How to Get Started with Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 is a subscription service from Microsoft that gives you access to familiar programs like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, along with 1 terabyte of OneDrive cloud storage. It replaced what used to be called "Microsoft Office," and the key difference is that with 365, your apps always stay updated automatically.

There are a few ways to buy Microsoft 365. Microsoft 365 Personal costs around $70 per year and covers one person on up to 5 devices. Microsoft 365 Family costs around $100 per year and covers up to 6 people — great for households. If you only need the basic web versions and 100GB of cloud storage, Microsoft 365 Basic is around $20 per year.

Microsoft also offers free versions. Go to office.com and sign in with a free Microsoft account to use Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote in your browser at no cost. These web versions work well for everyday tasks but have fewer features than the full downloaded apps.

To get the downloaded versions, buy a Microsoft 365 subscription at microsoft.com, sign in with your Microsoft account, and click "Install apps." The installer will walk you through adding Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and others to your PC or Mac.

OneDrive is one of the biggest benefits. Your documents automatically save to the cloud, which means you can open them on your phone, a different computer, or share them with someone else. OneDrive comes as a folder on your computer — anything you drop into it syncs automatically.

The Word, Excel, and PowerPoint mobile apps are free on iPhone and Android for basic use. This means you can view and make small edits to documents on your phone without a subscription.

If you have an older version of Microsoft Office that you bought as a one-time purchase (like Office 2016 or Office 2019), it will still work but will not receive new features. Switching to a 365 subscription keeps you current and adds the cloud benefits.