Is Microsoft Word And Office The Same

With the release of Office 365, a new version of Word is available that runs as a web application in your web browser. This development may not sound very spectacular, but it has some nifty benefits. Unless you have been living under a rock, you have probably used or heard of a program called Microsoft Office Word. How to use and access Microsoft Word and Google Docs. You cannot purchase Microsoft Word as a standalone program. It comes as part of the Microsoft 365 package (formerly called Office 365), which includes other programs like Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, and Access. Microsoft Office does contain Microsoft Word in the listing of programs and others such as Excel, Access, and others. Microsoft Office in terms is the base programming that the others are attached to to run the other applications and is the system itself. Install Office on more than one computer (Mac or PC) One-time purchases can be installed once on either a PC or Mac. With Microsoft 365 Family, you can install Microsoft 365 on all your devices and sign in to five at the same time―that means you can use Office no matter where you are or what device you're on.

• Mac Office Vs Windows Office
• Office 365 Windows Vs Mac
• Is Microsoft Word And Office The Same Thing
• Wps Office Vs Ms Office

For a while, nonprofit organizations' choice of office suites was limited to Microsoft Office or . Microsoft Office. But in the last couple of years, a viable open-source option has emerged: OpenOffice.org. Should you consider OpenOffice? Will it make sense for your users and organization? What are the differences between these two office suites? Instant echeck casinos.

We will compare Microsoft Office 2003 Professional to OpenOffice.org 2.0 -- or at least some key parts of these suites. Unfortunately, comparing office suites isn't an exact science. The applications packaged together aren't completely analogous, so we will limit this article's comparisons to a couple of areas:

-We have to talk about Word Processors, of course, which means Microsoft's Word 2003 vs. OpenOffice's Writer.

-An office suite just isn't an office suite without a spreadsheet, so we'll look at Excel 2003 vs. OpenOffice's Calc.

-Email tools and calendaring are also a critical part of an office suite, but OpenOffice.org hasn't released any email or calendar software. We'll compare Outlook 2003 with Thunderbird (email) and Sunbird (calendar), made by the Mozilla Corporation. These tools are also free, open-source, and often used with OpenOffice, although they need to be installed separately.

There's more to both office suites, of course. OpenOffice's Base is similar to Access 2003. PowerPoint 2003 is matched with Impress. To correspond to Microsoft's Visio, there's OpenOffice's Draw. OpenOffice offers an equation editor called Math, while Microsoft Office offers Publisher 2003 for desktop publishing. Because we all have a limited amount of patience, we'll leave these comparisons for another article.

At a High LevelThere's more to office suites than feature lists. In fact, OpenOffice and Microsoft Office are similar enough that actual feature differences are likely to be just one of many factors in your decision making. But philosophy, system requirements, support, usability.these are the things that keep us up nights.

Delusional Utopian Hippies vs. Cynical Corporate GreedheadsThe Microsoft philosophy is very different from OpenOffice's or Mozilla's, which use an open-source model in which software is jointly created, often by volunteers, and freely distributed, allowing anyone to use, redistribute, adapt, or improve their code. Microsoft uses a much more tightly controlled commercial-license model, in which the sale of its software pays for professional programmers and project managers, testing, management, marketing and sales, and shareholder dividends.

There are a lot of strong feelings behind the great open-source-versus-commercial-license debate. Some people won't use any software tools that aren't freely distributed, while others refuse to buy generic medications because they want pharmaceutical companies to be rewarded for their research and development investments. If you have strongly held beliefs about the importance of private-sector research and development versus the desire to share information freely, we suspect that we're not going to be able to change your mind. So we'll limit our comments here to the tangible benefits of these models. Xbox one party chat pc.

System Support: Typical or Criminally Old ComputersFor most computers that you would actually want to use, both OpenOffice and Microsoft Windows will work fine. While OpenOffice is said to be a bit slower, particularly in opening up complex documents in Microsoft's proprietary formats, the difference is negligible if you've purchased your computer in the last couple of years. Both platforms also offer comparable support for the Mac.

OpenOffice offers better support for older computers than the latest version of Microsoft Office. Office 2003 says its minimum spec is a Pentium 450 MHz with 256 MB of RAM, while OpenOffice lists a Pentium 166 MHz processor with 128 MB of RAM. While Office 2003 requires Window 2000 or XP to run fully, OpenOffice will run on Windows 98. What's more, OpenOffice will run under Linux (as well as Solaris and BSD), and Linux runs much more effectively on old computers than Windows 2000 or XP. This makes Linux and OpenOffice a practical combination even for quite old computers, especially when few other applications are needed (in a computer lab setting, for instance).

As an interesting side note, OpenOffice.org, Thunderbird, and Sunbird are all available as portable applications, while Microsoft Office 2003 is not. For some people, being able to carry around their personally configured office suite on a USB thumbdrive, portable hard drive, or iPod is life altering. Others may think those people are crazy and need to get a life.

Usability, Training, and SupportAnyone who has used Word or Excel will feel comfortable in Write and Calc. While previous versions of OpenOffice had a less polished interface, version 2.0 has taken a page from Microsoft's book, instituting a polished and relatively familiar user interface. In fact, they've take a lot of pages from Microsoft's book: in most ways the interfaces are nearly identical, down to the formula syntax in Excel/Calc. You can think of moving from MS Office to OpenOffice as if you were moving from Office 2000 to Office 2003: there are small differences, and users who have learned things by rote may need to be trained in the new software, but the concepts are all the same.

More advanced features tend to differ between the two packages. The template documents are substantially different between the two suites, so those used to using pre-packaged layouts for documents or charts may need to make some adjustments.

The same is true of Thunderbird and Outlook: going back and forth is pretty seamless. But unfortunately, that's not true for Sunbird, Mozilla's calendaring tool. While Outlook is mature, stable, and easy to use, Sunbird is really not as of yet (Mozilla still lists it as Alpha). For now, none of the open-source calendar products, or those offered by the dozen or so Web 2.0 companies who have introduced calendars in the past year, can compete with Outlook for simplicity, usability, documentation, and support.

There's more support for Microsoft Office 2003 than anyone can possibly use: dozens of books, official support from Microsoft itself, sanctioned support from people who have earned Microsoft licenses, professional call centers, and a Web full of sites that contain tips and guides for modifying, configuring, and using Office 2003 software. OpenOffice.org's support is more community driven, and generally free, with a documentation project and discussion forums led by volunteers. It's easier to find Microsoft Office training and support, but it's likely to cost more. It depends what you prefer.

One final consideration for the IT staff types out there: because OpenOffice has much looser licensing requirements, you don't need to worry about installing unlimited copies around your office or for friends or partner organizations. When you buy or recieve a free version of Office 2003, you may only install it on a specified number of computers within your organization, so you'll need to keep track of exactly where it's been installed.

Sharing Documents with Friends and NeighborsIn general, both Office 2003 and OpenOffice can create files that can be read by pretty much everyone else. In the case of Office 2003, this is because Microsoft has established de facto formats such as .doc for Word documents and .xls for Excel. OpenOffice, on the other hand, uses open standards for its native files, but can both read and write files in Microsoft's formats. OpenOffice has invested a lot of effort in ensuring that Writer and Calc users can share documents with Microsoft users and has succeeded in all but a few specific cases mentioned below, like Excel pivot tables. OpenOffice users can even choose to automatically save out files in Microsoft formats by default.

SecurityJust a brief word about security. MS Office, OpenOffice, Firebird, and Thunderbird are all reasonably secure as long as you follow standard procedures (install updates and patches as soon as they're released, maintain firewalls, antivirus, and antispyware, etc). They involve different philosophies, however: while open-source tools let everyone know about possible security issues (allowing users to protect themselves and hackers to potentially exploit issues), Microsoft keeps any issues close to the vest (thus possibly preventing hackers from finding out about them, but forestalling users' ability to take precautionary steps). It's like the dilemma that arises each time police officers are faced with a serial killer: should they alert people and possibly make the perp move on to another community, or should they keep their investigation quiet and zero in on the guy? There are strong arguments for both approaches.

Forecasting the FutureOf course, any commitment to a software package involves taking into account not just where they are now, but where they are going. Predicting the future is always an iffy business, but we'll tell you what we know. Microsoft has already announced some details of Office 2007, which will be released later this year. Major changes include a snazzy new and somewhat simplified interface to all their tools and substantial integration with two of their other products, Sharepoint and Microsoft CRM. OpenOffice continues to gain strong backing from large sponsors, primarily Sun, though Google has also formally committed resources and it looks as though they will continue to strengthen their relationship with OpenOffice. In addition, Mozilla (which guides the Thunderbird and Sunbird projects) announced that it had made around $70 Million in revenue last year. It seems very likely that Microsoft, OpenOffice, and Mozilla are going to be around for a while.

In recent years, Microsoft Word and Google Docs have been quietly waging a war for the title of best word processor. While most of us have been using Word for decades to draft everything from school essays to resumes to important work documents, Google Docs web-based platform is a total game changer for editing and sharing documents in the connected age.

So which is better? That depends entirely on what you need from a word processing program or mobile app. Today we're going to cover the benefits and downsides of both Microsoft Word and Google Docs so you have the intel you need to decide for yourself.

Learn more about Word

Download our print-ready shortcut cheatsheet for Word.

How to use and access Microsoft Word and Google Docs

You cannot purchase Microsoft Word as a standalone program.

It comes as part of the Microsoft 365 package (formerly called Office 365), which includes other programs like Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, and Access.

Once you purchase this suite, you can only install Word on a select number of computers, depending on the plan level you choose.

So if you install Word on your desktop, you'll need to bump up your plan to get a copy for your laptop, which can get pricey.

It wasn't until 2010 that Microsoft finally launched Word Online as part of its Microsoft 365 package.

Though Word Online boasts enough features for casual users, it is not the full version of Word by any means.

Select ribbons and toolbars were removed from the online version to help it load and run faster. It offers a more streamlined experience though it leaves others wanting more.

For instance, Word Online isn't able to handle large or more complex documents and users find it clunkier to work around these bugs than using their regular Word program from the start.

All of that is different with Google.

As an internet-based company, Google Docs started out as a cross-platform word processor that works entirely online.

You don't have to download any software or purchase a suite of programs you don't want/need to use it.

Simply log in to your Google account from any browser and head over to docs.google.com.

That's it.

Unlike Microsoft Word, which can only be installed on Windows and OS X computers, you can use Google Docs from any computer and browser, including:

• Windows
• Mac OS X
• Linux
• Chrome OS

The Google Docs app is available for both iOS and Android devices—but not on Windows-based phones like BlackBerry.

The Word app comes pre-installed on Windows Phone devices and as a free (very bare) app for iOS and Android.

Our winner: You can access the full version of Google Docs, with all its features, from any browser.

You have to purchase the entire Microsoft 365 software package just to receive a full version of Word. And the online version of Word lacks certain features which may render it useless for you.

Unlike Microsoft Word, Google Docs is free to use…

Google Docs is free for the average user.

If you want to purchase a 'Business' version of G Suite, monthly plans start at $5 per user.

It's going to cost you more to get started with Microsoft Word. Viva slots vegas app.

You'll need to pay either a:

• One-time fee of $149.99
• Yearly fee of $69.99 / monthly fee of $6.99 (for an install on 1 computer)
• Yearly fee of $99.99 / monthly fee of $9.99 (to install on up to 5 computers)

Business plans are priced differently.

Most of these packages include the desktop versions of all the Office apps and online access for their web-based counterparts.

Our winner: You can't beat free — Google takes the cake here.

… But free comes with limitations and a lack of control

We know Google Docs is entirely online.

You access your docs online, you write and edit in-browser, and your documents are saved to your online Google Drive cloud.

But what happens when your internet goes out thanks to a big thunderstorm?

Or Google's servers go down right before your huge AM presentation?

Though you can work in Google's offline mode (after following a series of steps), you can't normally access the platform when Google's servers are in chaos or when you lack Internet.

Google lets you check for outages using their G Suite Status Dashboard tool.

At the time of this screenshot, all the Google apps were running without problems:

But when there's a service outage or reported service disruption, you'll see a bar like in this example:

The most commonly reported problems with Google Drive, according to Down Detector, include: Best gambling website.

• Not being able to access files online (53%)
• Apps (like Docs and Sheets) not loading (36%)
• File syncing (10%)

This could cause major stress if you're unprepared.

You'll need to download or email physical copies of your documents for times you won't be connected to the internet.

Microsoft may have the upper hand here since you can get your work done in the offline desktop version of Word.

Plus, your Word documents will be saved locally on your computer or device instead of in the cloud so you're always in control of them.

Our winner: MS Word removes the 'what if' factor of relying on Google's servers and lets you work without an internet connection.

Similar layouts and interface: Google wins on user-friendliness, but Word has tons of features

Seasoned Word vets know there are SO many options and features built into Word that it can be exhausting navigating all the ribbons and toolbars just to find the one button you need.

After all, you'll probably click on ribbons like References, Mailings, and Acrobat, which will replace your toolbar with even more buttons, maybe twice in your whole life.

Google Docs solves that problem by drastically simplifying the layout and toolbar situation to create a more user-friendly, easily manageable workspace.

Just check out the differences to see what we mean.

Here's what Microsoft Word's ribbon looks like in both Windows and OS X versions:

Now check out the Google Docs toolbar:

Pretty big difference, right?

Google places all your most frequently used buttons right in your easy-access toolbar. Everything else, like inserting images or tables, can be found in one of the dropdowns.

With Word, any time you change one of the ribbons, like if you clicked on Layout, all the buttons in your toolbar change as well.

Though Word does let you customize your toolbar so all your most-used buttons are in reach, narrowing down these options can be overwhelming for a novice or casual users.

The less time you have to spend hunting for the exact tool you want, the quicker your work will be accomplished.

Our winner: An easy-to-use interface doesn't mean much if the tools you need aren't available. Choose Google if you need light word processing features; stick to Word if you're on a more advanced features level.

Google saves the day when it comes to saving your files

Ever forget to hit the save button on your Word doc before you lose power or accidentally close out of the program?

Though you've crossed your fingers and recovered several Word documents in your lifetime, wouldn't it be great if you never had to replay this terrible nightmare again?

Google Docs not only automatically saves your work every few minutes or so, it also continually saves as you're working.

This means you can log in on your desktop and see the changes made live from your smartphone at the same time.

Plus, Docs backs up your saved files to Google Drive instead of your local hard drive.

So Google saves your work — and backs up your work — to give you extra protection should you spill coffee all over your laptop and wreck your hard drive.

Our winner: Google is the automatic save hero you never thought your docs needed.

Comparing document compatibility and file formats

You can use Google Docs to open and edit Microsoft Word documents. You can even download your Google doc as a Word document so it has a standard Word extension (.docx).

Mac Office Vs Windows Office

But that's not the only file format Google Docs will let you export.

You can download your docs with the following extensions: ODT, PDF, RTF, HTML, TXT, EPUB.

However, you can only download your Word Online documents as PDF, ODT, or DOCX files.

And if you want to open a Google doc in Word, you'll need to convert it first.

One area Word has Docs beat is PDFs.

You can open PDFs in Word on your desktop, edit them, and then save them as PDFs again; you can't do this in Google Docs.

Our winner: Google gives you more file format compatibility. But Word may be your go-to if you require PDF editing.

Collaborate remotely using real-time editing and doc sharing

We live in an ever-connected world, which means many of us have to collaborate with teams and coworkers remotely.

Both word processors will let you track the changes made by editors you shared your document with.

Adobe cs5 windows 8. While you can download your Word doc and email it to others for collaboration, you can invite collaborators directly from your Google doc or send them a link to access your document.

When you're in Google's 'Suggesting' mode, all the edits made are merely suggestions which accompany the highlighted text as comments in the sidebar.

You can choose to accept these changes (and they'll happen in the doc) or ignore them without harming your original text.

If someone deletes part of your text during editing, Google will strikethrough the text in the document like this:

Edits made in Word will remove the original text from the document and place it in the sidebar along with the other comments:

You'll be able to read an edited version of your document without your original copy to distract you from the final product (unless you click into the sidebar).

Here's the best perk about Google Docs: real-time collaboration.

When your recipients click the link to your document, you'll be able to view their name (or anonymous Google-assigned animal avatar) and their unique identifying color in-doc live.

Watch your collaborators mark up your doc or open up the Google Docs messenger feature and chat with each other — right in your document — about the changes you want to make together live.

Google will track the changes — along with who was responsible for them and the time they made them — so contributions are always recognized.

You could literally have an entire department working on the same doc together in real-time wherever in the world they happen to be working from.

While you can email your documents to your collaborators with Word, you can't actually work together on it at the same time like you can with Docs.

You can only do this in Word with the Microsoft 365 online Word app, which isn't a full version of the program anyway.

Plus, you'll need an account or subscription for Word online and your teammates might not have one.

Here's an interesting study to note:

When Creative Strategies surveyed over 350 college students across the country, they discovered:

• 12% use Google Docs to write papers alone; 80% use Microsoft Word instead
• 78% use Google Docs to write papers in a group collaboratively; just 13% use Word for group work

So you may want to follow in the footsteps of today's millennials and use Word for your personal work and Docs for your teamwork.

Our winner: Google Docs shines in collaboration mode with its universal access and real-time editing features.

Is there a better mobile candidate?

Google Docs started and lives online so you'll always have access to its full features when you're signed in on the browser version. Though the mobile apps have fewer features, you can still write and edit docs on-the-go without any hiccups.

Since the mobile-based Word app isn't Microsoft's core business, it's not as robust or comprehensive as their standalone program or what Google offers their mobile users.

While you can insert charts, drawings, and even spreadsheets with the online version of Docs, you don't have these abilities with Word Online.

Mobile users will have their documents saved to OneDrive, Microsoft's version of Google Drive, so working remotely is just as secure as when they're in the office.

Or Google's servers go down right before your huge AM presentation?

Though you can work in Google's offline mode (after following a series of steps), you can't normally access the platform when Google's servers are in chaos or when you lack Internet.

Google lets you check for outages using their G Suite Status Dashboard tool.

At the time of this screenshot, all the Google apps were running without problems:

But when there's a service outage or reported service disruption, you'll see a bar like in this example:

The most commonly reported problems with Google Drive, according to Down Detector, include: Best gambling website.

• Not being able to access files online (53%)
• Apps (like Docs and Sheets) not loading (36%)
• File syncing (10%)

This could cause major stress if you're unprepared.

You'll need to download or email physical copies of your documents for times you won't be connected to the internet.

Microsoft may have the upper hand here since you can get your work done in the offline desktop version of Word.

Plus, your Word documents will be saved locally on your computer or device instead of in the cloud so you're always in control of them.

Our winner: MS Word removes the 'what if' factor of relying on Google's servers and lets you work without an internet connection.

Similar layouts and interface: Google wins on user-friendliness, but Word has tons of features

Seasoned Word vets know there are SO many options and features built into Word that it can be exhausting navigating all the ribbons and toolbars just to find the one button you need.

After all, you'll probably click on ribbons like References, Mailings, and Acrobat, which will replace your toolbar with even more buttons, maybe twice in your whole life.

Google Docs solves that problem by drastically simplifying the layout and toolbar situation to create a more user-friendly, easily manageable workspace.

Just check out the differences to see what we mean.

Here's what Microsoft Word's ribbon looks like in both Windows and OS X versions:

Now check out the Google Docs toolbar:

Pretty big difference, right?

Google places all your most frequently used buttons right in your easy-access toolbar. Everything else, like inserting images or tables, can be found in one of the dropdowns.

With Word, any time you change one of the ribbons, like if you clicked on Layout, all the buttons in your toolbar change as well.

Though Word does let you customize your toolbar so all your most-used buttons are in reach, narrowing down these options can be overwhelming for a novice or casual users.

The less time you have to spend hunting for the exact tool you want, the quicker your work will be accomplished.

Our winner: An easy-to-use interface doesn't mean much if the tools you need aren't available. Choose Google if you need light word processing features; stick to Word if you're on a more advanced features level.

Google saves the day when it comes to saving your files

Ever forget to hit the save button on your Word doc before you lose power or accidentally close out of the program?

Though you've crossed your fingers and recovered several Word documents in your lifetime, wouldn't it be great if you never had to replay this terrible nightmare again?

Google Docs not only automatically saves your work every few minutes or so, it also continually saves as you're working.

This means you can log in on your desktop and see the changes made live from your smartphone at the same time.

Plus, Docs backs up your saved files to Google Drive instead of your local hard drive.

So Google saves your work — and backs up your work — to give you extra protection should you spill coffee all over your laptop and wreck your hard drive.

Our winner: Google is the automatic save hero you never thought your docs needed.

Comparing document compatibility and file formats

You can use Google Docs to open and edit Microsoft Word documents. You can even download your Google doc as a Word document so it has a standard Word extension (.docx).

Mac Office Vs Windows Office

But that's not the only file format Google Docs will let you export.

You can download your docs with the following extensions: ODT, PDF, RTF, HTML, TXT, EPUB.

However, you can only download your Word Online documents as PDF, ODT, or DOCX files.

And if you want to open a Google doc in Word, you'll need to convert it first.

One area Word has Docs beat is PDFs.

You can open PDFs in Word on your desktop, edit them, and then save them as PDFs again; you can't do this in Google Docs.

Our winner: Google gives you more file format compatibility. But Word may be your go-to if you require PDF editing.

Collaborate remotely using real-time editing and doc sharing

We live in an ever-connected world, which means many of us have to collaborate with teams and coworkers remotely.

Both word processors will let you track the changes made by editors you shared your document with.

Adobe cs5 windows 8. While you can download your Word doc and email it to others for collaboration, you can invite collaborators directly from your Google doc or send them a link to access your document.

When you're in Google's 'Suggesting' mode, all the edits made are merely suggestions which accompany the highlighted text as comments in the sidebar.

You can choose to accept these changes (and they'll happen in the doc) or ignore them without harming your original text.

If someone deletes part of your text during editing, Google will strikethrough the text in the document like this:

Edits made in Word will remove the original text from the document and place it in the sidebar along with the other comments:

You'll be able to read an edited version of your document without your original copy to distract you from the final product (unless you click into the sidebar).

Here's the best perk about Google Docs: real-time collaboration.

When your recipients click the link to your document, you'll be able to view their name (or anonymous Google-assigned animal avatar) and their unique identifying color in-doc live.

Watch your collaborators mark up your doc or open up the Google Docs messenger feature and chat with each other — right in your document — about the changes you want to make together live.

Google will track the changes — along with who was responsible for them and the time they made them — so contributions are always recognized.

You could literally have an entire department working on the same doc together in real-time wherever in the world they happen to be working from.

While you can email your documents to your collaborators with Word, you can't actually work together on it at the same time like you can with Docs.

You can only do this in Word with the Microsoft 365 online Word app, which isn't a full version of the program anyway.

Plus, you'll need an account or subscription for Word online and your teammates might not have one.

Here's an interesting study to note:

When Creative Strategies surveyed over 350 college students across the country, they discovered:

• 12% use Google Docs to write papers alone; 80% use Microsoft Word instead
• 78% use Google Docs to write papers in a group collaboratively; just 13% use Word for group work

So you may want to follow in the footsteps of today's millennials and use Word for your personal work and Docs for your teamwork.

Our winner: Google Docs shines in collaboration mode with its universal access and real-time editing features.

Is there a better mobile candidate?

Google Docs started and lives online so you'll always have access to its full features when you're signed in on the browser version. Though the mobile apps have fewer features, you can still write and edit docs on-the-go without any hiccups.

Since the mobile-based Word app isn't Microsoft's core business, it's not as robust or comprehensive as their standalone program or what Google offers their mobile users.

While you can insert charts, drawings, and even spreadsheets with the online version of Docs, you don't have these abilities with Word Online.

Mobile users will have their documents saved to OneDrive, Microsoft's version of Google Drive, so working remotely is just as secure as when they're in the office.

Our winner: Google Docs was made for the web and mobile working; MS Word is stronger offline.

Google has more third-party app integrations

Visit the Google Apps Marketplace for add-ons from third parties that fit your and your business' needs.

Missing something from Word?

Office 365 Windows Vs Mac

Check the marketplace and see if you can not only replace it, but find a better version.

Is Microsoft Word And Office The Same Thing

From label merge tools to automatic contact plugins, these apps can be seamlessly integrated with Docs for a fully customizable program.

The most popular add-ons for Google Docs include those that replicate Microsoft Word features, such as:

• Extensis Fonts which adds thousands of free fonts to Docs
• Template Gallery an add-on that gives you additional templates for Docs and Sheets
• Styles apply styles to jazz up Docs to give them a more sophisticated look
• Insert icons for Docs imports icons to help you illustrate your Docs

Microsoft has their own Office Store with integrated third-party apps, but it's not as stocked with choices.

Additionally, Google Docs works with the other programs in the G Suite. So you can create or access files from your Google programs right from the File menu in Doc:

Each document or app will open in a separate tab within the browser you're already working in so you don't have to wait for all those separate programs to load on your computer like you would with Microsoft.

Our winner: MS Word doesn't need as many add-ons because it's bursting with features, but Google's basic skeleton allows for total customization with add-ons you specifically choose.

So are you a loyal Windows fan or a new Google devotee?

Microsoft Word has been the only name worth mentioning in the world of word processors for the last 30 years, but now Google aims to knock the crown off its head.

With its easy-to-use features cleverly designed for the growing cloud-based workforce, many people find Docs easier to use on a daily basis than Word.

Others in the business realm who rely on Microsoft's constantly evolving features will be let down by Google's basic approach and slim tools offering.

So after assessing the specifics of both companies, you'll need to decide what's right for you.

Wps Office Vs Ms Office

If you have a Gmail account and take your Chromebook coffee shop hopping to work remotely with your team, Google Docs may be the best choice for your limited hard drive space and high collaboration needs.

But if your business does everything using Microsoft and you have an Outlook email, you may not want to rock the boat by switching from Word.

We think you should give each program a test run for a week to try them out yourself.

You'll learn which features you can't live without (and which you could use less of), work out the kinks and quirks between them, and have a solid answer based on your own real-world use.

If you need help getting started with Microsoft Word or Google Docs, we can point you in the right direction. Take a Word online course to learn the basics or refresh your knowledge, then master the advanced features and become a bona fide pro.

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