Is there a free Microsoft 365 license for business use? What is the price of this contract?

Microsoft’s Office apps are convenient, but they’re not cheap.

Even when buying a new laptop, there is a price difference of about 20,000 yen with and without Office, so many people may be worried about whether to install Office.

In this article, for those who want to use Office as cheaply as possible

• whether there is a free version
• How to use the free version
• Limited functionality in the free version

We will introduce information such as.

What is the free version of Microsoft 365 (Office on the web)?

Office is a paid app, but there is also a free version.

• Paid version: Office, Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365)
• Free version: Office on the web

Let’s take a look at the differences between each.

Sales forms for Office apps and Microsoft 365

As of 2022, there are two sales forms for paid Office apps.

• Download version (Purchase license)
• Microsoft 365 (subscription agreement)

Both are paid services, and the download version requires a software purchase fee (one time only), while Microsoft 365 requires a monthly or annual usage fee.

The price of Micosoft 365 introduced below is the official Microsoft one.

* Microsoft official site fee information as of May 2023

If you suddenly need Office or just want to use it a little, the price is a little high.

In such cases, we recommend the free version “Office on the web” that can be used for temporary or limited purposes.

What is Office on the web

Office on the web is a free version of Microsoft’s subscription service “Microsoft 365”.

Office on the web offers Office apps and Microsoft tools as web apps.

• Can be used anywhere with a web browser and internet connection
• Requires sign-in with Microsoft account
• unlimited use

It does not require installation on a computer, so it is suitable for use on a shared computer.

How to use Office on the web

Explains how to use Office on the web.

Microsoft account required

A Microsoft account is required to use Office on the web.

If you do not have an account, you will create one here.

Don’t worry, you can create a Microsoft account for free forever.

Usage start procedure

Instructions for getting started with Office on the web.

You can start using it anytime by signing in with your Microsoft account, and no further application is required.

1. Go to Office.com (https://www.office.com/).
2. Sign in with your Microsoft account.
3. Click “App Launcher” on the top left.
4. Select the app you want to use and the app will open in your browser.

Main products that can be used with Office on the web

When you sign in to Office on the web and open the “App Launcher”, you may be surprised to find a lot more apps than you expected.

Office on the web is web-only, but it gives you a free trial of Microsoft’s tools.

Excel, Word, PowerPoint

It is representative software of Office such as Excel (spreadsheet), Word (document creation), and PowerPoint (presentation document creation).

In the web version, you can create new files and edit existing files.

In addition, when opening an existing file, it is limited to the file saved on OneDrive.

OneDrive

Cloud storage provided by Microsoft.

With the free version, you can use up to 5GB per account.

OneNote

OneNote is Microsoft’s digital note-taking app that allows you to freely create notes in a variety of ways, including text, images, shapes, and handwriting.

Just like a real notebook, you can organize your notes by dividing them into “notebooks”, “sections”, and “pages”, so you can easily use them separately for “work and personal use” or “by project”.

Since the storage destination will be on OneDrive, the free version can store up to 5 GB of data.

Forms

It is a tool that allows you to easily create a questionnaire form.

The created questionnaire is saved on the web, and you can send a link to the respondent and ask them to answer.

The free version allows you to create up to 200 forms and up to 1000 responses.

Sway

Sway is a tool that allows anyone to easily create interactive presentation materials.

The difference from PowerPoint, which is the standard presentation material creation software, is that the layout is automatically arranged.

You can create a good-looking page without spending time and effort.

Teams

A collaboration tool for online meetings, text chat, and file sharing.

In the free version, the maximum number of participants in a meeting is limited to 100 and the holding time is limited to 60 minutes.

It can be said that it is enough if you are mainly invited to use it.

In addition, as a temporary response during the COVID-19 epidemic, measures such as expanding the upper limit of the number of people and time were taken.

Free version license notes

Note that the free version of Microsoft 365 does not have the exact same features as the paid version.

Desktop app doesn’t work

The free version does not provide a desktop application that you can install and use on your computer.

Since it is limited to web applications used on the browser, it is mainly suitable for viewing and simple editing work.

If you are serious about creating materials, you may find it difficult to use.

Limited functionality

The web app does not support some features of the Office apps.

Please note that even if you open a file created with the desktop app on the web version, the functionality will not be reproduced.

Examples of functions restricted in the web version

• Run macro
• Connect to external data
• Add Object

Microsoft 365 also has a one-month free trial

If you want the desktop app for free or are considering a Microsoft 365 plan, try the Microsoft 365 trial for 1 month.

The trial version has the same features as the paid product version and can be canceled at any time.

The procedure for using the trial version is as follows.

1. Find the plan you want to use on Microsoft’s official website.
2. Click “Try it free for 1 month”.
3. Sign in with your Microsoft account. Create an account if you don’t have one.
4. Add a payment method.

Even if you want to use the trial version, you need to add a payment method.

If you cancel within the trial period, you will not be charged.

Fees after this contract

The free version of Microsoft 365 can be used indefinitely by anyone who creates an account, but it does not mean that the full functionality of Office can be used.

Since it is a simple version plan, please consider the paid version if you do not have enough functions and capacity.

Fees for Microsoft 365 after this contract are as follows.

Personal plan

Individual plans for 1 to 6 people are recommended for sole proprietors and small businesses.

In addition, even a small number of people can subscribe to a corporate plan, so if you need advanced security and management functions, please compare the corporate plans.

The Microsoft 365 pricing below is official from Microsoft.

* Microsoft official site fee information as of May 2023

Corporate plan

This is a plan for corporations with 300 or less employees.

In “Basic”, the use of Office applications is limited to the web version, but the capacity of cloud storage and mailboxes is greatly expanded compared to the free version.

* Microsoft official site fee information as of May 2023

Enterprise plan

If you have more than 300 users, choose the Enterprise plan for large companies.

Plans for large companies include “Microsoft 365” and the old plan “Office 365”.

“Office365 E1” is a plan for web applications only.