Microsoft Office On Android: How To Install

For years, Microsoft wanted all of its users -- business or otherwise -- to remain within the company's ecosystem.

Times have changed and, with more choices available to all kinds of users, Microsoft is trying to change as well. In his first year, CEO Satya Nadella has made cloud computing and mobility key priorities as the company works toward releasing Windows 10.

These changes have made their way to Microsoft's signature software suite: Office. Specifically, Microsoft is now allowing users to load versions of Office to a number of mobile devices, including those from rival platforms -- Apple's iOS and Google's Android.

On the following pages, we'll explore how to get Microsoft Office up and running on an Android smartphone or tablet. Whether you're looking to use Office on your own Android device or trying to help your enterprise users access the new offerings on their mobile devices, our step-by-step guide should help.

Microsoft Office Mobile for Android apps include Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. These give users access to Microsoft's three most popular productivity applications.

Microsoft offers two plans for access to Microsoft Office apps: Users can use the app with Microsoft's free account for home or personal use, or they can use an Office 365 subscription for business use. Either way, users gain abilities including:

We hope you find this guide useful. Let us know in the comments section below what you hope to gain with Office on your Android device, as well as any useful tips that we missed.

Microsoft Office Mobile offers Dropbox and OneDrive integration. Users can access Dropbox and OneDrive files from Office apps and save new files to Dropbox or OneDrive, and sync docs while working in Office apps. Connecting personal OneDrive and OneDrive for Business accounts, as well as SharePoint locations, is all part of the integration.

Office apps also allow sharing of Dropbox links directly from Office. After making changes to a document, instantly share it by sending a Dropbox link to colleagues or friends.

After installing Microsoft Office Mobile on your Android device and connecting your Dropbox or OneDrive accounts with the app, you are ready to create, edit, save, and share Office documents on the go.

Microsoft Office Mobile allows users to create new Office documents, including Microsoft Word documents and Microsoft Excel workbooks, from an Android device. Office Mobile also provides some templates for Word (like agenda, outline, and report) and Excel (like budget, event schedule, and mileage tracker), but it does not allow you to create a new PowerPoint presentation from an Android phone or tablet.

Microsoft Office for Android smartphones and tablets opens up different ways for IT departments, end-users, and home office workers to be more productive. Users who need only to make a few edits here and there should be OK with the free version. However, for those who are looking for a more comprehensive Microsoft Office experience, it's a better bet to buy a subscription. Although the mobile experience cannot completely match the desktop version, Microsoft Office on Android offers a good way to bring traditional productivity to the the mobile realm.