Free resources for learning Office for Mac

Our Microsoft Office tutorials are some of the most popular courses we offer. These tutorials, however, are designed for those using Office on computers with Microsoft Windows, so perhaps it’s no surprise that we frequently hear from learners who want to know why we don’t offer tutorials on Office for Mac. While Office for Mac shares a lot of functionality with the Windows version, its interface and design are different enough that we would need to create entirely new courses.

With our small staff, it would be a real challenge to produce the same kind of detailed tutorials for the Mac-friendly Office we provide for the Windows version. We may consider adding some type of Office for Mac tutorial in the future, but for now we’d like to share a number of excellent—and mostly free!—resources that can help you learn how to use Office for Mac.

Free Office for Mac tutorials

If you’re using Office for Mac 2011, the Office for Mac team has provided great series of tutorials and how-to guides to help you get started and even learn advanced skills:

• If you’re just getting started, check out the Office for Mac How-To page, which provides an overview of each Office for Mac product.
• The Office for Mac Training page gives you access to step-by-step lessons, interactives and videos to help you learn how to use Office for Mac at your own pace.
• If you’re looking for even more, the Office for Mac Blog and YouTube channel provide the latest news and step-by-step videos to guide you through.

Check out this video from the Office for Mac team on the Word 2011 Interface:

Of course, you can also find help on the Microsoft Office for Mac Support page from the Office community and support team. If you need additional support, you might consider purchasing a subscription to Lynda.com to take advantage of its thorough Office for Mac Tutorial. It’s not free, but it’s still a great resource if you need to learn the software quickly.

What if I use an older version of Office for Mac?

If you use Office for Mac 2008, you should be aware that Microsoft discontinued support for this version in late April 2013. While this doesn’t mean the programs will stop working, it does mean it will be more difficult to get help from Microsoft if something goes wrong.

If you’re thinking of upgrading to the latest version of Office for Mac, you may want to consider purchasing a subscription to Office 365 instead of buying the stand-alone Office for Mac 2011 suite. A subscription includes a copy of Office for Mac 2011 on up to five computers, and you’ll be able to upgrade to the latest version of Office for Mac when it becomes available (likely sometime in 2015).