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Q:We bought a new Lenovo laptop with Windows 10 but NO Word program. Is there a FREE similar Word program for download? ~ Dee Borries, Lakewood

Tech+ Microsoft has long charged for Word (and Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) as part of its Office software line. But sometimes new PCs come with the software as a bonus so you may not remember paying for it.

Today, the suite is called Office 365 and starts at $6.99 a month. Theres also a downloadable home/student version for a one-time charge of $149.99. Teachers and students can get Office 365 Education for free by signing up at dpo.st/studentoffice.

Afew years ago, Microsoft put Word and other tools in the cloud and began offering light-weight online versions for free as a response to Google Docs, which is also online and also free. Differences are noted on this official Office page, atdpo.st/officediff.

If youre not a heavy-duty Word user in need of super formats and you dont mind working in an internet browser, there are several software services similar to Word that are available online. Some links:

And now for the Tech+ newsletter update: Were still taking sign ups while my colleagues get the design and distribution ready. Sign up for the (future) weekly e-mail if you want to get this Q&A delivered to your inbox, plus anything else I think readers might find interesting: dpo.st/mailbag

See past Tech+ answers or ask your own tech question at dpo.st/mailbag. If youre e-mailing your question, please add Mailbag to the subject line.

More here:
Microsoft Office isn't free but there are free alternatives, including one from Microsoft - The Denver Post