# Question How to read an "Office" document if I don't have Office



## Jeffery (Oct 25, 2011)

My employer occasionally sends me an "Office 365" document by email. But I can not read them because I do not have any office program on my home computer. It looks like Office 365 is quite expensive to buy. Do you know of any cheap or free compatible program that would work?


----------



## crehberg (Mar 16, 2008)

Depends on what exactly it is. I've had good luck with both Google Docs and Open Office. Both struggle sometimes with the newer files until the "open source" gets everything worked out. 

I wish Microsoft still offered the viewer programs for free...but I think 07-08 they discontinued them and took them down a few years later. That was definitely the simplest solution.


----------



## Pschmidt (Dec 31, 2017)

I use Libre Office and have been able to do just about anything needed. This is while taking college classes, as well. It's free to download. They have their version of Word, Excel, etc. Been using them for years.


----------



## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

Unless your boss is using some latest proprietary feature of Microsoft Office, then LibreOffice, KingsoftWriter Free2013 (WPS), or as suggested Open Office, should work. You can also get some older versions Microsoft Office on Ebay along with their activation key for like $10.

https://www.libreoffice.org/
http://www.kingsoftstore.com/writer-free.html
https://www.openoffice.org/


----------



## Gary in ohio (May 11, 2002)

You can also get office 365 for $70 year. Also check with your company, often you can get it for $10 if your company has a corporate subscription. Also if you had kids in collage you can get it cheap.


If none work, then open office or tell you boss to send it as a pdf.


----------



## Shrek (May 1, 2002)

I use the free Libre Office also.


----------



## Jeffery (Oct 25, 2011)

OK, so I am trying to use OpenOffice, but as you can see in the attachment, it is cutting off the right edge of my documents. 
How do I fix that?



-


----------



## Bob M. (Nov 5, 2018)

depends. is it meant to be a portriat document or landscape? and are the margins the same? if margins are not, go into format>page and select the page tab and change the margins perhaps. None of us know the way it was originally setup, but that is a possible direction to look.


----------



## Jeffery (Oct 25, 2011)

Bob M. said:


> depends. is it meant to be a portriat document or landscape? and are the margins the same? if margins are not, go into format>page and select the page tab and change the margins perhaps. None of us know the way it was originally setup, but that is a possible direction to look.


*The "Page" option is grayed out and does not work.*


----------



## tiffanysgallery (Jan 17, 2015)

Jeffery said:


> *The "Page" option is grayed out and does not work.*


I realize you have directed your post @Bob M. , Jeffery. And, he may have a better answer than I. 

To me, the "Page" option being 'grayed out' tells me the document maybe a 'read-only' document. If you do a file "Save As" then that should make it your own, and then you should be able to change anything you'd like.


----------



## Bob M. (Nov 5, 2018)

ya sounds like a permission issue either with the file, or the program even. hats what I'd do also Tiff. at least to start. it also depends on what if anything else is greyed out/etc. but we cannot see on their pc to know that. Resaving as a separate document under your ownership would help in that situation though, and only take a sec to try.


----------



## Jeffery (Oct 25, 2011)

UPDATE... I found a "open in browser" option that makes it readable.


----------



## Bob M. (Nov 5, 2018)

and is it portrait or landscape?


----------



## tiffanysgallery (Jan 17, 2015)

Jeffery said:


> UPDATE... I found a "open in browser" option that makes it readable.


Glad you found a way to work with it.


----------

