Updated November 14, 2017 These free word processors can be a great alternative to Microsoft Word. Many have very similar characteristics to Word and since they're free, you'll be saving hundreds of dollars by using one of them. All of the free word processors below can create, edit, and print documents. Many of them can open and edit Word documents, automatically check your spelling, use a wide selection of, create tables and columns, and much more. My top picks for a free word processor are at the top of the list. These have the most features and I suggest checking these out first to see if they'll fit your word processing needs. You should find that most of them can handle just about everything that Microsoft Word can.
If you're looking for a free word processor that doesn't require a download, check out this list of for only word processors you can access from anywhere you have an internet connection. Note: All of these word processor programs are 100% freeware, which means that you won't ever have to purchase the program, uninstall it after so-many days, donate a small fee, purchase add-ons for basic functionality, etc. The word processor tools below free to download at no cost.•. ••• © Kingsoft Software Kingsoft Writer is a really easy to use, free word processor because of its tabbed interface, clean design, and uncluttered menu. Spell check is performed automatically as you would expect to be done in a good word processor. You can even easily toggle spell check on and off from the menu at the bottom.
Kingsoft Writer supports full-screen mode, dual page layout, and the option to hide the menus, which makes for a perfect distraction-free writing experience. You can also add custom dictionaries, read/write to popular file types, create a cover page and table of contents, use built-in templates, encrypt documents, and easily view all the pages of a document from a side pane. Note: Kingsoft Writer is part of the software, so you'll have to download the whole suite to get the Writer portion. Fortunately, though, you don't have to install the other components in order to install Writer. ••• © The Apache Software Foundation OpenOffice Writer has all the necessary features to make it on any list of good word processors. Plus, there's a portable option so you can use the program on the go with a flash drive. Automatic spell check is included, as well as support for a huge variety of popular file types, the ability to add notes to the side of any document, and easy-to-use wizards for creating documents such as letters, faxes, and agendas.
A side menu pane lets you quickly switch between editing page properties, styles, and formatting to adding images from the gallery. You can even undock these settings so that you can have more room for writing but still have simple access to important tools. Note: Similar to Kingsoft Writer, you must download the whole to your computer even if you're just installing Writer. With the portable option, you have to actually install the entire office suite even if you just want to use the Writer tool. ••• © Van Loo Software WordGraph includes most of the standard features you'd find in any word processor, but it also has some unique tools. In addition to adding things like graphics, charts, tables, and illustrations to a document, WordGraph can also produce PDFs, create a table of contents and index, and access files stored on like OneDrive and. Though a spell check utility is included, it doesn't work in live mode, which means you must manually run it for it to work.
Note: Unlike the two programs from above, you can download WordGraph on its own without having to download the software that it belongs to. ••• © pomarancha_ WriteMonkey is a portable word processor that's centered around providing an interface with the least number of distractions as possible so that you can focus on writing and nothing else. Every menu option in WriteMonkey is only shown if you right-click on the document. From there, you can do everything from format text to check the spelling and open the preferences. Although spell check is available, it's not automatic, which means you must open the utility manually to check for errors. ••• © Graeme Gott FocusWriter is similar to WriteMonkey in that it's portable and has a minimal interface. The program automatically hides the menus and any buttons from being viewed, and you can run it in full-screen mode so that you don't see any other program windows.
Basic formatting is allowed in FocusWriter, like bold, strikethrough, and aligning text. You can also edit the foreground and background text, page margins, color, and line spacing to produce custom themes. FocusWriter also includes an alarm and lets you set goals regarding your typing, like to type a particular number of words or to type for a certain number of minutes per day. A spell check ability is provided but it's not live, which means you can't see spelling mistakes as you type.