MS Office is one of the most widely used services by businesses and individuals for work. It includes software such as Words, PowerPoint, Excel, Access, Outlook, Publisher, One Note, and much more. So whether you want to store information about thousands of orders or it is about making reports or presentations for your upcoming monthly performance review, it is there to help you with that.
You can access the files from anywhere by using office 365, share your files, keep the records updates, and even store all the files in the cloud to make it easy for everyone to access them. You just need a reliable internet connection such as CenturyLink internet that is available even in rural areas.
Can I Use Excel and Other Office Apps Without Internet Connection?
Although Office 365 is great, one of the biggest concerns that many Excel and other office app users ask about is accessing these apps offline.
Even when the internet is essential for people to work remotely, there can be situations when it is not possible to connect to the internet. That makes it difficult for MS office users to use apps such as Excel or Word when they don’t have an internet connection. Especially for those who are traveling or are at a place where there is no internet, it becomes super frustrating for them.
The app functionality is reduced automatically when offline, allowing users to only view the files that are in their system. Even those users who have already downloaded Excel on their system can only view the files. That causes them to stop what they are doing and wait until they are connected to the internet to make any changes to the file.
If you are facing the same problem, the good news for you is that you can access Excel and other MS Office apps without having an internet connection. And here is how you can do that.
Accessing Excel and other MS Office apps without an Internet Connection
When users subscribe to MS Office, they usually download the required apps, connect them to the cloud, and work online. Though that is convenient, it becomes a problem when they have to work offline.
If you want to access Excel and other Office apps such as MS Word without an internet connection, you will need to first sign into those apps and activate them by using Office 365 subscription. Once you activate the apps, you can use them offline for the next 30 days.
To activate the Excel using Office 365, following are the steps you need to follow.
- Connect your laptop to the internet and open Word or Excel. In case if you have no laptop then you can choose a best laptop for excel.
- Click the “File” button in the top menu and head to the “Account” option in the new window.
- In the User Information section in the new window, enter your Office 365 login information and sign in to the account.
That will activate the Word, Excel, and other apps included in your subscriptions. However, keep in mind that you need to re-activate the apps after 30 days. As per Microsoft policy guidelines, if the apps are not activated again after 30 days and you try to access them offline, it will limit the functionality of those apps. In simple words, you won’t be able to make any changes to your files as most of the app functions will be locked.
Many customers object to this policy as well because it is problematic for them to remember to log in every 30 days. In case they forget, they can’t work despite having the apps installed on their laptops.
If you need to re-activate it after 30 days, connect your laptop to the internet and follow the same procedure. In case you face any problems, contact the Microsoft support team and let them know about the problem that you are facing.
Other Tips to Work Offline with Office 365
If you are working offline with Office 365, here are some additional tips that can make things easier for you. These include:
- Sync OneDrive Properly
One of the first things that you should do before going offline is to sync your OneDrive properly. OneDrive allows users to store all their files in one place, share those files with others for collaboration, and access them from anywhere.
If you are collaborating with others on some files, synchronizing OneDrive would update those files and allow you to have access to the latest version. Moreover, it will allow you to access the new files added by your colleagues and update the files you worked on previously when you were offline.
- Update Your Offline Office Editions
After synchronizing the OneDrive, the next thing you need to do is to update all the office editions and make sure you have access to the latest one.
To check for updates, head to the “Account” option under the “File” menu. You will find an update button under the product information. Click and wait for the updates to download and install automatically.
Once done, it will show you a message saying, “You’re up to date”. Close the app and benefit from the latest version while working the next time.
