Formerly Microsoft Office 365, here is Microsoft 365. It is the subscription version of the famous Microsoft Office Office suite. With this subscription, you say goodbye to the purchase of a simple and lifetime license for one or more software, which locks you indefinitely with the same version of the suite.
This variation brings its share of advantages compared to the classic version available for purchase. So with Microsoft 365, updates are seamless and you always get the latest versions of apps. Moreover, the subscription is linked to the web version of the suite and thus brings all the premium features.
Microsoft also offers several types of subscriptions suitable for families or businesses. When it comes to family, note that Microsoft Office 365 includes Microsoft Family Safety parental controls.
Available on PC, and Mac, but also as an application for Android and iOS, or as an online service for all OS (Windows, macOS, Linux, etc.), Microsoft 365 gives a breath of fresh air to the office suite that all world knows.
Why use Microsoft Office 365?
Microsoft Office has been THE benchmark office and productivity suite for many years. Often copied, rarely equaled, it continues to offer its users cutting-edge features.
This new version, Microsoft 365, is no exception to the rule, although the name change is not synonymous with a complete overhaul, but more with an evolution of the brand. So don’t panic, you will find all your points of reference!
What are the applications in the Microsoft Office 365 suite?
Depending on your subscription offer (family, business), you will have access to all or part of the applications in the Office suite. Here is a well-known list of these applications, which we hardly present anymore.
Word
Microsoft Word is a powerful text editor that allows you to create documents of any size, with professional quality. Formatting, formatting (font, color, alignment, bullets, etc.), correcting spelling and grammar, inserting images, and tables, creating indexes, adding footers and page headers, all possible layout options are just a click away. Many templates are also available to create letters, newsletters, menus, etc. With Word, you can open and create documents in formats: DOC, DOCX, RTF, TXT, ODT (the free format), etc.
Excel
Excel is a spreadsheet-type software that is the major application of Microsoft Office 365. With it, you can easily create a spreadsheet, diagram or graph. But you can also enhance them with ultra-modern formulas which will allow you to create dynamic documents, statistical sheets, etc. You can also create macros to simplify your tasks, either using the integrated recorder or directly in VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) code. Excel also allows you to protect the content of your files: either all of them or the cells of your choice. The formats supported by Excel are: XLS, XLSX, XLSM (with macro) and ODS (open source).
PowerPoint
Microsoft PowerPoint allows you to create presentations. Create your slides from the templates provided, insert one or more text frames, images, photos, videos, create transitions, appearances, etc. Texts are fully editable (size, color, font, alignment, bullets, etc.), and you can add frames to all objects (editable color, thickness and fill). You can even insert charts directly from an Excel spreadsheet. Everything to make your presentation attractive. The basic formats of PowerPoint are PPT and PPTX, but it also opens ODP (free format).
Publisher
Publisher is a tool for designing any type of document such as newsletters or professional marketing materials. It is a page layout program. You can insert texts as floating objects (and format them), images, photos, Excel charts, and visual objects and organize them in relation to each other, resize them, add frames, etc. You can then save the file in PDF format for distribution or in PUB format so you can edit it again.
Access
Access is an amazing database software included in Microsoft Office 365. It will allow you to organize data into tables, establish relationships between these tables and create queries in order to obtain the desired information. You can also create your own database applications using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). It is a very specialized software intended for seasoned users who have the utility of it. The files are in MDB or ACCDB format.
OneNote
OneNote is a digital notebook for collecting and sharing your ideas. A block can contain several series of notes. Each block can include several pages and each page has several entries and floating frames (you can even change the background color of the page). Notes can contain text, web links, images and photos, symbols, emoticons, audio, drawings (a drawing module is available), etc. As the notepad is a shared and collaborative tool, version histories are available. The note format is ONE.
Outlook
Finally, Outlook not only allows you to manage email but also your calendar and contacts. The application allows you to manage several email addresses, create your own signature (as many as email addresses), archive emails, etc. It even allows a display in discussion mode, very fashionable on webmail interfaces and which allows messages from the same discussion to be grouped on the same line (so as not to need to search the history). Calendar management allows the creation of alerts which are displayed in the form of a separate window so as not to forget your events. Regarding contacts, you can manage contact groups and create mailing lists.
Microsoft Office 365 Tools
In addition to the usual applications (detailed above), Microsoft 365 is also a tool to help with writing, with Microsoft Editor. It is available in all applications of the office suite, but also as an extension for Microsoft Edge (and Google Chrome ).
This is a writing assistant. As you type, it suggests words or phrases. But that’s not all since it also allows you to change whole sentence chunks depending on the target you are writing for. It is also able to spot French mistakes in your sentences, as well as repetitions, and suggest possible replacements. He is also the one who manages the spelling and grammar checker.
The effectiveness of Microsoft Editor will, of course, be linked to your 365 subscriptions. If you do not have a subscription (use of the web version of Office), its functionalities will be limited: grammar checker and a limited number of suggestions.
OneDrive:
OneDrive is Microsoft’s cloud backup platform. From the moment you have a Microsoft account (an email account is sufficient: Hotmail, outlook, live, etc.) you have access to this storage space. It is free, but limited in size (5Go). This size changes as soon as you have a Microsoft 365 account.
Which OS is Microsoft 365 compatible with?
If your computer is under Windows, you will need version 8.1 or 10 (including Windows 10 mobile) in order to benefit from the updates. For Windows 7, development of the suite has been stopped, only security updates are still available (until January 2023). It is recommended to have at least 2GB of RAM and 4GB of disk space.
For Mac owners, the latest three versions of macOS are supported (the current one and the two previous ones). It is therefore advisable to keep your computer up to date. You will need 4GB of RAM and at least 4GB of available disk space.
In the mobile version, you could initially download separate applications for each element of the suite. In order to simplify things and allow everything to be grouped within the same application, Microsoft now offers a single Microsoft Office application.
To run Office for Android, you will need the latest Android updates: supported versions are the latest four major versions.
For iOS, you can download Office Mobile for your iPhone and iPad from iOS 11.0 (if you download Outlook, you will need iOS 12.0 minimum). Generally speaking, Office supports the two latest versions of iOS.
Multiplatform thanks to its online version, can in fact be used from any system (Windows, Mac, Linux, Chromebook) using an internet browser ( Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Safari, etc.). Here no installation, you have access to the whole suite whatever you offer, and only the premium functions are activated or not.
What’s new in Office 365?
Better and Advanced Interface:
In the latest update of the Office 365 Product Key 2020 list, the company has completely changed the look of all the tools. Now you will see a completely different look and feel about using the products in this available series of tools. Completely changed icons and thumbnails. In addition, this company also added new ways to edit text and new slides in PowerPoint. What do you need when you can also use updated Excel sheets? You can now add more spreadsheets to your workbook.
Add OneDrive:
Moreover, in the latest version, you will get OneDrive pre-installed on your computer. With the help of this, you can easily make a backup copy of your data. Not only this, this backup will be created online and you can access it anywhere in the world. This is the best part of using OneDrive. All you have to do is select the folder you want to backup, and it will do everything.
How to Download and Install Microsft Office 365?
Through the Microsoft website, it is possible to purchase Office 365 and download all programs at the same time. Activation is automatic: after you purchase, you can log in to your Microsoft account and download the programs. Renewal can be done automatically or manually when the subscription period ends.
In addition to working on Windows, all Office 365 programs work on macOS. Some, like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, even have apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android ― so you can take your slideshow from your computer and present it on your cell phone, for example. There are also packages for companies on the website.
What are the best alternatives to Microsoft 365?
LibreOffice:
LibreOffice is a Open Source office suite inspired by the Microsoft suite, and based on another free suite called OpenOffice. These two suites are available on Windows, Mac, and Linux. The development of OpenOffice is at a standstill, although the suite is still maintained, notably for security updates, this suite is capable of opening Microsoft formats, but also of creating free formats (ODT, ODS, ODP). Regarding LibreOffice, the suite is regularly updated and even offers a catalog of extensions, it can open the same file formats. The tools available are Writer (word processing), Calc (spreadsheet), Impress (presentation), and Draw (layout).
WPS Office:
WPS Office is a free (with advertising) and multiplatform office suite, but it goes further than the previous two since it is also available for download for mobile (Android and iOS). Also very complete, it has tools equivalent to those of Microsoft. A premium version allows you to remove advertisements and access more advanced features, particularly for managing PDF conversions and cloud storage.
Google Drive:
Google Drive is Google’s cloud storage with an integrated free (ad-free) online office suite. It allows collaborative work in a simple and efficient manner. The tools available are a word processor ( Google Docs ), a spreadsheet (Google Sheets), a presentation application ( Google Slides ), a layout application (Google Drawing), a form creator (Google Forms), etc. Note that Docs, Slides, and Sheets are available as mobile applications that allow you to create, modify, and save your files directly on your smartphone or tablet from the cloud. They can then be managed directly from the Google Drive application. Microsoft and OpenOffice formats are supported.
Conclusion Of Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 is a subscription service that offers Office 2019 desktop apps (including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) along with Office Online web apps. This article explains how to register for the service and install the apps on your computer. The instructions in this article apply to Microsoft 365 Home on Windows 10 devices.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yes, Office 365 is compatible with Mac, and you can use it on your macOS devices.
Microsoft 365 has mobile apps available for both iOS and Android devices., Microsoft has developed dedicated mobile apps for Office 365, available on both iOS and Android platforms, enabling users to access and work on documents, spreadsheets, and presentations using their smartphones or tablets.
To renew your Office 365 subscription, simply navigate to your Microsoft account settings. Microsoft will also send you reminders and notifications when your subscription is nearing expiration, making the renewal process hassle-free.
The key difference between Office 365 and Office 2019 lies in their delivery and updates. Office 365 is a subscription service, offering continuous updates and new features, while Office 2019 is a one-time purchase, providing a fixed set of features and no ongoing updates. The choice depends on your preference for regular updates or a static feature set.
With Office 365, you can work on your documents even when you’re offline. Any changes you make are saved locally on your device and are automatically synchronized with the cloud once you’re back online. This feature ensures that your work remains accessible and up-to-date across all your devices.