Microsoft Office is so ubiquitous, its bundled apps including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are synonymous with documents, spreadsheets, and presentations-they're the standard business apps across most industries. That's how Office has been sold for years, starting with the first version of Excel for Macintosh in 1986.

Typically, you'd buy a copy of Office for a few hundred dollars and install it on your computer. Microsoft Excel Online-along with the rest of Microsoft's Office Online apps-are a new take on the traditional Office suite you've used for years. Microsoft Office Online gives you free, collaborative versions of Word, Excel, and more in the cloud

Share and Collaborate in Microsoft Excel OnlineĮxtend Microsoft Excel with Add-ins and Integrations In this guide, we'll walk you through everything you need to get your spreadsheets in the cloud, so you can gather data and collaborate-and still use Excel on your desktop. If you've used Excel for years, switching to a web app may sound scary.

Most importantly, though, Excel Online now lets you connect your spreadsheet with other web apps to gather data and start automated workflows-and since it syncs with traditional Microsoft Excel, you can use the Online version to add automations to any spreadsheet. Similar to Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel Online lets you collaborate with others in real-time, gather answers in an online survey, and crunch numbers with Excel functions. Microsoft Excel Online is a free, online version of Excel that includes the functions, chart tools, and more that you'd expect from a spreadsheet. That latter version is perhaps the most interesting.

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