on Your PC Is Microsoft Word Free? Yes, It Can Be 9 Best Free Microsoft Office Alternatives The 8 Best Microsoft Office Alternatives of 2022 WPS File (What It Is & How to Open One) 7 Free Online Fax Services (Updated October 2022) How to Install and Use OpenOffice Extensions OneNote Not Syncing? How to Get It Back Online Microsoft Office vs. iWork How to Add Fonts to Word How to Run Microsoft Office on a Chromebook DWG File (What It Is and How to Open One) Microsoft Office Online Review PPTX File (What It Is and How to Open One) DOCM File (What It Is & How to Open One) Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies