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Check out Microsoft 365 small business help on YouTube.
Microsoft 365 for business is a subscription service that lets you run your organization in the cloud while Microsoft takes care of the IT for you. Microsoft manages devices, protects against real-world threats, and provides your organization with the latest in business software. You can sign up for a free trial subscription for Microsoft 365 Business Standard, Microsoft 365 Business Premium, or Microsoft 365 Apps for business and try it out for 30 days.
Note
You must use a credit card when you sign up for a free trial. At the end of your free trial period, your trial subscription is automatically converted to a paid subscription. Your credit card isn't billed until the end of the trial period.
Important
Payment options for Office 365 operated by 21Vianet in ChinaInternational credit cards are not accepted. You can pay for your subscription by:
- Invoice
- Online payment using Alipay or China UnionPayProof of payment will be provided in the form of Fapiaos. You can submit your Fapiao request to our Fapiao system about three (3) days after you have paid. For more information, see Apply for a Fapiao for Office 365 operated by 21Vianet.
Before you begin
You don't need an existing Microsoft account to sign up for a free trial. For all other procedures in this article, you must be a Global or Billing admin for your organization. For more information, see About admin roles.
Try a free trial subscription
Are you a new customer, and you don't already have an account with Microsoft? Use these steps to create an account and sign up for a free trial subscription of Microsoft 365 Business Standard, Microsoft 365 Business Premium, or Microsoft 365 Apps for business.
- Go to the Microsoft 365 Products site.
- Select the plan that you want to sign up for, such as Microsoft 365 Business Standard, scroll down the page, and select Try free for 1 month.
- On the next page, follow the steps to set up your account.
- The sign-up process may take several minutes to complete. After it's complete, you're ready to start the setup wizard for your subscription. For more information about setting up your subscription, see Next steps.
Buy a subscription from your free trial
At the end of your free trial period, your trial subscription automatically converts to a paid subscription. The paid subscription defaults to the plan you currently have. You can buy a different plan by following the steps in Buy a different subscription.
If you want to buy your subscription before your trial is over, use these steps:
- In the Microsoft 365 admin center, go to the Billing > Your products page.
- On the Your products page, find the subscription that you want to buy.
- In the Licenses section, select Purchase subscription.
- Choose a billing frequency for your subscription, then select Checkout.
- On the next page, verify the subscription, and select Checkout.
- On the next page, verify the Sold to address, the Billed to information, and Items in this order. If you need to make any changes, select Change next to the applicable section.
- When you're finished, select Accept agreement & place order.
Extend your trial
Do you need more time to try out the features of Microsoft 365 for business before buying? If your trial subscription is within 15 days of expiring and the trial hasn't been extended before then you can extend your trial for another 30 day period. You can only do this one time.
- In the admin center, go to the Billing > Your products page.
- On the Products tab, select the trial subscription that you want to extend.
- On the subscription details page, in the Subscriptions and payment settings section, select Extend end date.
- In the Extend end date pane, review the extension information, and if necessary, select a payment method. When you're finished, select Extend trial.
When you're ready to buy, see Buy your trial version.
Cancel your free trial subscription
If you decide to cancel your trial subscription before the free trial period ends, go to the Microsoft 365 admin center and turn off Recurring billing. The trial will automatically expire when your month ends, and your credit card won't be charged.
Try a different subscription
If you already have a Microsoft 365 for business subscription, you can use the Microsoft 365 admin center to try a different subscription.
When you add a subscription through the Microsoft 365 admin center], the new subscription is associated with the same organization (domain namespace) as your existing subscription. This association makes it easier to move users in your organization between subscriptions, or to assign them a license for the additional products they need.
- In the admin center, go to the Billing > Purchase services page.
- On the Purchase services page, you see the plans that are available to your organization. Choose the Microsoft 365 plan that you want to try.
- On the next page, select Get free trial. The trial gives you 25 user licenses for a one-month term.
- Choose to receive a text or a call, enter your phone number, then choose Text me or Call me.
- Enter the verification code, then select Start your free trial.
- On the Check out page, select Try now.
- On the order receipt page, select Continue.
Buy a different subscription
If you already have a Microsoft 365 for business subscription, you can go through the Microsoft 365 admin center to buy a different subscription for your organization.
Watch: Move users to a different subscription
Check out this video and others on our YouTube channel.
As your users change roles, they may need features that aren't available in their current Microsoft 365 Business Premium subscription. When this happens, you can add a new subscription that includes those features, and assign licenses to the people who need them.
Note
For some subscriptions, you can only cancel during a limited window of time after you buy or renew your subscription. If the cancellation window has passed, turn off recurring billing to cancel the subscription at the end of its term.
When you buy another subscription through the Microsoft 365 admin center, the new subscription is associated with the same organization (domain name space) as your existing subscription. This makes it easier to move users in your organization between subscriptions or assign them a license for the additional subscription they need.
- In the admin center, go to the Billing > Purchase services page.
- On the Purchase services page, select the plan that you want to buy, select Details, then select Buy.
- Enter the number of licenses that you need and choose whether to pay each month or for the whole year. Choose whether you want to automatically assign licenses to everyone who does not currently have a license. Then select Check out now.
- Review the pricing information and select Next.
- Provide your payment information, and then select Place order > Go to Admin Home.
Note
You must move users from your free trial subscription to the new subscription before your 90-day grace period ends after your trial subscription expires. By doing this, you keep your data, accounts, and configuration. Otherwise, that information is deleted.
Payment options
You can pay for your subscription by:
Invoice
Online payment using Alipay or China UnionPay
Proof of payment will be provided in the form of Fapiaos. You can submit your Fapiao request to our Fapiao system about three (3) days after you have paid. For more information, see Apply for a Fapiao for Office 365 operated by 21Vianet.
Note
International credit cards are not accepted.
Next steps
If you have a new account and are setting up your first subscription, you can use the guided setup articles to help you get started.
- Set up Microsoft 365 Business Basic
- Set up Microsoft 365 Business Standard
- Set up Microsoft 365 Business Premium
- Set up Microsoft 365 Apps for business
If you already have a subscription and are adding a new subscription, you can move users to it. To learn how, see Move users to a different subscription.
Related content
Microsoft 365 for business training videos (video)
Add users and assign licenses at the same time (article)
Assign licenses to users (article)
Upgrade to a different plan (article)
Buy or edit an add-on for Microsoft 365 for business (article)
Add storage space for your subscription (article)
FAQs
Is it worth getting Office 365 subscription? ›
Microsoft 365 is the best option for those who need all the Office apps and everything the service has to offer. You can share the account with up to six people. The subscription is also the only option that provides a continuity of updates at a low cost of ownership.
What happens if I don't buy Microsoft 365? ›The good news is if you don't need the full suite of Microsoft 365 tools, you can access a number of its apps online for free -- including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive, Outlook, Calendar and Skype.
What is the difference between Office 365 and Microsoft 365 business? ›The Short Version
Office 365 is a cloud-based suite of productivity apps like Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, and more. Microsoft 365 is a bundle of services including Office 365, plus several other services including Windows 10 Enterprise.
Office 365 for small businesses has been, and continues as Microsoft 365 to be, a complete service that makes it easy to collaborate on projects, store data, configure your IT infrastructure, and more, and provides one of the best email providers in Microsoft Outlook.
Do you have to buy Microsoft Office every year? ›Office 2021 is sold as a one-time purchase, which means you pay a single, up-front cost to get Office apps for one computer. One-time purchases are available for both PCs and Macs. However, there are no upgrade options, which means if you plan to upgrade to the next major release, you'll have to buy it at full price.
Can you use Excel without Office 365? ›The good news is if you don't need the full suite of Microsoft 365 tools, you can access a number of its apps online for free -- including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive, Outlook, Calendar and Skype.
Can I still use Office 365 after subscription expires? ›Your Microsoft 365 subscription is about to expire, or has expired. To continue using Office, you must renew your Microsoft 365 subscription.
Why does Office 365 keep asking me to activate my subscription? ›This can happen if you don't uninstall the pre-installed version of Office on your new PC before installing a volume license version of Office. To stop the prompts for activation, make sure your Office uses volume licensing and then update the registry.
What happens if I don't renew my Office 365 subscription? ›When a business misses an Office 365 payment, or cancels the service, the applications and data don't immediately disappear. Instead, Microsoft steps a customer through a three-stage process that gradually decreases both employee and administrator access, but for months leaves the door open to a renewal.
What is Microsoft 365 business used for? ›With Microsoft 365 for business, connect employees to the people, information, and content they need to do their best work, from any device. Depending on your subscription plan, the benefits of your Microsoft 365 for business subscription may include: The latest versions of Office apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
How do I set up Office 365 for business? ›
- Add your domain, such as contoso.com. ...
- Verify your domain. ...
- Add your users. ...
- Migrate email and contacts from another email service that uses IMAP (such as Gmail). ...
- Setup online services, such as email and Skype for Business.
- Change your nameservers.
Get started with Office 365 for free
Students and educators at eligible institutions can sign up for Office 365 Education for free, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and now Microsoft Teams, plus additional classroom tools. Use your valid school email address to get started today.
By storing business-critical information in the cloud, not on devices, Windows 365 minimizes security risks in those transitions while allowing employees to quickly be productive.
Does Office 365 business include email? ›With Microsoft 365 Business Standard, you get email hosting plus desktop, premium Office apps, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, as well as other tools to help run and grow your business. Apps are always updated, so they're never out of date.
How many users does Office 365 business have? ›The Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Apps for business, Business Standard, and Business Premium plans have a collective limit of 300 users, while the Enterprise plans are for an unlimited number of users.
Do Microsoft Office licenses expire? ›That purchase of a license to legally run the software gives you the right to use that version of Office 2021 in perpetuity. In other words, the license has no expiration date, and users may run the suite for as long as they want.
Can I use Office 365 offline? ›You can work on it offline after you have opened it. Save a file: You can save a file on your disk when offline. If you downloaded the file from an online location, such as SharePoint, OneDrive, or Dropbox, your latest changes will be synchronized automatically with the online version.
What is included in a Microsoft 365 subscription? ›- The latest Office apps, like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
- The ability to install on PCs, Macs, tablets, and phones.
- 1 TB of OneDrive cloud storage.
- Feature updates and upgrades not available anywhere else.
Sign Up for the Microsoft 365 Trial
As such, you can take a free one-month Microsoft 365 trial. The trial will grant you access to the full Microsoft Office 2021 suite. Also, you get 1TB OneDrive cloud storage and 60 minutes of Skype credits per month.
- Change your Online data to Offline Data.
- Use non Office 365 Email.
- Obtain an Outlook Perpetual License.
- Contact, Calendar, Tasks and Notes Sync.
- How to Cancel your Office 365 Subscription.
How do I activate Microsoft Office for free? ›
- Activating your free Office suite via Microsoft. Open the Microsoft Office program of your choice. ...
- Step 1: open the Office program. ...
- Step 2: choose an account. ...
- Step 3: log in to Microsoft 365. ...
- Step 4: accept the conditions. ...
- Step 5: get started.
Office 365 is, of course, a subscription. Just like other subscriptions, such as your telephone subscription, the service does not stop automatically if you accidentally forget to renew it. When a phone subscription is automatically renewed, Office 365 gives you 4 months to renew it without losing any data.
Do I have to reinstall Office 365 when I renew? ›Q: Do I have to reinstall Office 365 when I renew subscription? You don't need to reinstall Office after the renewal. You can still use Office applications. Sometimes You may meet a prompt asking you to enter your registered Microsoft account name and password.
How do I fix expired Microsoft Office? ›- On the Windows Start screen, type Control Panel.
- Click or tap Control Panel.
- Under Programs, click or tap Uninstall a program.
- Click or tap Microsoft office 365, and then click or tap Change.
- Click or tap QuickRepair, and then click or tap Repair.
- Close all Office programs.
- Open the Registry Editor. ...
- Once you are inside the Registry Editor, navigate to following locations. ...
- Right-click at the OEM key and click Delete.
- Click on the notification icon in the taskbar and choose to turn off all Office notifications. ...
- If you are not seeing the notification icon in your taskbar, you can get to it another way. ...
- Click on it and choose to turn the notifications off.
1] Use Microsoft Office Mobile Apps
You can make use of the Office Mobile app on your smartphones like Windows Phone, iPhone and Android for free. The Mobile app includes major Microsoft Office utilities like Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Calendar, OneDrive, OneNote, SharePoint, and Mail.
When using any of the Microsoft Office desktop applications, you receive "Your subscription has expired" error. This is caused by your Office 365 license change. This happens when you change from being a faculty/staff/student status to an alumni/emeritus status.
Can I use my Office 365 account as a Microsoft account? ›Your Microsoft Account is not your Business Office 365 account, they are two completely different accounts. One owned by you as an individual and the other managed by your company.
How do I find my product key for Office 365? ›Here's how to view your product key in the Microsoft Store: Go to www.microsoftstore.com. In the upper right-hand corner, select Sign in and enter the user ID and password you used to buy Office. After you sign in, select your name in the upper right-hand corner, and then select Order History.
Can I use Microsoft business for personal use? ›
Office 365 Small business can be used for business and personal use.
Can you share Office 365 business subscription? ›As the admin of a Microsoft 365 Business Standard subscription, you can invite your colleagues and coworkers to share and use your Microsoft 365 for business subscription.
Can I share my office 365 business subscription with family? ›If you've purchased Microsoft 365 Family, you can share your subscription benefits with up to five other people. You do this by sending each person an invitation or by adding them to your Microsoft family.
How do I set up Office 365 for the first time? ›- Open the Outlook application. Select the Outlook icon in the Start menu or double-click the Outlook icon on the Desktop/taskbar.
- Enter your Microsoft 365 account details. Enter email address and then click Connect. ...
- Wait for Outlook to configure your profile.
- In the Microsoft 365 admin center, choose Setup.
- Under Get your custom domain set up, select View > Manage > Add domain.
- Enter the new domain name that you want to add, and then select Next.
- Sign in to your domain registrar, and then select Next.
- Choose the services for your new domain.
Working from Home Using a Personal Device
You will need to install Office onto your own PC or tablet. If you are running an Office 365 Plan through a Citrix Server, then it will need to be Click to Run in Share Activation.
You can sign up for a free trial subscription for Microsoft 365 Business Standard, Microsoft 365 Business Premium, or Microsoft 365 Apps for business and try it out for 30 days. You must use a credit card when you sign up for a free trial.
Can you cancel Office 365 after free trial? ›You can cancel your Microsoft 365 Family trial within 30 days of signing up and you won't be charged.
Do new laptops come with Microsoft Office? ›Although most laptops now come with Windows 10 installed, not all of them have Microsoft Office software applications installed. In fact, finding one takes a bit of research. The list on this guide covers laptops with basic specs up to those with serious power.
What are the disadvantages of Office 365? ›- Subscriptions aren't for everyone. You don't have to pay out one-time costs, but you do have to pay every month. ...
- Compatibility issues with bespoke systems. ...
- Constant updates mean constant changes. ...
- Most people only use 20% of the functionality. ...
- You don't actually own the software.
Does Microsoft help small business? ›
Microsoft has a variety of cloud software solutions for businesses designed to help people thrive and be more productive. Learn more about how your team can connect, create, and stay secure through a variety of cloud-based apps including Microsoft Teams, Office, Azure, Power Automate, and more.
What is the difference between Office 365 and Microsoft 365? ›What is the difference between Office 365 and Microsoft 365? Microsoft 365 includes everything you know in Office 365. Microsoft 365 is designed to help people and businesses achieve more with innovative Office apps, intelligent cloud services, and world-class security.
What is Office 365 business premium now called? ›Microsoft 365 for enterprise is a set of licensing plans offering increased levels of compliance and security management over Microsoft 365 for business and providing additional business intelligence and analytics functionality. These plans are designed for enterprise customers and those that have more than 300 users.
Does Office 365 need a subscription? ›With the free Office apps on your mobile device, you can do some core tasks like viewing, creating, and editing files. However, you will need a qualifying Microsoft 365 subscription if: Your mobile device is larger than 10.1”.
How many computers can I install Office 365 business on? ›With Microsoft 365, you can install Office on all your devices and sign in to Office on five devices at the same time. This includes any combination of PCs, Macs, tablets, and phones.
How many licenses do I get with Office 365? ›If your subscription includes any of the following products, each person can install Office on up to five PCs or Mac, five tablets, and five phones.
How many devices can I install Microsoft 365 Business Standard? ›Microsoft 365 Apps for business, Business Standard, and Business Premium subscribers can install Office apps on up to five PCs or Macs, five tablets, and five mobile devices.
Do you have to renew Microsoft Office every year? ›That purchase of a license to legally run the software gives you the right to use that version of Office 2021 in perpetuity. In other words, the license has no expiration date, and users may run the suite for as long as they want.
Can I get Office 365 for free? ›Get started with Office 365 for free
Students and educators at eligible institutions can sign up for Office 365 Education for free, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and now Microsoft Teams, plus additional classroom tools. Use your valid school email address to get started today.
With a subscription to Microsoft 365, you can get: The latest Office apps, like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. The ability to install on PCs, Macs, tablets, and phones. 1 TB of OneDrive cloud storage.
What's the best Microsoft Office to buy? ›
Microsoft Office Professional 2021
Microsoft Office is the best set of productivity apps for serious office work.
Admins and users no longer have access to the services or Office applications that came with the subscription. All customer data—from user data to documents and email—is permanently deleted and is unrecoverable. At this point, you can't reactivate the subscription.
What happens if I don't renew my Office 365 subscription? ›When a business misses an Office 365 payment, or cancels the service, the applications and data don't immediately disappear. Instead, Microsoft steps a customer through a three-stage process that gradually decreases both employee and administrator access, but for months leaves the door open to a renewal.
Does Microsoft 365 last forever? ›You could subscribe to Office 365, which involves paying a monthly or annual fee — but most of us are already paying for too many subscriptions. Fortunately, Microsoft offers another option: a lifetime license. That means you pay once and get the entire suite of apps for life on one computer.
How long is Microsoft 365 free trial? ›You can sign up for a free trial subscription for Microsoft 365 Business Standard, Microsoft 365 Business Premium, or Microsoft 365 Apps for business and try it out for 30 days. You must use a credit card when you sign up for a free trial.
How do I get genuine Microsoft Office for free? ›Sign Up for the Microsoft 365 Trial
As such, you can take a free one-month Microsoft 365 trial. The trial will grant you access to the full Microsoft Office 2021 suite. Also, you get 1TB OneDrive cloud storage and 60 minutes of Skype credits per month.
Step 1: Go to www.office.com/setup or Microsoft365.com/setup. Step 2: Sign in with your Microsoft account, or create one if you don't have one. Be sure to remember this account so that you can install or reinstall Office later, without a product key.
How many devices can I install Office 365 business on? ›How many devices can I install Office apps on if I have a Microsoft 365 business plan? Install Office apps on up to five PCs or Macs, five tablets, and five mobile devices. Hybrid Windows devices, such as the Microsoft Surface Pro, count as either a PC or a tablet.
How can I use Microsoft Word without subscription? ›Microsoft makes a free version of Microsoft Word available for anyone to use on the web. You have to register a Microsoft account, but that's free too. As the app works entirely inside a web browser, you can access it from any computer, and your files are always synced and saved in the cloud.
Can I use Office 365 offline? ›You can work on it offline after you have opened it. Save a file: You can save a file on your disk when offline. If you downloaded the file from an online location, such as SharePoint, OneDrive, or Dropbox, your latest changes will be synchronized automatically with the online version.
Is Microsoft Office a monthly subscription? ›
You can choose to pay for your subscription on a monthly or yearly basis, and the Microsoft 365 Family plan lets you share your subscription with your family for up to 6 people, and use your apps on multiple PCs, Macs, tablets, and phones.
What are the types of Office 365 licenses? ›There are three main types of Office 365 licenses: Business plans – limited to 300 users. Enterprise plans – with no user or feature limitations. Frontline worker plans– essentials for mobile or remote employees.
Is there a Microsoft Office 2022? ›In Microsoft Office 2022, adds up to 100 GB of free storage for cloud users, which promotes the speed of operating and work efficiency. 2. The latest Microsoft Office 2022 that Microsoft cracked here comes with a host of updates to Microsoft Word, Spreadsheet, Powerpoint, and all other tools.