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How to use Office on any PC with Office on Demand

One of the more intriguing new features of Microsoft Office 2013 is Office on Demand, which allows you to use Office from any PC.

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Microsoft Office 2013 (Credit: Microsoft)

Many of the new features of Microsoft Office 2013 are cloud-based. One of the more intriguing of those features is Office on Demand. Office on Demand allows subscribers of Office 365 to stream Office to any Internet-connected Windows 7 or Windows 8 PC.

If you're traveling without your own PC with Office on it, but can get to a guest machine, Office on Demand is a convenient way to access Office. You can even use it to edit your files stored on SkyDrive. And once you log out of the PC, the programs and documents are no longer accessible on it. Here's how to set up Office on Demand:

Step 1: Go to Office.com and log in with your Microsoft account.

Step 2: Once logged in, you'll see a list of Office programs under "Office on Demand." Click on one of the programs to begin setup.

Office on Demand from Office.com (Credit: Screenshot by Ed Rhee/CNET)

Step 3: Depending on the Web browser you're using, you'll either download a small add-on program, or be prompted to install a browser add-on. Make sure to allow the add-on to install.

Install Microsoft on Demand add-on (Credit: Screenshot by Ed Rhee/CNET)

Step 4: Once the add-on is installed, Office will begin trying to launch. If you're using the Chrome browser, you may see an external protocol request. If so, click on the "Launch application" button to allow Office to continue.

Office on Demand Starting (Credit: Screenshot by Ed Rhee/CNET)

Step 5: When prompted, log in with your Microsoft account and begin using Office.

Microsoft Word 2013 On Demand

Office on Demand version of Microsoft Word 2013.

(Credit: Screenshot by Ed Rhee/CNET)

That's it. Keep in mind that there's no offline access for Office on Demand. Also, if you use the same PC to access Office on Demand frequently, you'll notice performance improvements because it stores the applications to cache. If you want to remove the cache, simply uninstall the add-on from the PC.

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