How to Use Microsoft Word on an iPad for Free

Word is free to download and to read documents on any iPad, but free editing depends on screen size. Microsoft says basic editing is free on iOS devices with screens of 10.1 inches or less. On a larger iPad, try Word for the web in Safari with a free Microsoft account. Editing depends on browser support. A qualifying Microsoft 365 plan enables editing in the app.

You have an iPad and a document to edit, and you want to know whether Word is truly free on it or if you need a Microsoft 365 subscription.

What Free Covers on an iPad

Microsoft’s Microsoft 365 system requirements page puts the rule in one line: “Basic editing is available for free on iOS devices with screen sizes of 10.1 inches or less.” Its page on what you can do in the mobile apps adds that “all non-qualifying plans have a screen size limit of 10.1 inches,” and gives the example that an iPad Pro with a 12.9 inch screen needs a qualifying Microsoft 365 plan that includes the desktop apps.

A few terms used below:

• Microsoft account: the free sign-in you get with an Outlook.com address or any email registered with Microsoft. It costs nothing and isn’t a subscription.
• Qualifying plan: a paid Microsoft 365 plan that adds full editing in the mobile apps. Microsoft calls everything else, including a free account, a non-qualifying plan.
• Basic editing: creating documents, typing, and everyday formatting. Microsoft describes premium features separately and shows a purchase message when you reach one.
• Word for the web: the browser version of Word, which Microsoft offers free with a Microsoft account.

Here is what that means in practice:

Your situation	Free option
Screen 10.1 inches or less, personal account	Word app: view, create and do basic editing
Screen larger than 10.1 inches	Word app for viewing only; Word for the web in Safari for editing
Any iPad, file from a work or school account	Depends on your organization’s license (see below)
You need a premium feature in the app	Word for the web may have it; otherwise a qualifying plan

Viewing is free everywhere. Microsoft states that all Microsoft 365 plans let you view documents in the Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote apps for iOS, so you can always open and read a file you were sent.

Find Your iPad’s Screen Size

The whole question turns on the diagonal screen size Apple lists for your model, not the size of the case. If you aren’t sure which iPad you have, open Settings > General > About and look at the model name, then look it up on Apple’s tech specs, or follow measuring an iPad screen size to find the official figure.

Compare Apple’s figure with Microsoft’s 10.1 inch line. Microsoft’s wording is “10.1 inches or less,” so anything above that falls outside free editing. If your result is close to the line, the Word app itself settles it: open a document and try to edit, and the app either lets you or shows a subscription prompt.

Set Up the Word App on a Smaller iPad

1. Open the App Store and search for Microsoft Word. Check that the developer is Microsoft Corporation, then tap Get. The download is free.

2. Open Word and sign in with your Microsoft account, or create one when prompted. Signing in is what links the app to your OneDrive storage.
3. If the app shows a subscription or trial offer, you can usually close it. A trial isn’t required for basic editing on a qualifying screen size.
4. Tap a blank document or a template, or open an existing file from OneDrive or the iPad’s Files locations.
5. Type a test sentence and apply some bold text. If both work without a prompt, free editing is active on your iPad.

Make that first test on a new blank document rather than an important original, so nothing is lost if the app turns out to be in view-only mode.

Microsoft’s own pages also point iPad and iPhone users to the Microsoft 365 Copilot app. The App Store still lists Word as its own app, and the screen size rule above is written for Microsoft’s mobile apps generally, so it applies whichever one you install.

Save and Name Files in the App

Word on iPad has no Save As. Microsoft explains that the apps save automatically as you work and that Save As was replaced by Save a Copy.

1. For a new document, tap File > Name, choose a location such as OneDrive on the left, type a file name and tap Save.

2. To keep the original and save your edits as a separate file, tap File > Save a Copy, choose a location and enter a new name.

Saving to OneDrive means the same file opens in Word for the web and Word on a computer later, which helps if you switch devices partway through a project.

Try Word for the Web in Safari

If your iPad is larger than 10.1 inches, Word for the web is a free option when editing is available in your browser. Microsoft’s free Microsoft 365 for the web page offers Word, Excel and PowerPoint in a browser at no cost, with 5 GB of OneDrive storage, and says you can write and collaborate in Word for the web from any device.

1. Open Safari and go to Microsoft’s free Microsoft 365 for the web page (linked above).
2. Tap Sign in and use your free Microsoft account.
3. Choose Word, then start a blank document or open a file. To edit a document from the iPad, upload it to OneDrive first, because Microsoft notes that files must be saved in and shared from OneDrive.
4. If Word offers Editing, select it and make your changes. Changes are normally saved to OneDrive as you work.

Expect a few differences from the app. The browser version may show a compact ribbon at first, and you can switch to the full one as described in showing the full ribbon in Word Online. Keyboard shortcuts on an attached keyboard may be caught by Safari instead of Word. When the document is finished, you can save it as a PDF from Word Online to send or print.

Word for the web is also the better choice on a small iPad when you want to work on the same document on a borrowed computer later, since everything already lives in OneDrive.

What Stays Locked Without a Subscription

Microsoft’s page on what you can do in the Microsoft 365 mobile apps splits features into two groups. With a non-qualifying plan, which includes a free account, you can create and view files and do basic editing for non-business accounts and files. Advanced editing and extra app features need a qualifying plan, and when you tap one of those features without a subscription, Word shows a message asking you to buy one.

Two details are easy to miss. First, the free basic editing is for personal accounts and files, so a document stored in a work or school account follows that organization’s licensing instead. Second, Microsoft notes that some qualifying plans allow editing in the Microsoft Copilot mobile app on screens up to 10.9 inches, so not every paid plan covers every iPad size. If you’re shopping for a plan, check that it covers your iPad’s size before you buy.

School and Work Accounts

Many schools and employers provide Microsoft 365 to students and staff. If yours does, sign in to the Word app with that work or school account and the license may cover editing on any iPad size. Check with your IT department first, since organizations can limit which devices and apps their accounts work on, and keep personal files out of an account you’ll lose when you leave.

Fixing Common Problems

• The app opens files read-only or asks you to subscribe. Your screen is larger than 10.1 inches, you’re in a business file, or you tapped a premium feature. Switch to Word for the web for that document.
• You pay for Microsoft 365 but see “No subscription found.” Microsoft’s fix is to open the iPad’s Settings app, select Word, turn on Delete Login Credentials under Reset, close Word, then reopen it and sign in with the account that holds the subscription.
• Word for the web won’t save. The free account includes 5 GB of OneDrive storage. Check how much space is left and clear out old files if it’s full.
• Safari keeps sending you to the App Store. Go back to the site and sign in again; requesting the desktop website in Safari’s page settings may also help.
• The ribbon only shows a few commands. That’s the simplified ribbon in Word for the web; switch to the classic ribbon.

Word on iPad Questions

Start by checking your iPad’s screen size, then install Word if it’s 10.1 inches or less, or bookmark Word for the web in Safari if it’s larger. Either way, a free Microsoft account and OneDrive are all you need to begin.