Why is Word such a massive program? 2.11 GB

I would love to know why a program like this is taking up so much space on my computer. I just downloaded the newest version, which is 2.11GB. This is not including Excel, PPT, etc.

A quick look at my CS6 (a vast program with massive capability) takes up a fraction of the space. Photoshop alone is 530 MB. 

In my work as a freelancer I need to use both Office and CS. Clients require a certain amount of familiarity with Word - over and above Google Docs. (If anyone has any alternatives to Word, Excel and PPT, please give me a shout.)

Why do I have to empty out large files, apps etc to make way for updating Word? Particularly as it reformats type willy nilly for no reason and is not all that intuitive. There are many amusing threads on Twitter about this very topic - I'm not the  only one.

Please someone give me a reason for why this program is so clunky.

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2.11 GB is probably all of the Office installation.  The WinWord.EXE file itself is on 1.86 MB
Hope this helps,
Doug Robbins - MVP Office Apps & Services (Word)
dougrobbinsmvp@gmail.com

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I don't think so - here are some screen caps of how much space the top 3 programs are taking up on my hard drive.ImageImageImage

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It appears that you have it installed on a Mac.  If that's the case, I have no experience with such an installation.  However, I can assure you that on a computer running Windows 10, the Word application in Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019 only takes up 1.86 MB.  There are of course a multitude of files in the Office installation that are common to the individual applications and the size of them is not included in the above figure.
Hope this helps,
Doug Robbins - MVP Office Apps & Services (Word)
dougrobbinsmvp@gmail.com

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Last updated April 14, 2025 Views 9,330 Applies to: