・Since this content is intended to provide general information, it includes initiatives in which we are not involved.
・Photos and images used in the article are images. It may differ from the content provided by the actual product or service.
・The content of this blog is based on the information at the time of publication. Therefore, regarding the content of the product, images and operating procedures may differ from the current version due to version upgrades, etc.
Microsoft 365 is an Office subscription billed monthly or annually.
Since charges will be incurred continuously during the contract, there may be some people who are hesitant to introduce it, such as “I’m worried about suddenly signing a subscription contract” and “What if I don’t have the functions I want to use?”
Also, if you are a corporation, you would like to check compatibility with your own system in advance.
Microsoft 365 has a trial version
If you are worried about the subscription contract, please do not worry. Many Microsoft 365 plans offer a free trial period.
You can actually use the product for 30 days and try it out, so if there is a plan that you are interested in, it would be a good idea to start with the trial.
Plans that support trials
The plans that you can apply for a trial from Microsoft’s direct sales site are as follows.
*Information is as of January 2023. Plans are subject to change without notice.
| plan name | Target users/features | Number of users | desktop app | trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 Personal |
for individuals | 1 person | 〇 | 〇 |
| Microsoft 365 Family |
family friendly | 1 to 6 people | 〇 | – |
| Microsoft 365 Apps for business |
For medium-sized companies/use of Office apps | 300 or less | 〇 | 〇 |
| Microsoft 365 Business Basic |
For medium-sized companies/using web applications | 300 or less | – | 〇 |
| Microsoft 365 Business Standard |
Standard for medium-sized companies | 300 or less | 〇 | 〇 |
| Microsoft 365 Business Premium |
For medium-sized companies, high security | 300 or less | 〇 | 〇 |
| Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise |
For large companies/use of Office apps | Unlimited | 〇 | 〇 |
| Office 365 E1 |
For large companies/using web applications | Unlimited | – | 〇 |
| Office 365 E3 |
Standard for large companies (old) | Unlimited | 〇 | 〇 |
| Office 365 E5 |
For large companies, premium plan (old) | Unlimited | 〇 | 〇 |
| Microsoft 365 E3 |
Standard for large companies | Unlimited | 〇 | – |
| Microsoft 365 E5 |
For large companies, high security | Unlimited | 〇 | – |
| Microsoft 365 F1 |
Entry plan for on-site personnel | Unlimited | – | – |
| Office 365 F3 |
Standard plan for on-site personnel | Unlimited | – | 〇 |
| Microsoft 365 F3 |
For on-site personnel, high security | Unlimited | – | – |
In addition, if you apply from a site other than the direct sales site (such as through a sales agent), the trial plans may differ, so please check directly with the sales agent.
Microsoft 365 trial terms and conditions
Before applying for a trial of Microsoft 365, let’s check the terms of use, restrictions, and notes during the period.
You can use the same functions as the product version
The trial version of Microsoft 365 has no functional limitations and you can use the same features as the full version.
If there’s a tool or feature you’d like to try, sign up for a trial for a plan that supports it.
For example, if you want to try Teams, please note that it is not included in “Microsoft 365 Apps for business” and “Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise”.
Limited number of registered users
Trials may not create users for everyone in your organization.
The enterprise plan trial is limited to a maximum of 25 users, so if you have more employees, you’ll want to limit the trial to members of your IT department or some users.
Convert to a paid subscription at the end of the 30-day trial
The trial period is 30 days and will not be automatically canceled. If you do not manually terminate the subscription, it will automatically transition to a paid subscription after 30 days and charges will be incurred.
Don’t forget to stop using it if you want to stop using it only after the trial.
If you cancel the trial, your data will be deleted.
If you stop using the trial only, you will not be able to use the data saved in the cloud of Microsoft 365 or the Office apps installed on your computer.
Download and save data saved in OneDrive and files shared in Teams when the trial ends.
In addition, when migrating to the production environment as it is, the data will be retained.
Trial registration instructions on the Microsoft 365 product site
You can directly apply for a trial for plans that have “Try for free” displayed on the Microsoft 365 product site.
The procedure is different for individual plans and corporate plans, so please check the registration method for the plan you want to try.
Personal plan
A Microsoft account is required to try “Microsoft 365 Personal” for individuals.
- On the Microsoft 365 product site, click Try for free for Microsoft 365 Personal.
- Enter your Microsoft account email address and password to sign in. If you don’t have an account, click Create to create one.
- Register the payment method (credit card) and click “Save”.
- Check the plan details and click “Apply” to complete.
Corporate plan
- On the Microsoft 365 product site, click “Try for free” for the plan you want to try.
- Enter your email address and click Next.
- Enter your name and phone number.
- We will send a code to your phone to verify your identity.
- Set your domain name. For the trial, enter the desired domain in place of “xxx” in “xxx.onmicrosoft.com”.
- Enter the user ID and password of the administrator account and click “Sign up”.
- Set the number of users to use in the trial and click “Next”.
- Register a payment method (credit card).
When you sign in with the set administrator account, “Management” is displayed in the list of apps.
If you need to add a user, click “Administration” > “Users” and create a user.
For corporations, it is recommended to apply through a sales agent.
Microsoft 365 trial can be applied for and canceled online from the Microsoft site.
However, if you want to use Microsoft 365 in your company, we recommend applying for a trial from a Microsoft 365 reseller.
The reason is that the agency can provide support such as plan selection and introduction support while listening to the customer’s wishes.
Rather than contracting directly with Microsoft, it is possible to realize optimal operations that meet the needs of individual companies.
For example, deploying Microsoft 365 through a reseller offers the following benefits:
- You can choose the payment method (account transfer, bank transfer, etc.)
- Since the contract is processed by the agency, if the trial period ends only, billing due to forgetting to cancel can be prevented.
- Receive support for migration from trial environment to production environment
In particular, when using a trial version on the premise of introduction, the issue is whether or not the migration to the production environment can be performed smoothly.
NEC Networks & System Integration provides solutions that support data migration and operation when introducing services.
If you are considering introducing Microsoft 365 or migrating from an existing system, please contact us.
Article Summary
Many Microsoft 365 plans come with a free 30-day trial.
You can use the same functions as the paid version, so if you have a plan you are considering, try the trial first.
For corporate use, the introduction of Microsoft 365 involves migrating data to the cloud environment.
Please use NEC Networks & System Integration’s Microsoft 365 introduction solution to realize a smooth migration and comfortable environment construction.