4 Disadvantages of Using Microsoft Word Instead of Google Docs

If you ask someone what the best word processor is, the answer will probably be Microsoft Word. You can create and edit documents, perform advanced formatting, create complex forms and diagrams, check the spelling of your text, and even track your changes. If you use Word for Microsoft 365, in particular, you also have access to cloud features and Copilot, an AI assistant built into Windows 11 and various Microsoft 365 apps. Word also has many plugins available exclusively for it, extending its functionality. It has a long history and a large community that has supported it for decades. Then there’s Google Docs, a worthy competitor.

To be clear, it’s not a question of which one is better between the two. If we pit them against each other, feature by feature, Word will definitely be the winner. This doesn’t automatically mean that Word is better than Google Docs in all scenarios. Sometimes people want a word processor that is easier to use, doesn’t block the offline desktop experience, is natively cloud-based, and doesn’t cause compatibility issues.

When considering criteria like this, this is when MS Word starts to show some cracks compared to its competitor. Google Docs, along with Google Sheets and Slides, is one reason Microsoft 365 isn’t necessary for the average user who doesn’t need an advanced suite of productivity tools. It allows for simple document creation and editing, as well as online collaboration and sharing.

Compared to Google Docs, Microsoft Word is considered a more mature and robust application. It has been around since 1983, with Google Docs appearing in 2006. Microsoft has had more time to experiment and integrate Word with many features, ranging from basic to advanced. And to make all these features easier to find, it introduced the Ribbon interface in 2007, a horizontal bar that groups various buttons, icons, and related menu items into sections. You switch between ribbons using the tabs at the top. There is a learning curve, with beginners, in particular, finding it overwhelming and unintuitive.

Google Docs offers a much simpler interface. There is a menu at the top that intuitively guides users to all the features they need. For example, if you want the formatting options to bold, italicize, and underline your text, it makes more sense to click Format > Text. In Word, you’ll find these options under the “Home” tab, which isn’t an obvious name for a tab housing formatting options. Google Docs also has a toolbar below the top menu, with commonly used commands for formatting text. Overall, it’s much easier to navigate Google Docs.

The ability to work completely offline is one of Word’s most important features. However, it’s locked behind a paywall on the desktop app. You either need to purchase a Microsoft 365 subscription, starting at $9.99 per month, or pay a one-time fee of $179 for the Office 2024 suite. Either option isn’t cheap, especially when you consider the subscription’s running costs. Additionally, Office 2024 is completely offline, with no cloud features or Copilot.

This is the classic experience for people who prefer to work alone or who never want to worry about what happens if a cloud service goes down. The Microsoft Word mobile app is the only one you can use offline for free (with limited functionality), because Microsoft Word for the web is online only. Google Docs is completely free for personal use and users can use it offline. It’s not as seamless as Word, but the good news is that it’s a unique setup that can come in handy when you don’t have an Internet connection.

You will need to download the Google Docs Offline Chrome extension for Chrome and Microsoft Edge. Then you will be able to create, edit and view documents offline. When you log back in, offline files will sync to Google Drive. Additionally, you need to make the files you created online available offline so you can view and edit them without an Internet connection.

The desktop version of Microsoft Word is primarily known as an offline application, while Google Docs is a cloud-focused web application. However, Word has some cloud features: you just need to enable them. Features now available include automatic backup, real-time collaboration, and syncing across devices. The problem is that you must first upload the document to OneDrive or SharePoint before this can happen. This must be done for each file, which can add a bit of friction to the process if you want to take advantage of cloud features from the start.

With Google Docs, the document is automatically synced to the cloud if you created it online. Because of the extra step with Word, you might think it’s a good idea to just start working on the document and upload it to OneDrive later, but in the brief window where it’s not uploaded, the risk of losing your work is greater than when using Google Docs. Since version history is disabled when not uploaded to OneDrive or SharePoint, you have to rely on the app’s finicky document recovery feature, which may not always restore the last version you were working on.

Let’s say you create a document in Word for Microsoft 365 and send the document to someone using Word for Office 2021. You can’t expect all the formatting you’ve done to appear the same on the version they’re using. Fonts can be a major problem, especially if you’re using less common fonts that aren’t available on the other person’s machine. This can make collaboration frustrating (if transferring files between you instead of a real-time collaboration link isn’t already tedious). This means that you will have to follow certain constraints to ensure that the file can be opened in older versions of Microsoft Word.

If the file is for viewing only, exporting and sending it as a PDF will retain all formatting. Google Docs, on the other hand, works the same for everyone. Everyone always uses the same version, and it’s always up to date. It doesn’t matter which platform they use, since Google Docs is a web application. This means everything will be the same on Windows, Mac, Linux and even Chromebooks. However, when Google Doc files are downloaded in DOCX format and opened in Word, users may encounter compatibility issues, especially with formatting involving tables, headers, footers, and images.