If you want to get access to a host of free online Microsoft applications you can setup a Microsoft Office 365 account and it won’t cost you a thing.
Microsoft Office 365 is a suite of office applications that includes online versions of:
- Word
- Excel
- PowerPoint
- OneNote.
- It also includes Outlook for email and calendar management, with 5GB of online cloud storage via OneDrive.
All you need to do is sign up using an existing email address, or you can create an account with a new email address.
If you want to be able to create, open and share Microsoft documents with others then getting yourself a free Microsoft Office account is a great idea. If you decide that you need more functionality your can always opt to purchase a personal or business license that will give you access to the desktop applications and other apps, depending on what license you choose.
Sign up
Open a web browser and type office.com into the navigation bar.
When the office website opens you will see a Welcome to your Office heading and underneath 2 x buttons. Under the 2 x buttons you will see some text that says ‘Sign up for the free version of Office’. Click on this text.
Once you have clicked on this text you will have the option to create an account with an existing email address or to setup a new one. If you already have an email address simply type your email address into the text box that says someone@example.com. You you would like a new email address click on the ‘Get a new email address text’.
If you have chosen to setup a new email address, you will be able to select either an account ending @outlook.com or @hotmail.com from the drop down menu and you should be able to enter anything you want before this (as long as the name is not already taken).
Once you have setup your email address, you will then be prompted to enter a password for your Microsoft Office 365 account.
Remember that for security, you should choose a different password for every website you have an account with and that the password you choose should be a strong password consisting of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters.
Microsoft requires extra details in order to setup your account. Add your date of birth and ensure that your Country / region is showing correctly.
Microsoft will then need you to verify your email address by entering a code they send you via email into the website.
Check your email for the code that they send you then enter the code into the online form.
You may also need to perform other tests to confirm your identity and confirm that you are not a robot.
Add your first and last name.
Congratulations!
If everything went according to plan you should now be signed up for a free Office 365 account.
Take a look around your new account or take a look at some of our other guides to get yourself familiar with all the things that you can do in the Free version of Microsoft Office.