I just need microsoft word!

I need it for my MacBook air running high sierra. Yet in the App Store , its not immediately clear how to get this software. Happy to pay. Even happy to get a package like microsoft office. Can anyone help? TIA.

Welcome to our forums.

Microsoft Word is not sold separately. At one time it was, however, now it's only available as part of the Microsoft Office Suite. You can purchase Office 2016 from many on line resellers. Amazon, NewEgg, Office Depot, Staples, Best Buy, plus many others. Look for the best price. I've seen Office 2016 stand alone for as low as $99.00. Do some googling.

Here's a special sale for $79.00. LINK

You won't find Microsoft Office in the App Store. You have to get it through third-party vendors or Microsoft itself.

Guys - since this is our OP's first post, not sure that he or she is aware of the issues when using MS Office products on a Mac computer - if the suite is for Windows , as Charlie's link indicates, then the poster's MB Air would need to be partitioned and a version of Windows loaded along w/ the Office program - of course, another option would be a subscription to Office 365 - believe that the OP needs to provide some more information regarding understanding how to get the Office Suite to work on his Mac computer. Dave

P.S. I no longer need nor use MS products, so 'behind' the times - maybe there are newer options now available, don't know?

if the suite is for Windows , as Charlie's link indicates,

Click to expand...

That Link Charlie posted has its own link on that page their excellent special offer for Office 2016 for Mac version:
https://primesoftware.net/collections/limited-offers/products/9085


PS: I can't recall the last time I've actually had to open or use my old versions of MS Word, or any of my old MS Office suite apps. But I guess some need it for some reasons.




- Patrick
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Thanks Patrick. I should have pointed out that both the Windows and Mac versions of Office 2016 are advertised on the same page. I guess Dave just looked at the opening ad which shows the Windows version.

Now that it appears Apple has given everyone more time to go with all 64 Bit apps, I can continue to use my version of Office 2011 for another year or maybe a bit longer. I expect we will see some changes with Mojave but nothing major.

Now that it appears Apple has given everyone more time to go with all 64 Bit apps, I can continue to use my version of Office 2011 for another year or maybe a bit longer.

Click to expand...

I would think that you could get many more years use, unless you feel compelled or have some reason to keep right up-to-date with Apple's latest macOS versions.

32-bit apps won't quit working in a compatible OS just because Apple is going to drop all 32-bit support in a later macOS version.

PS: I sure haven't seen any great new features that I just have to have for the last few years but then again I don't need them or don't have the equipment to use them unlike some others who do.




- Patrick
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chscag said:

Thanks Patrick. I should have pointed out that both the Windows and Mac versions of Office 2016 are advertised on the same page. I guess Dave just looked at the opening ad which shows the Windows version.

Now that it appears Apple has given everyone more time to go with all 64 Bit apps, I can continue to use my version of Office 2011 for another year or maybe a bit longer. I expect we will see some changes with Mojave but nothing major.

Click to expand...

Thanks Charlie for the clarification - just took another look @ the link and saw the Mac version advertised - not knowing the answer myself (no experience), but just curious how the features of MS Office compare when running the macOS version vs. the one in a Windows partition? Dave

RadDave said:

Thanks Charlie for the clarification - just took another look @ the link and saw the Mac version advertised - not knowing the answer myself (no experience), but just curious how the features of MS Office compare when running the macOS version vs. the one in a Windows partition? Dave

Click to expand...

The Windows versions of MS Office have more features and are easily configurable. Mac Office 2011 and Windows Office 2010 are basically the same versions with the Windows version having the better enhanced features - especially when using Excel. The same can be said about Mac Office 2016 and Windows Office 2016 or the O365 versions. The Windows versions again are better featured and in my opinion, easier to use and configure.

Few folks don't know that the original first version of Microsoft Word was developed for the Mac. That was even before MS published a version for DOS. I also believe Excel was first developed for the Mac. Long ago back when the dinosaurs roamed the earth.

chscag said:

The Windows versions of MS Office have more features and are easily configurable. Mac Office 2011 and Windows Office 2010 are basically the same versions with the Windows version having the better enhanced features - especially when using Excel. The same can be said about Mac Office 2016 and Windows Office 2016 or the O365 versions. The Windows versions again are better featured and in my opinion, easier to use and configure.

Few folks don't know that the original first version of Microsoft Word was developed for the Mac. That was even before MS published a version for DOS. I also believe Excel was first developed for the Mac. Long ago back when the dinosaurs roamed the earth.

Click to expand...

Brings back some memories - we started w/ an Apple II+ in 1980 - first word editor was 'Peachy Writer' which was line editing but convinced my wife that our $3K investment at the time was worthwhile (she was doing some local writing) - then went to ScreenWriter, I believe which had 'word wrap-around, which astounded us!

Then my medical center went w/ PCs, so I was on DOS for a while, believe we used WordPerfect mainly - when Windows finally emerged, we switched to MS Office which I used for several decades until retirement - Dave

Few folks don't know that the original first version of Microsoft Word was developed for the Mac.

Click to expand...

And I dare say it was one one the main reasons for the Apple/Macs to become so popular for publishing type work and Apple's prospects and development may have been quite different without it.

so I was on DOS for a while, believe we used WordPerfect mainly

Click to expand...

My days with DOS at work consisted of a small B&W screen, or was it green & white, and three 1+" THICK manuals: DOS, Wordperfect and one other I can't remember.

Thanks to that was the reason I bought a Mac as I figured why buy a computer if I was going to have to do all the work. I figured the computer should do most of the work and just let me think of what to do with it. And it worked out very well thanks with our fist LC and a color monitor yet!!!

I ended up using ClasisWorks (pre AppleWorks) to do a report for work at home that was embarrassing to the main honchos for the caliber of the report, graphs and all, and they still wouldn't get to using Windows for a few more years.

I made the correct choice!!




- Patrick
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Clarisworks for the Mac was great, but it sure was a flop as a Windows version. Back then, the Apple programmers apparently knew very little about Windows programming whereas the MS programmers were very capable Mac programmers. Times sure have changed haven't they?

Thank you everyone for the info. Sadly the industry I work in expects certain docs in word. Many people still on PC's. SO I need to work in word to make sure the formatting/appearance is correct. The apple product "pages" makes changes to docs that once opened in word - adjusts the appearance of the documents. Will try the mac version of office and see if it is the answer I need.

If the documents that you need to share are not too heavily formatted give LibreOffice a try. I have used it before and used it again recently when my Word install started acting up. Basic formatting transfers OK and some not-so-basic formatting also transfers. I then took those files to a Windows box and opened them in Word with no issues.

177mph said:

Thank you everyone for the info. Sadly the industry I work in expects certain docs in word. Many people still on PC's. SO I need to work in word to make sure the formatting/appearance is correct. The apple product "pages" makes changes to docs that once opened in word - adjusts the appearance of the documents. Will try the mac version of office and see if it is the answer I need.

Click to expand...

I will admit that I've never been exposed to the necessity of perfect cross-platform formatting and appearance and really wonder why it's so critical if a line shifts a few pixels.

Not all business correspondence requires the exactness of some advertising brochure I'm sure, and why isn't the .pdf format used more.

And yes, even that has exceptions it seems with some mucking about with the text and layout. Like this recent episode, but I dare say that's not "normal" or is it:
Why the PDF Is Secretly the World's Most Important File Format
https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/...ecretly-the-worlds-most-important-file-format

Or maybe get back to using some basics:
10 Simple Design Rules to Make Word Documents Look Professional and Beautiful
https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/design-rules-word-documents/




- Patrick
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177mph said:

Thank you everyone for the info. Sadly the industry I work in expects certain docs in word. Many people still on PC's. SO I need to work in word to make sure the formatting/appearance is correct. The apple product "pages" makes changes to docs that once opened in word - adjusts the appearance of the documents. Will try the mac version of office and see if it is the answer I need.

Click to expand...

In your situation, it's best to stick with the latest versions of Word. Mac Office 2011 and Mac Office 2016/O365 are probably your best choices. Exchanging documents with PC users should not be a problem provided you stick with Mac Office Word.

Microsoft Office is still the de facto standard for business use, education, legal, and just about any other endeavor. As pointed out previously, you can purchase Mac Office 2016 discounted if you shop around.

177mph said:

Thank you everyone for the info. Sadly the industry I work in expects certain docs in word. Many people still on PC's. SO I need to work in word to make sure the formatting/appearance is correct. The apple product "pages" makes changes to docs that once opened in word - adjusts the appearance of the documents. Will try the mac version of office and see if it is the answer I need.

Click to expand...

The Macintosh version of Word produces documents that are identical in format to those in the Windows version. So using Word/Mac is the way to go if you want to make sure that you are 100% compatible with colleagues using Word/Win. The thing is, there are some tricks to making sure that everything renders perfectly across platforms.

First is that Word comes with a ton of fonts. USE ONLY THOSE FONTS! The biggest problem when exchanging documents is font metrics. If the person you are exchanging documents with has the same font, but from a different publisher (e.g. the version of Times that comes with the Mac vs. the version of Times that comes with Word), formatting will be effected.

Second, Word has a Compatibility Wizard. Use it as a last step before exchanging documents. It will instantly tell you if there is likely to be a problem.

Now....several people have recommended that you purchase Word or Office from Web sites that offer pricing that seems too good to be true. That's because those sites are selling black market goods. There is no question you can get a black market copy of Word/Office, and it will work, and save you a few bucks. However, Word/Office has copy protection, and it will be a problem moving it from one machine to another when you upgrade your Mac, and getting tech support directly from Microsoft will be a big problem too.

You can get the Home Edition of Office from Amazon for $129.50, and that is a legitimate copy:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0148BYIPY/?tag=macforums0e4-20
If you see Office going for less you should be very suspicious.

If you need to learn how to use Word like a pro, check out:
Word 2016 In Depth (includes Content Update Program)
https://www.amazon.com/Word-Depth-Content-Update-Program/dp/0789755661?tag=macforums0e4-20

If you prefer a video course check out:
Word 2016 for Mac Training ($20/month unlimited access)
http://www.customguide.com/microsoft-office-training/word-2016-mac-training
(A comprehensive course with 72 lessons available.)

For anyone interested in what word processors are available for the Macintosh, I've created an entire Web site devoted to the topic:
Macintosh Word Processors
http://www.macattorney.com/wp.html

For anyone interested in what word processors are available for the Macintosh, I've created an entire Web site devoted to the topic:
Macintosh Word Processors
http://www.macattorney.com/wp.html

Click to expand...

Thanks Randy, I wasn't aware of some of your other sites such as the one you suggested here. A nice summary and info.




- Patrick
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One last thing....Microsoft doesn't break out Word as a separate product from Office to sell.

https://products.office.com/en-US/mac/microsoft-office-for-mac

https://products.office.com/en-us/buy/compare-microsoft-office-products?tab=2

So, if you encounter a Web-based vendor selling Word separately, you can be more or less certain that it is a black market copy that isn't entitled to a warranty or support from Microsoft.

This was an interesting thread as I have just spent quite some time trying to convert a PDF document to Word for Mac 2011 (version 14.7.2), without paying for a license, since I don´t need to do this so often. When checking Office 365/Word 2016 I got the impression that this version could convert a pdf-file to a docx- file. Is this correct?
Having enjoyed the Word for Mac 2011 program for years, and needing only fairly simple editing, I am not tempted to invest in Office 365 yet. This thread seems to indicate that there should be no need to buy Office 365. Comments?
Any recommendation for a free pdf to Word 2011 converter?