Office Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to commonly asked questions about Office and Office 365. Visit the Office 365 for business FAQ for more questions and answers for business users.
About the new Office
Show Hide Which Office products are available for home and business?
New products are being released for home and business use. The products listed below may be used at home or at a small business, depending on license restrictions.
Office product Where can I use it?
Office 365 Home Premium At home
Office 365 University For eligible college students, faculty, and staff use only.
Office Home & Student 2013 At home
Office Home & Business 2013 At home or for business use
Office Professional 2013 At home or for business use
Office 365 Small Business Premium For business use
Word 2013 Office applications can be bought as standalone products, or as part of an Office suite or Office 365 plan. Usage rights vary according to the exact product purchased.
Excel 2013
PowerPoint 2013
Outlook 2013
OneNote 2013
Access 2013
Publisher 2013
Show Hide What's new in this release of Office?
The familiar Office applications such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint include new features that help you create, communicate and work even more efficiently from virtually anywhere. In addition to updating the traditional Office suites, we’ve developed brand new subscription versions of Office for home and school, specifically designed for the way you use Office today. Each of these subscriptions include the latest versions of Office applications like Word, Excel and PowerPoint, for PC or Mac. Plus offerings such as Skype world minutes and online storage with SkyDrive.
Subscribers will also receive future rights to version upgrades as well as per-use rights across multiple PCs or Macs and select mobile devices. The Office applications you can use across PCs, Macs and other devices varies by platform.
Show Hide I thought Office 365 was for businesses only. What's changed?
Office 365 remains a great option for businesses, with plans designed for companies of all sizes, from individual consultants to enterprises. New for this release is Office 365 Small Business Premium, which is designed for businesses with 1 to 10 employees.
Also, in this release, we're expanding Office 365 to include new plans optimized for use at home and school: Office 365 Home Premium and Office 365 University.
Show Hide What is the difference between Office 2013 suites and Office 365 plans?
Microsoft Office is still the name we use for our familiar productivity software.
Office suites have traditionally included applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. In this release all the Office 2013 suites, such as Office Home & Student 2013, include the latest versions of the Office applications, for use on a single PC.
We use the name ”Office 365” for products that include features enabled over the internet, such as additional online storage with SkyDrive or Skype world minutes for home use. Office 365 business plans include features such as Lync web conferencing and hosted email for businesses. All Office 365 products, such as Office 365 Home Premium, Office 365 University, and Office 365 Small Business Premium, are paid for on a subscription basis. Subscription terms vary by product.
Most Office 365 plans also include the full-featured Office 2013 applications, which users can install across multiple computers and devices. Active subscribers receive future rights to version upgrades as a benefit of their subscription. Entitlements vary by product.
Here are some examples of products that use the Office or Office 365 name:
Product name Contains
Office Home & Student 2013 Office programs: The latest versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote
Use: For home use on one PC
Buy: Single purchase, perpetual use rights
Office 365 Home Premium Office programs: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, plus OneNote, Access, and Publisher for Windows PCs.
Cloud services: SkyDrive and Office on Demand (PC only)
Plus: Skype world minutes
Use: Install on up to five PCs and Macs, one household
Buy: Annual or monthly subscription, automatic upgrade rights
Office 365 Small Business Premium Office programs: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, and Access
Cloud services: Hosted email, web conferencing
Use: Best for businesses with 1 – 10 users
Buy: Annual subscription, paid monthly
Buying Office
Show Hide Which Office products are available in my country/region?
The new Office products are available in more countries/regions than ever before.
The new Office subscription products for home and school are available in most countries/regions. In countries/regions where subscription products are not available, you can still buy new Office 2013 suites for one PC, such as Office Home & Student 2013.
On Office.com, when you select the option to buy a subscription product, you’ll see a country/region selector. It’s important that you select the country/region in which you will be billed for the subscription, and in which you’ll be using the software. Selecting a country/region that you will not be billed in may cause problems with subscription setup and renewal.
Show Hide How do I know if my computer or devices can run the new Office?
You’ll need Windows 7, Windows 8 OS, or Mac OS X version 10.6 or later to successfully run Office on your PC or Mac. Office Mobile supports Windows Phone devices running Windows Phone OS 7.5 and higher.
Show Hide Can I try Office before I buy?
Yes. You can sign up to try Office 365 Home Premium for one month free.
If you are signing up for a trial month on the Office.com website you will need to enter your credit card details and sign in using a Microsoft account. Your credit card will be automatically charged after the first calendar month, and then again on a monthly basis, so you can continue to access all the features of Office 365 Home Premium. You can cancel online without penalty at any time, during or after the trial period, by visiting www.office.com/myaccount.
Trials are also available for the Office 365 business plans, including Office 365 Small Business Premium.
Show Hide What do I get with the Office 365 Home Premium trial?
The Office trial gives you access to all the features of Office 365 Home Premium except the additional
20 GB of SkyDrive storage. You can install the Office trial alongside your existing version of Office.
Your free trial includes:
The trial has the same system requirements as the full purchased Office 365 Home Premium product
Show Hide What is a Microsoft account and why do I need it for my Office software?
Your Microsoft account is the combination of an email address and a password that you use to sign in to services like Hotmail, Messenger, SkyDrive, Windows Phone, Xbox LIVE, or Outlook.com. If you use an email address and password to sign in to these or other services, you already have a Microsoft account—but you can also sign up for a new account if you prefer.
With this release of Office, you must be signed in with your Microsoft account to start an Office subscription and to install and manage your Office software. You may also need to sign in with a Microsoft account when you install the latest Office 2013 suites.
Please note that some subscription benefits, such as additional storage with SkyDrive, are linked to the Microsoft account that is used to manage your subscription.
Any time you want to install Office on another PC or Mac, choose a new language for an installation, or make other changes to your account, simply return to www.office.com/myaccount and sign in with your Microsoft account. Remember – the Microsoft account you use to sign up for Office is the same account you’ll use to manage your Office subscription.
Benefits of the new Office
Show Hide How do I make sure I always have the latest Office applications?
Office 365 customers with an active subscription always get the newest versions of the Office applications when they are available. When we release a new version of Office, you will be notified that you have the option to update your software to the latest version.
Show Hide Can I install the new Office on my Mac?
If you have an active Office 365 Home Premium or Office 365 University subscription, and available installs, you can install Office applications including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook on your Mac. The applications available for Mac users and the version numbers may be different from those available for PC users.
Current Office application versions for Office 365 are Office 2013 for Windows and Office 2011 for Mac. Customers with an active subscription will be entitled to the newest versions when available.
Show Hide Will Office be identical on a PC, a Mac, and a mobile device?
No, Office applications are tailored to work best on each platform and device. The Office applications available for Mac users and the version numbers may be different from those available for PC users.
Show Hide For which devices will Office be available?
At launch Office supports PCs running Windows 7 or higher, and Macs with Mac OS X 10.6 or higher. Office Mobile supports Windows Phone devices running Windows Phone OS 7.5 and higher.
Show Hide Can people with another Office version open documents I create with Office 365 or an Office 2013 application?
Yes, a person with a previous version of Microsoft Office can easily open documents created with the latest release of Office.
Office 2007, Office 2010, Office 365, or Office 2013 users can open documents created using the latest release of Office applications without any additional action.
Customers using earlier versions of Office may need to download and install a compatibility pack.
Show Hide What is Office on Demand?
Office on Demand comes with some Office 365 subscriptions, including Office 365 Home Premium, Office 365 University and Office 365 Small Business Premium subscriptions. It lets you use your Office applications on PCs that don’t have Office installed on them. For example, a PC in the library, at a business center, or one that you borrowed from a friend.
The applications you want to use, for example Word or Excel, are streamed to the PC instead of being permanently installed on it. Streaming speed depends on Internet connectivity speed. Once you close the applications, they are no longer available to other users of that PC. Documents you save to SkyDrive will also no longer be available to other users, unless you saved them locally on the computer.
You can use Office on Demand on a PC that is connected to the Internet and running Windows 7 or later. Office on Demand is not available for Mac.
Show Hide How do I use Office on Demand?
If you have an Office 365 Home Premium or Office 365 University subscription, you can create a new document using Office on Demand by going to www.office.com, signing in with your Microsoft account and then, on the MY OFFICE tab, clicking Create New for the application you want to use. You will be able to start working on your new document within seconds—even before the streaming of all features is complete. You can also access existing documents using Office on Demand, either from Office.com or from SkyDrive. Just sign in with your Microsoft account and open the document you want to work in.
If you have an Office 365 Small Business Premium subscription, you can use Office on Demand by logging into your account at www.office.com on a PC that doesn't have Office installed. Then, go to SharePoint and open the file you want to work on, selecting the option to edit the document in its application.
Office on Demand is not available for Mac.
Show Hide What is the difference between the Office Web Apps and Office on Demand?
The new Office on Demand can instantly stream your Office applications to any PC running Windows 7 or higher, when you want it to. Like Office Web Apps, Office on Demand allows users to access Office and their documents from anywhere.
Office Web Apps are best suited for quick viewing and editing, while Office on Demand provides access to your full-featured Office applications.
Office Web Apps are available across a variety of operating systems, devices, and browsers, providing access to Office tools and your documents when working from non-Windows 7 PCs (and earlier), from other platforms (Mac OS and Linux, or from non-Windows Tablets).
Language support for Office
Show Hide For which languages is Office available?
Office is available in the languages listed below. Not all languages are available in all countries/regions.
  • For PCs running Windows: Arabic, Bulgarian, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Kazakh, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Malay (Malaysia), Norwegian (Bokmål), Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Romanian, Russian, Serbian (Latin), Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.
  • For Mac: English, Japanese, French, Russian, German, Spanish Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Dutch, Italian, Swedish, Danish, Polish, Norwegian (Bokmål), Finnish.
Show Hide Can I use Office in languages other than the one I originally purchased?
Microsoft offers simple and cost-effective solutions for multilingual individuals, families, and small businesses.
  • Office 365 Home Premium or Office 365 University: Each time you install Office on an additional PC or Mac at www.office.com/myaccount, you can choose the language in which to install Office.
  • Office 2013 suites (for example, Office Home & Business 2013): Find out about other options to use Office in languages other than the one you originally purchased at www.office.com/language.
About SkyDrive
Show Hide What is SkyDrive?
SkyDrive is a service that enables you to upload files to storage in the cloud and then access them from a computer or phone. You can use SkyDrive to store documents, notes, photos, music, videos or other types of file.
SkyDrive simplifies sharing. You can send photos and files through email, send a short link to them in a text message, or post them to a social network, your website, or your blog—all right from SkyDrive.
There's also a desktop app for SkyDrive you can install that creates a folder on your PC or Mac that automatically syncs with your cloud folder, so you can access your files offline.
Show Hide How much SkyDrive storage do I get with my Office subscription?
All SkyDrive users receive 7 GB of storage with SkyDrive for free. Additional storage can be purchased if needed. Customers with an active Office 365 Home Premium or Office 365 University subscription receive an additional 20 GB of SkyDrive storage, per subscription, for a total of 27 GB of storage. Additional storage is not available during trial periods.
This additional 20 GB of SkyDrive storage is applied to the SkyDrive account that is linked to the Microsoft account used to create the Office 365 subscription account.
Show Hide To which Microsoft account should I sign in to use SkyDrive?
Customers with an active Office 365 Home Premium or Office 365 University subscription receive 20 GB of storage with SkyDrive, in addition to any free or paid SkyDrive allowances. This additional 20 GB of SkyDrive storage is applied to the SkyDrive account that is linked to the Microsoft account that was used to set up the Office 365 subscription. Sign in to Office with this Microsoft account to access your additional storage with SkyDrive.
Other members of the household using an Office 365 Home Premium subscription can access a free 7 GB of storage per user with SkyDrive and purchase additional storage if desired. To use SkyDrive they need to download a SkyDrive desktop app and sign in to Office using their personal Microsoft account, or they can visit SkyDrive.com and sign in using their personal Microsoft account.
Show Hide Are my documents stored on SkyDrive also available offline?
With the SkyDrive desktop app installed on your computer, your documents are available offline without any action required from you. The SkyDrive desktop app creates a folder on your computer that automatically syncs documents between your SkyDrive storage in the cloud and your computer, so you can work on your documents offline and be assured that they are always in sync.
Show Hide What happens to the documents I have stored in SkyDrive when my subscription expires?
Your documents will remain accessible to share and download. If you have reached or exceeded your free 7 GB storage limit, you won’t be able to add any further documents. You will have the option to access and edit your documents saved on SkyDrive using Office Web Apps. You may save your SkyDrive documents to another computer or disk drive at any time.
About Skype world minutes
Show Hide What is Skype?
With Skype you can call friends, family, or colleagues over the internet - through your computer, mobile phone, and other devices. Call, video call, and instant message other people with a Skype account for free, or you can use Skype world minutes to call friends or family with or without a Skype account on their mobile phone or landline.
Show Hide What are Skype world minutes?
You can use Skype world minutes to call friends or family with or without a Skype account on their mobile phone or landline. Just dial from Skype and your friends and family can pick up on their phone.
Each active Office 365 Home Premium and Office 365 University subscription is entitled to 60 Skype world minutes per month, which can be used to make Skype calls to phones in over 60 countries/regions.
Your Skype world minutes will be applied to a new or existing Skype account. Each month you will receive 60 Skype world minutes. Your Skype world minutes allowance resets each month. Special, premium and non-geographic numbers cannot be called using Skype world minutes. Calls to mobiles are for select countries only. Skype world minutes available in select countries.
Show Hide How do I activate my Skype world minutes?
Your Skype world minutes will be associated with a Skype account of your choice. This can be an existing Skype account, or you can set up a new one. To activate your Skype world minutes, follow these steps:
  1. Sign in to www.office.com/myaccount using the Microsoft account that you used to set up your Office 365 subscription.
  2. Click Activate your Skype world minutes. On the page that appears, do one of the following:
  • If you don’t have a Skype account, or you want to set up a new Skype account, click Create Skype account. Then, return to the www.office.com/myaccount page and click Activate.
  • If you already have a Skype account where you want to receive your minutes, click Activate and sign in to your existing Skype account.
You will see a confirmation at www.office.com/myaccount when the minutes have been activated.
Show Hide I activated my Skype world minutes on the wrong Skype account. How can I change this?
You can change the Skype account with which your Skype world minutes are associated once per year. To do this you need to deactivate your Skype world minutes from the existing account, and then assign them to a new or different Skype account.
Follow these steps:
  1. Go to www.office.com/deactivateskype.
    • If prompted, sign in with the Microsoft account that you used to start your subscription.
    • Click Deactivate.
  2. Then, follow the same steps you took to activate your Skype world minutes originally.
Show Hide Will Skype world minutes work with my existing Skype subscriptions?
Yes. Skype world minutes work with your existing Skype plans.
Show Hide Can I use Skype world minutes plan from my mobile phone?
You can use Skype world minutes from any device where you have Skype installed, whether it’s your mobile phone, tablet, TV, or other device, subject to country/region availability.
Show Hide Which countries/regions are included with Skype world minutes?
You can call the following countries/regions:
Both landlines and mobile phones: Canada, Guam, Hong Kong SAR, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Thailand, and the United States.
Landlines only: Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Chile, China, Croatia, Colombia (excl. Lex), Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guadeloupe, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia (Jakarta), Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, United Kingdom, and Venezuela.
You can call from any country/region in the world except Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, China, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, India, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Namibia, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Taiwan, Tunisia, and United Arab Emirates.
Note that special, premium, and non-geographic numbers are not covered by Skype world minutes. Additionally, it isn’t possible to place emergency calls.
Show Hide Can I use Skype world minutes to call a country/region that isn’t included?
Skype offers a variety of pay-as-you-go and subscription options to supplement Skype world minutes. Visit www.skype.com for more details.
Office 365 University
Show Hide What is Office 365 University?
Office 365 University is a four-year subscription for full- and part-time enrolled university and college students, faculty, and staff in accredited institutions. Alumni of these institutions are ineligible.
After purchasing Office 365 University at a participating retailer, you need to go online to verify your eligibility in order to activate Office. You are also subject to the Office 365 University EULA and will be required to accept the agreement before activating the product. Internet access is required. The academic verification and redemption process occurs online. Each eligible user can redeem Office 365 University product once in a three year period and can only activate a maximum of two.
Show Hide How many licenses/installations does Office 365 University allow?
The Office 365 University plan allows you to install Office on up to two PCs or Macs, for use by a single person.
Show Hide In which countries/regions is Office 365 University available?
Office 365 University is available in the following countries/regions: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong SAR, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Korea, Kuwait, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, and Vietnam.
Office 365 University will be available in each of the countries/regions listed as the new Office is released in that country/region.
Download and install Office
Show Hide I installed the Office Preview. What happens when it ends?
If you installed one of the Office 365 Preview plans, the Preview will expire approximately 60 days after the next version of Office becomes available in your market. As the date approaches, you’ll receive notifications in the Office applications alerting you to the pending expiration. Once the Preview has expired, the applications enter read-only mode, which means that you can view or print documents only, it isn’t possible to create new documents, edit, or save them.
You must uninstall the Preview version of Office before installing a newer version of Office. To do so, run the Fix it tool that is available on the Support site.
If your tablet includes a preview edition of Microsoft Home and Student 2013 RT, you’ll be automatically updated to the final edition for free via Windows Update. The update can also be accessed manually at any time. On your Windows RT device go to the Start Screen and search “Windows Update” and from the Settings filter select either ‘Windows Updates’ or ‘Check for Updates’. You can also access Windows Update through Control Panel and tap or click “Check for Updates”. (Internet Wi-Fi connection required for update and Internet usage charges may apply).
If you installed Office 365 Small Business Premium or Office 365 Enterprise, all data in the Preview account will be deleted when the Preview ends, including email and calendar data, web sites, and uploaded documents, so be sure to move any information you want to keep to a different location.
Show Hide Is Internet access required for Office?
Internet access is required to install and activate all the latest releases of Office suites and all Office 365 subscription plans.
For subscription versions of Office including Office 365 Home Premium you will need to go online to manage your subscription account, for example to install Office on other machines, or to change billing options. You will also need to connect to the Internet regularly to keep your version of Office up-to-date and benefit from automatic upgrades. Internet connectivity is also required to access the Office 365 offerings such as SkyDrive.
Show Hide How do I install Office 365 Home Premium or Office 365 University?
Visit www.office.com/myaccount on the PC or Mac that you want to install Office on, and then sign in with the Microsoft account that you used to purchase the subscription. Once signed in, click Install Office and follow the onscreen instructions.
Please ensure you are signed in with the Microsoft account that you want to associate with your Office product.
Show Hide How do I install Office Home & Student 2013, Office Home & Business 2013, or Office Professional 2013?
Follow the instructions provided on your Office packaging. In most cases, you will need to visit www.office.com/setup and follow the onscreen instructions to download the software to your computer.
Please ensure you are signed in with the Microsoft account that you want to associate with your Office product.
Show Hide How long does it take to download and install Office?
All versions of the new Office for Windows PCs use Click-to-Run, a streaming technology that lets you begin to use Office applications before installation is complete. The actual download speed of Office depends on the speed of your Internet connection.
Show Hide Should I install the 32-bit or 64-bit version of Office?
The 32-bit version of Office is installed by default. Even if your computer is running a 64-bit version of Windows, we recommend that you install the 32-bit version of Office, because it is more compatible with the applications and add-ins that work with Office. If you do want to install the 64-bit version of Office, you can do so by taking the following steps:
  • Office 365 Home Premium: Go to www.office.com/myaccount, click Languages and install options, and then click Additional install options.
  • Other Office 365 plans: Log into your account at www.office365.com and choose the option to install the 64-bit version of Office.
It is not possible to install both the 64-bit version and 32-bit versions of Office on the same computer.
Managing your Office 365 subscription
Show Hide How do I manage my Office 365 subscription?
You can manage your billing information, install or remove Office from additional PCs or Macs, and manage your installations of Office on other devices at any time.
  • Office 365 Home Premium or Office 365 University: Go to www.office.com/myaccount and follow the on-screen instructions.
  • Other Office 365 plans: Log into your Office 365 account at www.office365.com to edit your profile as a user or manage your organization as an administrator.
Show Hide How can I change which devices have Office 365 installed?
Office 365 Home Premium can be installed on up to five PCs, or Macs, for use by your entire household. Office 365 University can be installed on up to two PCs or Macs, for use by one person.
If you have installed Office on the maximum number of PCs or Macs and want to use Office on a different PC or Mac, you can deactivate a computer from your subscription, by logging in to www.office.com/myaccount. You can then install Office on a new PC or Mac.
The copy of Office on the PC or Mac that was removed from the subscription will revert to reduced functionality mode, but you will not lose the documents that are saved locally on the original PC.
Show Hide How do I uninstall Office?
To uninstall Office:
  • Office 365 Home Premium or Office 365 University: Go to www.office.com/myaccount. In the Current PC Installs section, click Deactivate. Then, to remove Office entirely, go to your PC's Control Panel and uninstall Office 365 Home Premium.
  • Other Office 365 plans: Log in to your account at www.office365.com to manage your installations, including deactivating Office. If you want to remove Office applications completely from your computer, you must uninstall Office 365 from your PC's Control Panel.
Show Hide What's the difference between deactivating Office and uninstalling it?
Deactivating Office leaves the Office applications on your PC in read-only mode, which means that you can view documents but can't create new documents, edit them, or save them. To remove Office applications completely, you must uninstall Office from your computer using your PC's Control Panel.
Show Hide How do I obtain a back-up copy of my Office product?
There are several ways to get a back up for your Office product:
  • Office 365 Home Premium and Office 365 University customers can download or reinstall from office.com/myaccount.
  • You may order a DVD back-up copy for the latest release Office products for a fee. Visit www.office.com/backup for details.
  • If you are using an Office for business product, please see the Office 365 for business FAQ:
For more information on obtaining back-up copies visit, www.office.com/downloadoffice.
Back-up copies cannot be shipped to the following countries/regions:
Bhutan, Brazil, China, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Cook Islands, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Iraq, Jan Mayen, Kiribati, Libya, Micronesia, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, Niue, Palau, Pitcairn Islands, Saba, Samoa, Sint Eustatius, Timor Leste, Tokelau, Wallis and Futuna.
Show Hide What happens when my subscription ends? How can I continue to work with my documents?
As the expiration date approaches, you will receive notifications in the Office applications and via email, alerting you to the upcoming expiration. Once your Office 365 subscription expires, the Office software applications enter read-only reduced functionality mode, which means that you can view or print documents, but you will not be able to create new documents or edit existing documents.
To return to full Office functionality, you can purchase a new subscription or one PC another version of Office, from Office.com or any participating retailer. You could also return to using an older version of Office, or use the free Office Web Apps on SkyDrive for basic editing.
Billing and renewal
Show Hide Will I be notified before I’m charged?
You will be notified before you’re charged when it’s time to renew an annual subscription. If you are signed up for a monthly subscription, your payment will be automatically debited each month and you won’t be notified in advance.
You can change your payment method or cancel your subscription at any time by signing in to www.office.com/myaccount with the Microsoft account that you used to set up the subscription.
Show Hide What billing options do I have for my Office 365 subscription?
Log in to www.office.com/myaccount to manage your billing options for your Office 365 Home Premium subscription.
  • Setting up auto-renew is the simplest way to ensure continued service for your Office 365 subscription. If you set up an annual subscription, you will be notified before you are charged.
    1. On the www.office.com/myaccount page, click Set up an auto-renew subscription.
    2. Select the annual or monthly purchase option.
    3. Click Buy, complete the purchase with your billing information, and then click Save.
  • Customers on a monthly subscription can switch to an annual subscription by following these steps:
    1. Go to http://office.microsoft.com/home-premium.
    2. Select the annual (per year) purchase option.
    3. Click Buy now and complete the purchase with your billing information.
      Please note: You must sign in with the same Microsoft account which you used to set up your monthly subscription.
    4. Click Save. Once you have completed this process, your account will be automatically updated to annual billing.
Support and resources
Show Hide I need help buying Office for home or school
You can contact Microsoft Support for questions on the subjects below.
  • Order Status
  • Billing
  • Download
  • Product key
  • Installation/de-installation
  • Product activation
Show Hide Where can I get technical support?
Visit Microsoft Support for help on technical issues, including:
  • Installation/de-installation
  • Product activation
  • Product use
  • Technical assistance
Show Hide Are there other support options for Office?