Introduction
When people set out to look for freeware, they are often looking for free alternatives to Microsoft products – free office suites, free alternatives to built-in programs like Paint, Notepad, Internet Explorer, Windows Explorer... even free alternatives to Windows itself. However, Microsoft does provide a collection of free software that is definitely worth checking out. This article is designed to provide an overview of the best free Microsoft programs, some of which are featured in other articles on this website.
Using free Microsoft software does have some advantages. A big company like Microsoft has the resources to produce a multitude of help resources for users, from support and Technet pages to video overviews and tutorials. Some of the programs can conveniently be updated as part of Windows Update. Perhaps the best advantage is knowing that you're installing a program that is safe and not bundled with anything extra.
There are several guidelines for this list. An unavoidable fact is that some alternatives will be better than programs listed here, but the programs listed here are still good and useful. However, if a Microsoft program is markedly inferior to other free alternatives, it is not included. If a program has a loose affiliation with Microsoft but is not actually a Microsoft product (e.g. Paint.NET), it won't be listed here.
At this time, I am not including free Windows Store apps for Windows 8/8.1 from Microsoft. These are covered in another category, Best Free Windows Store Apps.
indicates a 64-bit version is available.
Best Free Microsoft Downloads – Quick Select Index
After clicking a link, use your browser's Back icon to return here.
Items added or updated most recently: Windows 8 End User Training Brochure | QuickStartGuides Office 2013 | Virtual CD-ROM Control Panel | Internet Explorer 11 for Windows 7 | Microsoft Malware Prevention | .NET Framework Repair Tool | WorldWide Telescope | Bing Desktop | SkyDrive | Flight Simulator | Kodu Game Lab | Cliplets | SyncToy | Fix it Center | Windows System State Analyzer & Monitor | pptPlex | Templates and Clip Art | Expression Encoder 4 with SP2 (updated from SP1) | IE9 Customized for CEOP
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I am aware that these are not downloads, but they are included here because they are definitely worth noting. |
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Editor
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This software category is maintained by volunteer editor Vic Laurie. Registered members can contact the editor with any comments or questions they might have by clicking here. |
Tags
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Comments
Some of the links in this article are outdated, including the 2 that I just tried (Photo Gallery and Movie Maker). I found the current "Download Windows Essentials" page, but your spam filter blocked me from posting it.
Greetings,
Microsoft have updated their EMET to version 5.2 -- http://blogs.technet.com/b/srd/archive/2015/03/12/emet-5-2-is-available.... . Additional information can be found at gHacks -- http://www.ghacks.net/2015/03/13/microsoft-emet-5-2-with-control-flow-gu... .
Regards,
AJN
Windows Search 4.0 supported on Windows 7? Is that the case? I seem to recall getting an error when I attempted to install on a Windows 7 machine.
I am confused. My laptop came with Windows 8 installed. Also installed is Windows "Defender". It says: "Windows Defender is installed as part of Windows and helps protect your PC from viruses, spyware, and other threats."
So is this adequate malware and virus protection? I do visit risky sites for downloads sometimes.
Vic,
I think you can remove Windows Live Messenger from the list.
From the linked web site:
Messenger has moved to Skype
Messenger was retired in April 2013 and is no longer available or supported on most Mac and Windows operating systems.
Great article, Vic, and wonderfully informative Comments. Thanks to all.