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Most students – and those working in education with an academic email address – can get Microsoft's entire Office suite of programmes, and other freebies, for absolutely nothing.
To see if you're eligible, enter your academic email address on the Microsoft Office website.
You'll be asked to sign in through your course provider’s online portal, and if you're eligible, you'll be redirected to a page where you can download the software. You can also get 1TB of free online storage with OneDrive.
It's not just Microsoft either – here are some other useful software freebies.
For typing, spreadsheets, and presentations
The LibreOfficesoftware suite includes a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, database, and design package. Handily, it's compatible with many Microsoft documents, and is available for PC, Mac, and Linux.
For image editing
If you're after something for basic cropping and editing, Paint.netis easy to use and PC-compatible. For a more advanced Photoshop equivalent, GIMPis a powerful tool with free add ons (PC and Mac), while Inkscapeis a handy graphics editor and works on PC, Mac, and Linux.
For music and videos
VLC Player is one of the most widely compatible media players available, andcan cope with pretty much any music or video format you throw at it. For recording,Audacitylets you add effects and create soundscapes from scratch. Again, both are available for PC, Mac, and Linux.
Always check any software you put on your computer is suitable and compatible with your existing setup first.
