Getting MS Word Online

Every student at Ashland can get access to MS Word online—without paying anything!

Why you should use MS Word Online

MS Word now saves automatically and saves to a special online location, so it's more difficult to totally lose your paper.
The program is online, so you can use it with Apple, Windows, or Chromebook.
The spelling and grammar checker are much better than what you get with Google Docs.
If you bought MS Word outside the USA, you don't have a spelling and grammar checker that understands USA English.
If you bought MS Word in Asia, the English language typefaces do not work very well.
Normal USA paper size is 8½ x 11, which isn't quite the same as the A4 size used in the rest of the world (8.27 in x 11.69 in) so things print out strangely here if you are using a version from another country.

First, click this link to Microsoft. (Note: You can also go to the Ashland IT page and scroll down to Free and Discounted Software Available for Students, Faculty and Staff and click the link to Office.com.)
Fill in your school email address, then click Get Started .
Click I'm a student
Sign in with your Ashland password (same one you use for your email)
Click Start

The next time around, if you stick to the same computer, you won't have to go through all this because the system will remember you. Just go to www.office.com and you are in. (If you change computers, click the link in Item #1 above, so you don't run into the part where they are trying to sell you something. You will have to go through the sign-in process again.)
Now that you have figured out how to get in, this paper handout will walk you through the process of starting a file and printing it out.

The views and opinions expressed in this page are strictly those of the page author.

The contents of this page have not been reviewed or approved by Ashland University.

Revised 8/20/22 • Page author: Curtis Allen • e-mail: callen@ashland.edu.