Microsoft 365 for business FAQ

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.

Download the full plan comparison table or compare plans and pricing on the following pages:

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Use the Microsoft 365 plan chooser to find the right plan for your business, ask the AI Assistant to find out about a product or solution, or contact a product specialist to learn more about our products, discuss use cases, or get pricing information.

Find answers to frequently asked questions about Microsoft 365 Copilot.

Choose from trials for Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Business Standard, Business Premium, or Microsoft 365 Apps for business. Get full access to the apps included in the selected plan at no cost for the first 30 days (for up to 25 users). After 30 days, your free trial will automatically convert to a paid subscription, and the subscription price will be charged to the payment method provided at sign-up. Once your trial converts to a paid subscription, you can adjust plan options, add more users, or switch to another plan that better suits your needs.

Add up to 25 users during the trial period. Each user can install Microsoft 365 apps on up to five desktop computers, five tablets, and five mobile devices. After the trial period ends, add more users as needed.

Select the trial you want and complete the following steps:

1. Choose the number of users you want to include in your trial (up to 25 users).
2. Set up your username and password.
3. Provide payment information to enable future payments and help ensure that you won’t experience service interruptions once your trial period ends. Cancel online any time during the trial period without penalty. Once your payment method is confirmed, you'll be able to sign in to install or start using Microsoft 365 apps.

The security check during Microsoft 365 Business Trial signup ensures you're a real person—not a bot or someone trying to misuse the system. Because the trial includes powerful tools like cloud storage, email, and productivity apps, this verification step—such as a CAPTCHA or phone number check—helps prevent fraud and abuse, creating a safer experience for everyone.

Providing credit card information helps ensure uninterrupted service once your trial period ends. Your credit card won’t be charged until the end of the trial period. Cancel online any time during the trial period without penalty.

A work or school email address is one created by your organization—such as a company, school, or nonprofit—to access Microsoft services. It typically looks like you@yourbusiness.com and is different from a personal Microsoft account (like one used for Outlook.com or Xbox).​

When signing up for a Microsoft 365 Business Trial, using a work or school account helps set up your organization’s domain and admin center. It also enables management of users, licenses, and security settings, and ensures collaboration tools like Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive are tied to your business identity.​

If you don’t have a work account yet, you can create one during signup. Microsoft will guide you through setting up a temporary domain (e.g., @yourbusiness.onmicrosoft.com), so you can explore the full suite of business tools—even if you're just testing things out on your own.

Your business email might not work during signup due to one of these common culprits:​

• Already registered: It’s linked to an existing Microsoft account or tenant.​ 
• Domain conflicts: Your domain (e.g., @yourbusiness.com) may already be tied to another Microsoft 365 setup.​ 
• Trial limits: Microsoft may restrict multiple trials from the same domain or IP to prevent abuse. 
• Email format: Some business trials require a work or school account format rather than a personal or generic business email (e.g., user@yourbusiness.onmicrosoft.com).​

Here are some things you try:​

• Use a different business email not previously used with Microsoft services.​ 
• Check the Microsoft 365 Admin Center for domain status or delays.​ 
• Contact Microsoft Support for help with domain or account issues.

When you sign up for Microsoft 365, you're assigned a default domain like contoso.onmicrosoft.com, which is used for user IDs, email routing, and system functions. You can add a custom domain (e.g., @contoso.com) for professional email use, but the original (e.g., @contoso.onmicrosoft.com) domain can't be renamed or deleted—it remains as a fallback. SharePoint is also tied to this default domain and changing it is only possible for organizations with fewer than 10,000 sites. Once your custom domain is added, you can use it for email and services, while the fallback domain stays in the background to ensure continuity. Learn more about domains in Microsoft 365 or learn how to replace your fallback domain.

If you're having trouble logging in:​

• Check your account: Use the exact email or username you signed up with (e.g., name@yourbusiness.onmicrosoft.com). Make sure you're signing into the correct tenant.​ 
• Verify your trial status: Sign in at https://admin.microsoft.com as a global admin and confirm your trial is active and your account has a license.​ 
• Reset your password: Use the “Can’t access your account?” link on the sign-in page.​ 
• Try a different browser: Use incognito mode, clear cache/cookies, or disable password managers.​ 
• Review access policies: Check Azure AD Conditional Access settings and test with a personal network.​

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If you’re still stuck, get support for Microsoft 365 for business and have your tenant ID, subscription ID, and any error messages ready.

Microsoft takes strong measures to protect your data from unauthorized access—whether internal or external—and ensures customers can’t access each other’s information. ​

When you sign up for a Microsoft 365 Business Trial, your business details (like company name, email, and payment info) are used to:​

• Set up your trial: Create your account, admin center, and assign licenses to users.​ 
• Prepare for a subscription: Store your payment method to ensure service continues after the trial (you won’t be charged until it ends).​ 
• Enhance security and personalization: Tailor security settings, enable compliance features, and support custom email setup (e.g., you@yourbusiness.com).

When your trial ends, your trial subscription will automatically convert to a paid subscription. You’ll be able to continue using your subscription and won’t need to reinstall Microsoft 365 apps. You may cancel your trial subscription before the free trial period ends to stop future charges. Learn how to turn off recurring billing in the Microsoft 365 admin center.

To cancel your subscription before the free trial period ends, go to the Microsoft 365 admin center to turn off recurring billing. Learn how to turn off recurring billing in the Microsoft 365 admin center. Once canceled, the subscription will automatically expire at the end of the free trial period, and your credit card won't be charged.

Your data is yours. If you cancel your Microsoft 365 trial 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 canceling. After you cancel your subscription, data associated with your Microsoft 365 account will be available to your administrator(s) in an account with limited function for 90 days.

When you sign up for a trial, you’ll be able to migrate your files using the migration tools in the Microsoft 365 admin center. From there, choose your migration path using a step-by-step tool based on where your files are currently hosted, such as Google Workspace, Dropbox, Box, or other file-sharing or email accounts. If you already have a subscription, sign in to the Microsoft 365 admin center to start migrating your content.

Yes, you can switch to another plan in the Microsoft 365 admin center. Learn how to try or buy a subscription of Microsoft 365.

If you’re already subscribed to a plan, go to the Microsoft 365 admin center to try a different subscription. When you add a subscription, the new subscription is associated with the same organization or domain as your existing subscription. This makes it easier to move users in your organization between subscriptions or assign them a license for the other products they need.

Learn how to try or buy a subscription of Microsoft 365, ask the AI Assistant to find out about a product or solution, or contact a product specialist learn about our products, discuss use cases, or get pricing information.

All major credit cards are accepted. When paying with a credit card, your subscription amount will appear on your credit card statement. Existing customers may be eligible to pay by invoice and can contact support to check their eligibility for this payment method. Learn more about paying by invoice. For Microsoft 365 plans, depending on your choice of service, you'll be billed monthly or annually.

To provide you with the greatest amount of flexibility, different commitment terms and payment options are available.​

• Monthly commitment with monthly payment: Sign up for a monthly subscription and pay month-to-month and cancel at any time.​ 
• Annual commitment with monthly payment: Sign up for a one-year subscription and pay monthly.​ 
• Annual commitment with annual payment: Sign up for a one-year subscription and pay for the entire year upfront.

Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Business Standard, and Business Premium offer advanced tools and features specifically designed for businesses, including:
 

• Professional business email: Create and use a branded email address with your business domain (e.g., yourname@yourbusiness.com).
• Admin and IT management controls: Manage access, permissions, and devices through the Microsoft 365 admin center, which is designed for businesses.
• Scalability: Easily add users or upgrade plans as your business grows, with flexible licensing options that adapt to your changing needs.
• Enhanced security features: Protect your business against email phishing, spam, and malware with Exchange Online Protection. Business Premium also includes Microsoft Defender for Business, offering ransomware protection with automatic threat disruption, advanced antivirus capabilities, and tools for managing vulnerabilities.
• Advanced collaboration tools: For plans with Microsoft Teams, access enhanced features such as meeting recordings, transcription, and team workspaces optimized for business collaboration.
• Business apps: Run your business with tools such as Microsoft Bookings for appointment scheduling.
• Microsoft 365 Copilot: Available as an add-on, Microsoft 365 Copilot is an AI assistant for work that boosts productivity and creativity to help you grow and run your business.

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 and cloud storage. You can also choose between plans with and without Microsoft Teams. 
• Microsoft 365 Business Standard combines powerful desktop, web, and mobile versions of apps such as 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.

Many customers purchase a Microsoft 365 base subscription and then, depending on their needs, choose to buy any number of add-on services to round out their implementation. Additionally, customers may choose to purchase apps from one of the thousands of vendors available in the Microsoft 365 store.

Get AI features, including grammar and style suggestions with Microsoft Editor, focused inbox and suggested replies in Outlook, and live captions and meeting transcription in plans with Teams. For eligible business users signed in with a Microsoft Entra ID, Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat offers limited AI-powered chat with enterprise data protection. While Copilot Chat uses public web data for tasks such as research and analysis, it doesn’t integrate with Microsoft 365 apps or organizational content such as files, emails, or chats. For deeper integration and extensibility, businesses should purchase Microsoft 365 Copilot as an add-on, which connects directly to productivity apps and organizational data.

A separate license for a qualifying Microsoft 365 plan is required to purchase Microsoft 365 Copilot. If you have a qualifying plan already, you can manage and add Copilot to your subscription via the Microsoft 365 admin center. If you have questions about purchasing Copilot or any other Microsoft 365 subscription, contact a product specialist.

Discounts are available for 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 organizations and help you determine which is best for you.

Yes, you can transition your account to a different plan as the needs of your organization change. Learn how to try or buy a Microsoft 365 for business subscription.

Our Microsoft 365 for business base plans (charged per user) are designed for organizations with up to 300 users. Organizations with more than 300 users should consider subscribing to Microsoft 365 for enterprise plans. We reserve the right to enforce a tenant limit of 300 provisioned licenses across the family of business plans, in which case we will provide advance notice and further guidance. In the meantime, we are treating customers that have provisioned up to 300 licenses of each individual business plan (Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Business Standard, Business Premium) as compliant with this 300-seat limit. This applies even if they have provisioned more than 300 total licenses across the family of business plans.

You can cancel your subscription at any time. However, depending on the product and your subscription, there may be a penalty for canceling before the end of your contract. For subscriptions with a monthly commitment payment, there is no penalty for canceling your contract at any time. Annual commitment subscriptions paid month to month may incur some penalties if canceled early. Annual commitment subscriptions that are paid upfront do not receive a refund if canceled prior to the full contract period. Read the complete Microsoft Online Subscription Agreement for more details.

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. 

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, see our enterprise plan options.

An email domain is the part of an address after the “@” that identifies your organization—like @yourbusiness.com. It’s used to create professional email addresses and connect your Microsoft 365 services to your business identity. A domain is essential for setting up your organization’s identity and enabling core services, like email, Teams, and SharePoint. Here’s why:​

• Create and manage user accounts: Domains are used to generate email addresses (e.g., user@yourbusiness.com) and organize users across Microsoft 365 apps.​ 
• Have a professional business email: A domain allows you to send and receive emails using your business name, which builds trust.​ 
• Promote your brand and build trust: You can connect your own domain to personalize your environment and reinforce your brand identity.​

​If you don’t have a custom domain yet, Microsoft provides a default one (e.g., yourbusiness.onmicrosoft.com) so you can still use all features during your trial. Learn more about domains in Microsoft 365.

When you sign up for Microsoft 365, Microsoft provides a default domain ending in .onmicrosoft.com (e.g., tailspintoys.onmicrosoft.com). This is called your fallback domain, and it’s automatically used if you don’t own or connect a custom business domain. The fallback domain is used for:​

• Usernames and email addresses: It forms the basis of your Microsoft 365 identity (e.g., user@contoso.onmicrosoft.com).​ 
• Teams and group aliases: It powers collaboration tools like Teams, SharePoint, and Outlook groups.​ 
• Email routing and continuity: If your custom domain (e.g., @contoso.com) is removed, the fallback domain ensures email delivery continues without disruption.​

In contrast, a business domain is one you own (like @yourbusiness.com) and connect to Microsoft 365 to personalize your setup, reinforce your brand, and use professional email addresses. Learn more about domains in Microsoft 365 or learn how to replace your fallback domain.

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.

Use this link to sign in to the Microsoft 365 admin center. In just a few quick steps you can sign up for Microsoft 365, set up your organization's domain name and add user accounts, install Microsoft 365 apps, and move your existing email to Microsoft 365. Get guidance on setup, installation, and proactive management of your subscription.

Microsoft 365 Business Basic provides lightweight web and mobile versions of apps including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook that are accessible online. Microsoft 365 Business Standard, Business Premium, and Microsoft 365 Apps for business provide installable desktop applications that can be used offline.

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.

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.

If the hardware you run today uses 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 your devices are eligible for the upgrade, or download 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.

We take strong measures to help protect customer data from unauthorized access or use, either externally or internally, and to prevent customers from gaining access to each other’s data. See who can access your data and on what terms.

Yes, resources are available to help you accelerate Microsoft 365 deployment, adoption, and data migration to deliver business value faster. Customers with 150 or more licenses from one of the eligible Microsoft 365 subscriptions can use FastTrack at no additional cost for the life of their subscription. Sign in to Microsoft FastTrack to request assistance and get started. Customers with fewer licenses can compare Microsoft 365 support plans or contact a product specialist to discuss available deployment resources.

Microsoft has an excellent ecosystem of partners who are experts in the setup, onboarding, and deployment of Microsoft 365. They can also work with you to develop custom solutions for your business. Partner-assisted deployment of Microsoft 365 Business Premium is recommended. Your partner can help you understand your options and will make the best recommendations for deploying Microsoft 365 in your organization. If you don’t have a Microsoft partner, find one on the Microsoft solution providers page.

Managed Service Providers (MSPs) who are part of Microsoft’s Cloud Solution Provider program can use Microsoft 365 Lighthouse as one central place to secure, manage, and grow their customers using Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Business Standard, Business Premium, Defender for Business, and Microsoft 365 for enterprise and education products. Learn more.

Microsoft 365 subscriptions offer phone and web support anytime. Get support at Microsoft 365 Support or compare Microsoft 365 support plans for access to more advanced support, guided assistance, and dedicated experts.

Visit the Microsoft 365 Support forum or ask the AI Assistant to find out about a product or solution. If you still have questions, contact a product specialist.