Office 365 Support
Office 365 for business FAQ
Top Questions
Why should I use Office 365 Monthly?
At Office 365 Monthly we are able to provide you with Office 365 subscriptions on a month-by-month basis without any additional surcharges. Thanks to our billing cycles, you can even get up to 20 days* as a free trial when you sign up.
At Office 365 Monthly we can also provide assistance with setting up your Office 365 tenancy, migrating your e-mail and/or documents from your legacy systems into your new Office 365 tenancy, and training to help you to get the best out of Office 365. Please contact us if you would like further information about these services.
Office 365 Monthly also provide support for Office 365 once you have an existing subscription with us.
*Monthly payments are due on or around the 21st of the month. Any orders placed after the 25th of the month will not be invoiced until the 14th of the following month.
What is Office 365? How is it different from Microsoft Office?
Office 365. “Office 365” refers to subscription plans that include access to Office applications plus other productivity services that are enabled over the Internet (cloud services), such as Skype for Business web conferencing and Exchange Online hosted e-mail for business, and additional online storage with OneDrive for Business and Skype minutes for home.
Many Office 365 plans also include the desktop version of the latest Office applications, which users can install across multiple computers and devices. The fully installed applications include: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher, and Access. (Publisher and Access are available on PC only.) And you can install them across multiple devices, including PCs, Macs, Android tablets, Android phones, iPad, and iPhone. When you have an active Office 365 subscription that includes the desktop version of Office, you always have the most up-to-date version of the applications.
The Office 365 plans that are online-only are a great choice for certain business needs, and they are designed to work with the latest version of Office, Office 2013, and Office 2011 for Mac. Previous versions of Office, such as Office 2010 and Office 2007, may work with Office 365 with reduced functionality. Get more details about which Office versions are supported. NOTE: This compatibility with Office does not include the Exchange Online Kiosk or Office 365 Enterprise K1 plans.
All Office 365 plans are paid for on a subscription basis, monthly or annually.
Microsoft Office. “Microsoft Office” is the name we still use for our familiar productivity software. Office suites are available as a one-time purchase and include applications such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, which can be installed on only one PC or Mac. The applications are not automatically updated; to get the latest version, you can purchase the product again when the new version becomes available. The latest versions currently available for one-time purchase are Office 2016 for Windows and Office 2016 for Mac. These suites do not come with any of the cloud-based services included in Office 365.
Will Office 365 work with my copy of Office?
Office 365 is designed to work with the latest version of Office, Office 2013, and Office 2011 for Mac. Previous versions of Office, such as Office 2010 and Office 2007, may work with Office 365 with reduced functionality. Get more details about which Office versions are supported. If you have Office 2003 or an earlier version, you will need to update to a newer version of Office in order to use Office 365; or you can subscribe to one of the many Office 365 plans that include the latest version of Office. In addition to getting the latest version of Office as part of your subscription, you will also get automatic updates, so your Office will always be up to date. Compare plans.
Is Internet access required for Office 365?
Internet access is required to install and activate all Office 365 plans and to manage your subscription account. Internet connectivity is also required to access Office 365 cloud productivity services, including e-mail, conferencing, IT management, and other services.
Many Office 365 plans also include the desktop version of Office, for example, Office 365 Business Premium and Office 365 Enterprise E3. One of the benefits of having the desktop version of Office applications is that you can work offline and have the confidence that the next time you connect to the Internet all your work will automatically sync, so you never have to worry about your documents being up to date. Your desktop version of Office is also automatically kept up to date and upgraded when you connect to the Internet, so you always have the latest tools to help you work. Compare Office 365 plans.
What is the Cloud?
“The cloud” is a friendly way of describing web-based computing services that are hosted outside of your organization. When you use cloud-based services, your IT infrastructure resides off your property (off-premises), and is maintained by a third party (hosted), instead of residing on a server at your home or business (on-premises) that you maintain. With Office 365, for example, information storage, computation, and software are located and managed remotely on servers owned by Microsoft. Many services you use every day are a part of the cloud—everything from web-based e-mail to mobile banking and online photo storage. Because this infrastructure is located online or “in the cloud,” you can access it virtually anywhere, from a PC, tablet, smartphone, or other device with an Internet connection.
How many users does Office 365 support?
Office 365 is highly scalable and can support everything from a one-person business to companies with tens of thousands of users:
- Office 365 Business plans are best for companies with one to 300 users.
- Office 365 Enterprise plans fit organizations ranging in size from a single employee to 50,000-plus users.
Compare all the Business options and Enterprise options.
What mobile apps are available for Office?
Office provides the following apps:
- Office for Android™: View, create and edit documents with touch-friendly Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps. You can count on Office for Android to keep your content and formatting intact so the document looks great when you’re back on your PC or Mac. In Word, add comments or track changes while you work together with others. Review and update Excel spreadsheets and easily add formulas or charts. Make changes to PowerPoint presentations and project them wirelessly on a big screen.
You can view documents for free with Office for Android. Editing and creating documents requires an eligible Office 365 subscription: Office 365 Home, Office 365 Personal, Office 365 University, Office 365 Business, Office 365 Business Premium, Office 365 Enterprise E3 and E4, Office 365 U.S. Government E3 and E4, Office 365 Education Plus, and Office 365 ProPlus.
- Office for iPad®:View, create and edit documents with touch-friendly Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps. You can count on Office for iPad to keep your content and formatting intact so the document looks great when you’re back on your PC or Mac. In Word, add comments or track changes while you work together with others. Review and update Excel spreadsheets and easily add formulas or charts. Make changes to PowerPoint presentations and project them wirelessly on a big screen.
You can view documents for free with Office for iPad. Editing and creating documents requires an eligible Office 365 subscription: Office 365 Home, Office 365 Personal, Office 365 University, Office 365 Business, Office 365 Business Premium, Office 365 Enterprise E3 and E4, Office 365 U.S. Government E3 and E4, Office 365 Education Plus, and Office 365 ProPlus.
- Office Mobile:Office Mobile is preinstalled on Windows Phone 8 and is available for select models of iPhone® and Android phones. Office Mobile offers great Office content viewing and on-the-go content editing capabilities. And you can count on Office Mobile to keep your content and formatting intact so the document still looks great when you’re back on your PC or Mac. Office Mobile for iPhone and Android phones can be used for free for non-commercial use, simply download the app from the store on your phone.
In order to edit or create documents or to access documents stored in SharePoint and OneDrive for Business on premises, you must have a qualifying Office 365 plan: Office 365 Business Premium, Office 365 Enterprise E3 and E4, Office 365 U.S. Government E3 and E4, Office 365 Education Plus, Office 365 ProPlus, and Office 365 University.
- Outlook Mobile:Windows Phone 8 includes a pre-installed version of Outlook that you can use to access your Outlook.com, Office 365, or Exchange e-mail.
- OneNote:You can use the mobile OneNote app to access your notes while on the go. This app is available on Windows Phone 8, iPhone, iPad, and Android phones.
- OWA:If you have an Office 365 subscription that includes Exchange Online, you can use the OWA app to sort, scan, and respond to e-mail, and stay on top of your schedule. This app is available on iPhone and iPad.
- Lync Mobile:If your organization uses Skype for Business or the newest version of Lync, you can use the mobile Lync app or the Skype for Business mobile app, to stay connected while on your mobile device. This app is available on Windows Phone 8, iPhone, iPad, and Android phones.
- SharePoint Newsfeed:If your organization uses the newest version of SharePoint, you can use the SharePoint Newsfeed app to access your newsfeed from your mobile device. This app is available on Windows Phone 8, iPhone, and iPad.
Getting Started
What do I need to install when I sign up for Office 365
You don’t need to install anything in order to use Office 365.
To help you easily connect your desktop version of the latest version of Office, Office 2013, Office 2010, or Office 2007 to Office 365, Microsoft provides Office 365 customers an installable piece of software—called “Office Desktop Setup”—at no charge.
Office Desktop Setup provides many benefits, including:
- Automatically detecting necessary updates.
- Installing updates and components upon approval or silently from a command line.
- Automatically configuring Outlook and Microsoft Skype for Business for use with Microsoft Office 365.
- Uninstalling itself from the client computer after running.
You can find and install Office Desktop Setup in your Office 365 administration centre.
If your plan includes a subscription to Office, you will also be able to install that directly from the Office 365 administration centre.
What if I already own a domain name?
You can add the domain name you own to Office 365 to create domain-based e-mail addresses. Find your domain registrar or DNS hosting provider. Compare domain management in Office 365 subscriptions.
Will my trial information be transferred to my Office 365 subscription?
Yes. If you purchase Office 365 licenses for the accounts you create during your free trial, the information and configuration for these users’ accounts will remain intact. Once your free trial expires, you won’t be able to continue using Office 365 for free. You will have an additional 30 days to purchase Office 365 before your account information is erased. Once your trial account information has been erased, it cannot be retrieved.
How do I set up my Office 365 services?
Office 365 Setup provides step-by-step guidance. In just a few quick steps you can sign up for Office 365, set up your organization’s domain name and add user accounts, install Office, and move your existing email to Office 365.
Support and Pricing
What forms of payment can I use?
For Office 365 Enterprise, Office 365 Business, and standalone plans, you have the option to receive an invoice and, depending on your choice of services, you will be billed monthly or annually. You receive an email message when your invoice is ready to be viewed and, if a purchase order (PO) number is entered when you buy your subscription, that number is included in your invoice.
What’s the difference between monthly, annual, and annual commitment payments?
To provide customers with the greatest amount of flexibility, different payment options are available.
Office 365 Business, Business Essentials, and Business Premium plans are available for monthly commitment payment or annual commitment payment.
- Monthly commitment payment: You pay month by month, and you can cancel at any time.
- Annual commitment payment: You sign up for a one-year subscription, but you can choose to pay month to month or pay for the entire year at the time you sign up. There is a discount for using this payment option.
The Office 365 Enterprise plans (including standalone Enterprise plans such as Exchange Online) and Office 365 ProPlus are available for annual commitment payment.
- Annual commitment payment: You sign up for a one-year subscription, but you can choose to pay month to month or pay for the entire year at the time you sign up.
Do you offer volume discounts to businesses?
Yes, discounts are available for Office 365 enterprise agreement customers (typically 250+ licenses) who want to purchase through volume licensing. A Microsoft expert can help you explore the purchasing options for large enterprises and help you determine which is best for you. Learn more about volume licensing. Contact Us.
Can I switch to other Office 365 plans?
Yes. If you need to upgrade, you can transition your account to a different plan. For example, you can upgrade from an Office 365 Business plan to an Office 365 Enterprise plan.
In most cases, you can use the Switch plans wizard in your Admin center to upgrade your plan. If your subscription has more than 300 users or if you used a prepaid card to purchase your plan, the Switch plans wizard is not available. Plans that are not eligible for the Switch plans wizard can be upgraded manually. Learn more about upgrading Office 365 plans.
NOTE: When you upgrade your account, your domain name is transferred to your new account, whether you brought your own domain name to the Office 365 account or you set up a domain name with Office 365.
Can I cancel my subscription at any time?
You can cancel your subscription at any time. However, depending on the product and the type of subscription you have, there may be a penalty for cancelling before the end of your contract. For subscriptions with a monthly commitment payment, there is no penalty for cancelling your contract at any time. Annual commitment subscriptions that are paid month to month may incur some penalties if cancelled early. Annual commitment subscriptions that are paid up front do not receive a refund if cancelled prior to the full contract period. Read the complete Microsoft Online Subscription Agreement.
What happens to my data if I cancel my subscription?
Your data is yours. If you decide to cancel your Office 365 subscription, you can download your data—for example, your email and documents on team sites—and save it to another location. You should save your data before you cancel. After you cancel your subscription, data associated with your Office 365 account will be available to your administrator(s) in a limited function account for 90 days.
How do I change my password?
Go here to change your password.
I will need extra help setting up Office 365. Who can help?
Microsoft experts are trained IT and development companies that can help you move to Office 365 or develop custom solutions for your business. You can find a listing of all of our Microsoft experts in Microsoft Pinpoint.
What happened to the Office 365 Small Business plan?
Office 365 Small Business has been renamed Office 365 Business Essentials. Office 365 Business Essentials includes all the features of the Office 365 Small Business plan, plus additions and improvements. For example, Active Directory has been added to Office 365 Business Essentials and the maximum number of users has been increased from 25 to 300.
What happened to the Office 365 Small Business Premium plan? What happened to the Office 365 Midsize Business plan?
The Office 365 Small Business Premium and Office 365 Midsize Business plans have been replaced by one new plan, called “Office 365 Business Premium.” Office 365 Business Premium combines the best features and services into one plan, with a maximum number of users of 300.