Those interested in the plugin and using standard versions of Office on a Microsoft computer can head to the new page for the plugin and download it. Then, visit Google Drive in your Chrome browser (make sure you’re on the new Google Drive).Finally, right-click on the file and select Open with to see a list of compatible applications on your computer that can open it.
#GOOGLE DRIVE PLUGIN FOR OFFICE 2016 FOR FREE#
While at one time, Google Docs was the go-to for free and easy-to-use document editing, Microsoft Office still has an aura of professionalism about it. To get started, install the latest version of the Drive app for Mac or PC (version 1.18) and sync your files. This is largely due to the fact that Microsoft has begun pushing free versions of its software, which are certainly able to handle editing basics. Still, it does seem like Google at least recognizes that we are in the season of Microsoft, and with a number of new releases from Microsoft on their way, a number of users will be moving back to using Office as their primary document-editing software rather than using Google's Web-based document-editing selection. While the company might not be able to lure some users away from Office toward Google Docs, it will still want to have people using Google Drive rather than Microsoft's OneDrive as a principle form of storage. Google is also making sure to not suggest that Office is better or more powerful than its own offerings, simply making the plugin available as an option for those more comfortable with the Microsoft Office suite of apps. Microsoft Office is able to work with a wide range of plugins, making this one definitely fair game. It also seems as though the plugin was solely developed by Google, without any input by Microsoft.
Mac users received some attention earlier this month when the new version of Office for Mac. Google Docs and Google Sheets pretty much speak for themselves and again are tools we use every single day. The plugin also only works on Windows-run computers for now. Again, available for Windows users only right now, the Google Drive plug-in is available to download now. The paid version of Google Drive gives you twice the storage of your free personal drive and Gmail, 24/7 support, sharing controls, and advanced reporting.
#GOOGLE DRIVE PLUGIN FOR OFFICE 2016 WINDOWS 10#
Ideally, the plugin will work by the time Microsoft launches Windows 10 and Office 2016 for consumers. For example, it doesn't seem to be working with the preview of Word 2016, Word Mobile or on any version of Word on Windows 10. It's important to note that the plugin doesn't appear to work with any versions of Office that are nonstandard.