Frequestly Asked Questions
We have gathered answers to the most frequently asked questions about Microsoft 365. They have been categorised in the table below to help you quickly find answers. We frequently update this page, so keep checking back. If you can’t find an answer to your question, ask here.
General
What is Microsoft 365?
Microsoft 365 is a cloud-based collection of apps, services, and security features meant to help businesses deliver value for their customers. Learn more about what’s included in Microsoft 365 and how it can help your business.
What’s the difference between monthly and annual commitment subscriptions?
To provide the greatest amount of flexibility, different payment options are available.
Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Business Standard, Business Premium, and Microsoft 365 Apps for business are available for monthly commitment or annual commitment.
Monthly commitment: Pay month by month and cancel at any time.
Annual commitment: Sign up for a one-year subscription and benefit from a discount for using this payment option. You can choose to pay monthly or for the entire year at the time you sign up. After your purchase, you can change your default billing plan within the Microsoft 365 admin center.
The Microsoft 365 and Office 365 plans for enterprise (including standalone plans such as Exchange Online) are available for annual commitment.
Annual commitment: Sign up for a one-year subscription and choose to pay monthly or for the entire year at the time you sign up.
What is the difference between Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Business Standard, Business Premium, and enterprise plan options?
Microsoft has a variety of productivity and security management offerings for small to medium-sized businesses, each bringing increasingly powerful features and functionality.
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic provides access to lightweight web and mobile versions of apps such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, as well as business email, cloud storage, and Microsoft Teams.
- Microsoft 365 Business Standard combines powerful desktop, web, and mobile versions of apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and additional apps such as Clipchamp, along with the same services as those in Business Basic.
- Microsoft 365 Business Premium includes all the same apps and services plus advanced cyberthreat protection and device management capabilities.
- Enterprise plan options offer increased levels of compliance and security management over business plans and provide additional business intelligence and analytics functionality. These plans are designed for enterprise customers and those with more than 300 users.
What happens to my data if I cancel my subscription?
Your data is yours. If you decide to cancel your Microsoft 365 subscription, you can download your data—for example, 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 Microsoft 365 account will be available to your administrator(s) in a limited function account for 90 days.
Usage
How many users do Microsoft 365 plans support?
Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Business Standard, Business Premium, and Microsoft 365 Apps for business support a maximum of 300 users. If you have more than 300 users or think you will soon, take a look at our enterprise plan options.
Can I use my own email domain with Microsoft 365?
Yes, you can include a custom email domain as part of your Microsoft 365 subscription or use an existing domain registered through another provider. See frequently asked questions about domains in Microsoft 365.
How many devices can I install Microsoft 365 apps on?
Install Microsoft 365 apps on up to five desktop computers, five tablets, and five mobile devices.* Hybrid Windows devices, such as the Microsoft Surface Pro, count as either a PC or a tablet.
Does Microsoft 365 work when I’m not connected to the internet?
Microsoft 365 Business Basic provides lightweight web and mobile versions of apps including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook that are accessible online. To get installable desktop apps available when you’re not online, consider Microsoft 365 Business Standard, Business Premium, or Microsoft 365 Apps for business.
With OneDrive, access your file storage when you’re offline. When you make changes while offline, they’ll be synced to OneDrive and across the rest of your devices when you reconnect. With Outlook, you can read emails already delivered to your inbox, or draft new emails and meeting requests. Your inbox and outbox will sync across the rest of your devices when you reconnect.
How many users can I host for online meetings and video calls using Microsoft Teams?
Host online meetings and video calls for up to 300 people with Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Business Standard, and Business Premium subscriptions that have a Microsoft Teams license.
This limit increases up to 1,000 people with Microsoft 365 E3 and E5, Microsoft 365 A3 and A5, and Microsoft 365 G3 and G5 subscriptions that have a Microsoft Teams license. Learn more.
How can I know if the hardware and software I run today is compatible with Microsoft 365?
If the hardware you run today runs Windows 8 Pro or later, it likely meets the minimum requirements for Microsoft 365. For Microsoft 365 Business Premium, check the Windows 11 system requirements to ensure devices are eligible for the upgrade, or use the PC Health Check app to see if your PC can run Windows 11. See system requirements for Microsoft 365 plans or get technical documentation, setup instructions, and other information on the Microsoft 365 documentation page.
Who has access to my information stored on Microsoft 365?
We take strong measures to help protect customer data from inappropriate access or use by unauthorized persons, either external or internal, and to prevent customers from gaining access to one another’s data. See who can access your data and on what terms.