Overview

Microsoft Office is a suite of interrelated desktop applications, servers, and services.

Note: Office versions 2016 and 2019 are no longer supported. The current version is Office 365/2021.

Getting Access

Access to software licensed by the University is based on University affiliation and sometimes the device on which the software is installed.

It is your responsibility to make sure you are using the software in accordance with the University's Acceptable Use of Information Technology Resources policy and software terms and conditions, plus any vendor terms listed below.

How to Get It

Self Service: Manage Software on University Mac Devices or Software Center: Manage Software on Your University Windows Device

Cost

  UMN provides to those eligible for no charge.

License Dates

-

License Details

Allowed Uses

  • Administrative
  • Research
  • Teaching and Learning

Terms and Conditions

  • All UMN owned devices are allowed to install Office 365 and in some instances Office 2019 through the Microsoft Enrollment for Education Solution (EES) Program.
  • Office 365 is not available to Emeritus Faculty, other retired faculty or staff, or contract employees.

What Is Included

Our distribution of Office 365 Pro Plus includes:

UMN has not activated:

  • OneDrive
  • Planner
  • Power Automate
  • Power BI (Premium license that allows sharing is not free)
  • Sharepoint
  • Teams
  • Any add-ins for Offices 365

Our distribution of Office 365 Pro Plus includes:

UMN has not activated:

  • OneDrive
  • Planner
  • Power Automate
  • Power BI (Premium license that allows sharing is not free)
  • Sharepoint
  • Teams
  • Any add-ins for Offices 365

How to Get It

Download: Microsoft Office 365 Pro Plus: For Faculty, Staff & Students Personally Owned D…

Cost

  UMN provides to those eligible for no charge.

License Dates

-

License Details

  • If you require an Office 365 product not included in our offering (see below), you can sign up for them with a personal account, however those will not be supported by the University.
  • If you do create your own account for any Microsoft product for personal use, do not use your UMN email address. Use a personal email address provided by Google, Yahoo, etc. Using your @umn.edu email address could cause conflicts between what you want to use and what we have or have not included in our license.
  • If you create a personal OneDrive account, you should not store any HIPAA, PHI, FERPA, or PCI data. In general it is inadvisable to store any information pertaining to University-related business on OneDrive.
  • Office 365 is not available to Emeritus Faculty, other retired faculty or staff, or contract employees.
  • Employees classified as temporary or casual staff are not granted access by default, but can request it for up to 3 months by filling out this temporary/casual staff Microsoft 365 access request form. If access is still required at the end of that period, a renewal can be requested up to 2 weeks prior to the expiration date.

Allowed Uses

  • Administrative
  • Research
  • Teaching and Learning

Terms and Conditions

  • Installation allowed on up to five devices.
  • Under the Home Use Program, UMN staff and faculty employees may acquire a licensed copy of Office for Windows or Mac at the same level that UMN has licensed for UMN-owned computers.
  • Staff must receive a paycheck from the University of Minnesota to participate.
  • You may install and use the software on a home computer.
  • This software can be used for both work and personal purposes.
  • You may continue using the software while you are under employment at the University of Minnesota and as long as the corresponding software you use at work has active Software Assurance coverage. Should the University decide to NOT renew the Microsoft contract for Office, communications will be sent out U-wide.
  • Should you leave your position at UMN for any reason it is your responsibility to remove the software from your computer. By ordering the software you are agreeing to abide by this guideline. You are entering into a contract directly with Microsoft, not with a department at the University of Minnesota.
  • If you are no longer employed at UMN you can still obtain Office through any number of resellers (online or in person at a store that sells software).
  • See the full Home Use Program Terms of Service.

What Is Included

Our distribution of Office 365 Pro Plus includes:

UMN has not activated:

  • OneDrive
  • Planner
  • Power Automate
  • Power BI (Premium license that allows sharing is not free)
  • Sharepoint
  • Teams
  • Any add-ins for Offices 365

Our distribution of Office 365 Pro Plus includes:

UMN has not activated:

  • OneDrive
  • Planner
  • Power Automate
  • Power BI (Premium license that allows sharing is not free)
  • Sharepoint
  • Teams
  • Any add-ins for Offices 365

How to Get It

Download: Microsoft Office 365 Pro Plus: For Faculty, Staff & Students Personally Owned D…

Cost

  UMN provides to those eligible for no charge.

License Dates

-

License Details

  • If you require an Office 365 product not included in our offering (see below), you can sign up for them with a personal account, however those will not be supported by the University.
  • If you do create your own account for any Microsoft product for personal use, do not use your UMN email address. Use a personal email address provided by Google, Yahoo, etc. Using your @umn.edu email address could cause conflicts between what you want to use and what we have or have not included in our license.
  • If you create a personal OneDrive account, you should not store any HIPAA, PHI, FERPA, or PCI data. In general it is inadvisable to store any information pertaining to University-related business on OneDrive.

Allowed Uses

  • Administrative
  • Research
  • Teaching and Learning

Terms and Conditions

  • Installation allowed on up to five devices.
  • Students must be enrolled in credit courses at the University of Minnesota to participate in the Office 365 Pro Plus license.

What Is Included

Our distribution of Office 365 Pro Plus includes:

UMN has not activated:

  • OneDrive
  • Planner
  • Power Automate
  • Power BI (Premium license that allows sharing is not free)
  • Sharepoint
  • Teams
  • Any add-ins for Offices 365

Our distribution of Office 365 Pro Plus includes:

UMN has not activated:

  • OneDrive
  • Planner
  • Power Automate
  • Power BI (Premium license that allows sharing is not free)
  • Sharepoint
  • Teams
  • Any add-ins for Offices 365

Cost

Faculty and Staff

  No charge options

Students

  No charge options

Operating Systems

  • Mac
  • Windows

Try Google Apps

Although the University has Office products, the University also provides Google Docs, which provide most of the same functionality as Office, to all students, staff and faculty.  Google Docs integrate seamlessly with UMN's email system, Gmail.

Featured Resources

How-Tos

Office 365 Activation

Office 365 Activation

Office 365 requires activation the first time after a new installation or upgrade. You must connect via the Internet at least once every 30 days to keep Office activated. Outside of...

How-Tos

Office 365: Activation Problems - Remove License Files

In some cases Office 365 through a University of Minnesota subscription will install but not activate, and standard troubleshooting does not help. Removal of license files from previous Office installations may solve...

Office 365 FAQs

Note: The information on this page is not relevant for Microsoft Office 365 for personally-owned devices, a benefit offered to University students, faculty, and staff. For that information, see Microsoft Office 365...

Additional Resources

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