TLDR: can I edit docx files on word without a subscription and if not what are some apps that can allow me to do so

Like the title says I need the ability to edit .docx for college (sadly other file formats aren’t accepted AFAIK) and my Microsoft 365 subscription is expiring and will not be renewed thanks to you lovely people getting me on the Proton family of software and obsidian for note taking.

However i created a .docx file today and and got a popup in word saying my Microsoft subscription is expiring soon (in march I believe) and that I would lose many feature.

This scary message wasn’t very helpful as to what features id lose (probably a lot of them I don’t even use) but the internet has not been helpful in telling me if I can still view and edit all my docx files that I have been collecting and creating over the years and have migrated to my proton drive

If I won’t be able to access docx files in word what are some apps that can open them from my proton drive (this is a hard requirement for me).

  • mozz@grits.dev
    62·
    10 months ago

    Libreoffice can help, or (as long as the formatting’s not too complex) you can upload them to Google Drive, edit them, and then redownload them exporting back to .docx.

    • FlihpFlorp@lemm.eeOPEnglish
      1·
      10 months ago

      As I said in another comment about Google drive “For obvious reasons I’d like to avoid Google as I’m still migrating away but good to know I can use that as an absolute final resort”

      As for Libre Office: define complex

      Some thing like my class syllabuses (syllabi?) have things like like different font sizes and some formatting that you would find in a detailed class syllabus

      As for my own documents it really tab in a few line to write numbered questions, go back a few line for answers, maybe a spash of holding and highlights and slap the enter key a few times in-between to make it easier to read for me

      • mozz@grits.dev
        31·
        10 months ago

        Yeah Libreoffice will probably work fine for you then. You can use that and be privacy-happy and still have Google Docs as a last resort if you need.

        • FlihpFlorp@lemm.eeOPEnglish
          1·
          10 months ago

          Yeah I think I’m going to go with libreoffice as it seems like a popular choice here and fits my use case

          Stupid question though

          As for opening the files do I have to open libreoffice then open the file within it or is there a way to set libreoffice as a default in windows and open from file explorer

          This really isn’t a make or break question I’mhust curious

          • pricklypearbear@lemmy.world
            1·
            10 months ago

            I don’t windows as much anymore, but I think if you right click the file and hit ‘Open with’, you can set a different program as default.