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Microsoft 365
What Is Microsoft 365?
Microsoft 365 - formerly known as Office 365 - is more than just Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. It provides powerful services like business-class email, online storage, and teamwork solutions that you can access from anywhere. Bring teams and resources together with solutions like Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business that make working together more productive and enjoyable regardless of where participants are located.
Who Uses Microsoft 365?
Cloud-based subscription service that brings together the tools by combining apps like Excel and Outlook with cloud services making people in large companies to create and share from any device.
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Microsoft 365
Reviews of Microsoft 365
Alternatives Considered:
A must have for any office
Comments: Overall, this is excellent software that's well worth the annual fee that Microsoft charges. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for an Office suite of software, whether a small office or larger organization.
Pros:
Office 365 is packed with great software at a great annual price. It's simple to use, but also very powerful. I primarily use Word and PowerPoint for my job and I find it quick, easy and effective. The new feature where PowerPoint makes suggestions to improve your slide is really nice and often spurs ideas in me. Outlook is a powerful email, contact and calendar that you can use across multiple platforms and share with co-workers and family. One more than one occasion it has helped me remember important dates and appointments as well as keeping on track regarding my work responsibilities. I don't use excel, but people I know who do speak highly of it and how flexible and powerful it is.
Cons:
There is very little about Office 365 I don't like. Outlook could use an aesthetic overhaul in my opinion, but that's a pretty minor gripe for software as powerful as this.
Alternatives Considered:
Good enough overall, but expensive and complicated management
Comments: Improving the search feature would indeed be a significant enhancement. For administrators, maintaining an orderly structure with clear and stable admin panels is crucial. It streamlines their tasks and ensures efficient management.
Pros:
The tool’s integration with data and information management is excellent. As a leader, it’s easy to use because you’ve been using it for many, many years, and everyone else uses it too.
Cons:
For administrators, it’s a nightmare. Every month, M365 developers change dashboards and configuration panel, names and locations. It’s common to find two versions (old and new) with different features, options, names, and locations.
Alternatives Considered:
A well-rounded solution for all the business needs of a company
Comments: Microsoft 365 is the most universal business solution both for SMEs and big corporations as it removes the burden for the IT needs of the organisation.
Pros:
The seamless integration across all business platforms: email - calendar - document editing/handling - cloud storage.
Cons:
The not-so-seamless integration on Apple devices.
MS 365 review
Comments: It functions and does its job mostly, but competition needs to exist.
Pros:
Its the only program like it, while competitors exists its the standard.
Cons:
Feature that should work haven't worked for years.
A Convert to Microsoft 365 for File Storage
Comments: I was suspicious at its effectiveness at first. But now I've used it for roughly 5 years and I am glad for having made the switch.
Pros:
As the title infers, the file storage is fantastic. I used to store files on Dropbox, and while I maintain an account, I don't use it much. Now, I'm more of a fan of Microsoft 365.
Cons:
It does cost some money to retain a substantial amount of storage (which totally makes business sense). And I personally do like other software for graphic design (Canva). But it's still a worthwhile software to be sure, and very good for businesses.
Alternatives Considered:
One account, many tools
Comments: Use of Microsoft 365, previously named Office 365 for several years for my company and my customers.
Pros:
Microsoft quality. Lots of tools could be accessed with one account and so management is simplified (but a litlle hurt)
Cons:
Maybe too many tools and so it's not easy to fully manage all of them
Best cloud product
Pros:
Works well on almost all devices across platforms
Cons:
Too many options to buy and or subscribe
Very handy and important for Office jobs
Pros:
Very professional and really makes the life easy.
Cons:
Licensing can be a pain sometimes. Otherwise all good.
Must-Have Software!
Comments: My overall experience with Microsoft 365 has been positive. The software is great for single or multiple users. It's a must-have for teachers and students. Instead of having multiple programs installed on your PC, Microsoft 365 gives you everything in one package.
Pros:
I have been using Microsoft 365 for the past 5 or so years. It's a great program that includes Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and so many more. I like that I'm not required to download each program within 365 on my PC. If you're low on storage space, this is exactly what you need. As long as you have an internet browser, you can access everything Microsoft 365 provides. I also like that you can download 365 on multiple PCs with one account. If you use multiple devices, you don't have to buy a subscription for each one. Microsoft 365 also automatically saves your work in case you lose power or the internet. You can easily start a project on one device and pick right up on another. I like the ability to share your work and allow others to make changes or add to your project. This is great for teachers. If a student is working on an assignment, the teacher can view what they are working on and give them comments in real-time.
Cons:
I have been using Microsoft 365 for a few years now and I have never had any problems. Everything has worked flawlessly.
Great all-in-one suite of applications
Comments: All office 365 apps are well connected and easy to share information and workflows
Pros:
Great cross app integration and easy to setup
Cons:
Expensive and lack of integration with non Microsoft applications
Alternatives Considered:
Great product, okay price
Comments: Good, stable, getting better. Due to recent global events (COVID-19), much of our workforce suddenly became work-from-home. Office 365 made this transition better than an on-premise solution.
Pros:
In general, this product has worked quite well for our organization. Microsoft consistently adds features, but with us being in the government cloud, it can take time for these features to reach us (Planner took 30 months to reach us). On the other hand, these features are being added with greater regularity than the competition. For office software, Office 365 is the gold standard.
Cons:
It's expensive. There is no flexibility on licensing. If you have 1000 licenses, you can license no more than 1000 people. 1001 is right out. Since it takes time to buy licensing (between our purchasing process and our licensing agent), we need to constantly run 2-5% extra licensing. This is in effect, a 2-5% increase to the cost of the software/service. I don't know if Microsoft factored this into their pricing scheme, but we did not when balancing the cost of this product vs. alternatives.
Microsoft 365 has all you need in one software.
Comments: I use Microsoft 365 on my Windows laptop at home and the go as well as on a Windows desktop while working on campus as a student. I also occasionally use the mobile version of the apps on my Android phone. I first got introduced to this software as a first-year student at University. The software suite was part of my registration package. Before then I didn’t see the need to pay for it but to my surprise, now I can't live without it. The templates that come with the apps make aesthetically pleasing documents as simple as clicking a button. Microsoft 365 subscription made it much easier to do the dreaded group assignments as Microsoft has made it easy to collaborate simultaneously in PowerPoint and Word. Another bonus for me was that I didn’t have to carry my laptop with me every day to campus because when I needed to work there, all I had to do was log into my account on any of the campus desktops and immediately have access to my work. Now that I’m not a student anymore, unlike before, I am now more than willing to pay the annual subscription fee.
Pros:
The suite has everything you need to start and run your business, even during a pandemic. Ease of access to your work wherever, whenever. Real-time collaboration with others in PowerPoint and Word. Access to your all-time favorites like PowerPoint, Word, Excel, and many other apps all in one subscription. No additional cost for updates. 1TB cloud storage
Cons:
Lacks when it comes to customizability. Mobile features have some limitations. The Mobile version isn’t as intuitive as the desktop version Its subscription base prompts you to keep paying in perpetuity.
Alternatives Considered:
It's good but Microsoft needs to know what the purpose of it is
Comments: We use it for what the office has always proposed: editing documents, creating spreadsheets, messing with data sheets for other purposes, such as cleaning before sending to the BI database, and presentations and tutorial videos for our customers in Excel. We do not use Outlook, as it is more practical today to use the cloud, and we rely more on Google Workspace for this purpose (emails from outlook.com sometimes disappear or never arrive). Other office programs we use little, and we use a lot of OneDrive space, but for backup, not for collaboration, as there are bugs when you least expect it and duplicate or corrupt files if you use it in two places or if you leave times without syncing.
Pros:
I like the look and the stability and the compatibility. You can open old and new documents and it always opens the way you expect, without corrupting and cluttering.
Cons:
The problem is developer greed. Think about it: you subscribe to the service, you'll use whatever you want to use from the software, and the rest should be left out. But they're always trying to push you to use the rest. For example, we don't use Outlook, but we couldn't remove it from the installation. The constant popups and advertisements to push other Microsoft products make us swing between not using Microsoft 365 anymore. Windows is going down the same bad path. There are bugs in opening CSV from Excel that were never resolved.
Alternatives Considered:
A great product to increase productivity
Comments: If you are used to work with Microsoft Office, this the tools for you, it is cost effective, because you pay as you use, you can integrate web mail and have free storage.
Pros:
Allows the complete team to access the files and email everywhere as long as they have an internet connection. You can save money when compared to purchasing the licenses separately. Sets up the foundation so the company can take full advantage of cloud benefits.
Cons:
Very hard to work with no internet connection. In some cases we have complains that a few features like accessing password protected files and macros limitations. Having documents in the cloud increases the security risk for having everything in one place.
Alternatives Considered:
The most complete Suite for large companies
Comments: In our company, both those of us who manage the suite and the users have had an excellent experience, thanks to the operability and availability of the suite, as well as the easy use of all the options, it is like having all in one
Pros:
What I like most about Microsoft 365 is the large number of tools that this suite offers us, and the connection that exists between them, that is, we have everything at hand without the need to use third-party tools.
Cons:
The tool is super complete, but I really consider it a little high in terms of cost
A complete set of extremely useful programs for work or home
Comments:
Excel is what I use the most, and for me it is more than a spreadsheet creating tool, is a mathematical, drawing, statistical, and many more things tool.
Besides of using WORD as my document redaction tool to generate documentation for my projects, I also use it whenever I need to check a text redaction for written messages to be sent by e-mail or other text apps since I normally get better grammar suggestions with it.
Pros:
I will mention a few of these programs to make a reference: WORD offers probably the largest selection of font types on text managing apps. The panel control at the top (Ribbon) is very intuitive and consistent with all MS office tools, you get familiar with it quickly, and also adding numbering, bullets, or other visual helps to improve your document’s look is really easy, just highlight the paragraph you are working on, right-click on it and a mini-toolbar will appear so you can select what you need to edit, format, or add. In case of any grammar or typing errors are made, the program has a “real-time” spelling check that suggests spelling and grammar corrections, so your work can have the quality you need. EXCEL is my workhorse, I use it to create tables, make calculations, generate graphs, and also make small programing routines. You could even create your own mini-ERP with this app. POWERPOINT is the data show presentation tool by excellence, you can download multiple templates on line, and interact with it by activating the highlighter and pen features to write on top of your presentation.
Cons:
On WORD Sometimes placing inserted images into your text becomes a little tricky, but with a little practice they end up in the right spot. On EXCEL I have experienced some lag between the time you move your cursor in the cells, and when it actually moves, I guess we may be working on-line without knowing it :)
Offers great apps and tools to optimize productivity and communication
Comments: Perfect for business use. Lots of different apps and features that are very useful in businesses. It helps allow for better communication between coworkers, especially with Skype (for video conferencing), Microsoft Teams (for instant messaging), and Yammer (for creating polls, praise, and any updates). Office 365 has definitely helped me work more efficiently. I've gone from "working harder" to "working smarter" thanks to this software!
Pros:
I like how it has OneDrive so that you can upload things onto the Cloud Drive so that you can share it with other users. I also like how you can create groups and put multiple e-mails. I also like how you can create calendars and share them with people (which is especially helpful in the business office setting to know when certain people have appointments/meetings, at work, on vacation, etc.). The instant message via Microsoft Teams is great too when trying to communicate with people in different offices. I also like how there are so many different apps I can utilize. There is Delve, Flow, Kaizala, OneNote, Yammer, and PowerApps, Dynamics 365. Unfortunately, I don't use these at my office, but I can see them being utilized fully in other businesses. I use Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint a lot. I like how all of these have templates too, so I can use those instead of starting from scratch. Excel has one for personal monthly budget, custom calendar, project trackers, lists, weekly timesheets, travel expense trackers, etc. All of these are so useful! All you have to do is input your own data/numbers/words because all the formulas are already preset. Microsoft Word has templates for resumes, business letters, event flyers, reports, newsletters, invitations, etc. They're all so wonderful and helpful!
Cons:
I don't like how you are not able to import or export contacts easily between other e-mail platforms (i.e. google.com) and Outlook. I wish there was some way it could all sync up. Also, they have an app for Outlook, but it's not very user-friendly. A lot of functions are not available (i.e. open another mailbox) and it's hard to see the full e-mail window when I'm typing.
Not the Microsoft of the mid 2000s.
Comments: I'm the Dir of Technology for a small independent elementary school. I've seen the trends and frustrations and familiarity on peoples' parts swing from Office to Google and back again. I am often challenged by how much to learn there always is when looking at all of the capabilities, but genuinely enjoy the challenges because I learn something more about how to do my job better. There are small oddities at times that will make you scratch your head because two parts that were developed separately don't quite behave perfectly when they overlap [ Create a "Faculty Notebook" in OneNote / O365 for EDU and you can add other "Admins" to it to manage or contribute. Elevate and Office 365 group to a team and OneNote notebook because a StaffNotebook, but you cannot add another teammate as an admin on it because it originated in Teams and not OneNote. ] These are the sort of unexplainable behaviors that popcorn into the back of your head when you're using getting comfortable with scripting new user account creation via PowerShell in to your Office 365 environment (something I never thought I'd do) and keep you from 100% trusting it even though you can find a hundred ways to apply things in different methods or combinations to solve any problem you throw at it. Long way to say that I love Office 365 which is why it is so frustrating when it falters because I expect better of it.
Pros:
Office 365 was a powerful move to the cloud and leveraged the familiarity of the Office Suite with the connectivity and enabling of collaboration on the cloud. At first, the cloud versions of familiar software was rough around the edges and missing a lot of the functionality that people knew in the desktop versions, even if they didn't use them regularly (or ever). Over time, Office 365 has steadily improved its various offerings, added more feature parity between the desktop and online versions and begun to integrate more seamlessly with workflows for a variety of people. With some vision of what "work" looks like outside of generating letter-size pieces of paper with text and images on it, the variety of tools surrounding the classic presentation, word processing, and spreadsheet software have introduced new methods for communicating and creating content together.
Cons:
Sometimes the level of options can be overwhelming. Even with a fair amount of experience, it can be tricky to stay on top of changes or know all the ins and outs. The rapidity with which they address fixing problems is also applied often to perceived problems and that can lead to feeling like the documentation is always out of date or non-applicable and no one knows the right or simple answer to things.
Your Great Helper
Comments:
I immediately opened my content-managed company's website that came with Office 365 SharePoint.
It offers new opportunities to work with teams. The Internet created with SharePoint enables different people to work from different locations on the same files as intranet sites and common areas.
Office 365 works fine with almost all mobile devices. We increased our performance and efficiency by accessing your data from anywhere.
Pros:
Ofice 365 with all applications I like to use. Outlook, OneDrive, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, Yammer and other applications, the company I work with my work in my private life. I can handle all my important work. Ofice 365 can be operated mobile and fixed anywhere without interruption, with the ability to work independently from the device and work with similar interfaces on every device. All plans are compatible with Office 2007, Office 2008 for Mac, Office 2010, and Office 2011 for Mac. I've been doing all my correspondence with Ms office word for years. I've used all software versions of ms office to date. I'm a 20-year-old ms office user. I never thought about using any other software. I do all the presentations with Powerpoint for years. I've never seen a better software than that. I get excellent and professional results. Because ms office is extremely common and good software marketing; I always had good support in technical understanding. I improved myself by easily accessing training documents and videos.
Cons:
The only dislike is the charge part. In recent years, hikes have increased. Besides, the good thing about office 365 is that it is free for students. Maybe we think it might be a bit too affordable in professional users.
The Complete Package
Comments: I have been using Office 365 for over 7 years now and I am completely satisfied with it. It provides me with every product that I need like Word, OneDrive and PowerPoint. it runs smoothly and doesn't consume a lot of memory. Office 365 has saved me many times when I needed to do some work and studies. I have become attached to it and I can't let it go now. it's simply my best package so far!
Pros:
I am always asked to make a decent presentation, a proper and organized article, a database and many more other duties. Luckily I have Office 365. it is the absolute package that contains all of the necessary tools to get these duties accomplished. All my favourite Softwares are gathered in one place ( Office 365 ). I use almost every product included in the package. PowerPoint to make perfect presentations to my college, Word to prepare a well-shaped article, and Excel to make some huge databases that contain tons of information and calculations! I also use OneDrive which is a product included in Office 365 that gives you access to your files from anywhere, whether you're at home resting at your bed, or at the library studying or even in a vacation on the beach. You can access your files from literally anywhere! One thing I like a lot about Office 365 is that once you get it, you will have it on your PC, on your phone and even on your Tablet or smartwatch! Also, I like the fast-paced updates. with Office 365 you will always have Word, PowerPoint, OneDrive, SharePoint and many other products at the latest version as soon as it comes out!
Cons:
While you can access your files at any time and from anywhere, you need an internet connection for that, so if you happen to not have an available internet connection, you will not be able to access your files at all. Office 365 uses the latest technology and do updates for its products pretty often, Office 365 is so advanced to the point that sometimes it will not be compatible with some old systems and devices. Although you might be able to come around this problem but that process is very time-consuming.
All the applications any organisation needed for daily use in one platform.
Comments: In the initial stage, we started using O365 globally with Skype for Business and Sharepoint Online only but after sometimes we realized that it comes with multiple other applications such as Exchange, Mobile Device Management ( Intune), Azure Active Directory and other office applications (Excel, word, etc). So little by little, we are planning to use 100% of O365 features. At the moment we are using Skype For business and MS Teams as our main Video/Audio conference platform. Before we migrate to SFB we were using third-party vendor platform for audio calls which we paid based on the minutes and number of participants and after we migrate to O365 with Skype for Business this is only license cost per user and no additional charges, This saved a lot of money to Organization. Sharepoint online also we are using to share documents and updates within the organization and within our business partners and customers. Microsoft Intune we are using to manage our co-operate owned devices globally ( IOS & Android ).
Pros:
Easy to access from anywhere in the world if you have an internet connection. Possible of access online and edit or change any documents (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc.). Can access from any device to your account. Skype for Business or MS Teams can use as a Video/Audio Conference tool. O365 comes with Microsoft Intune which helps to manage your organization's mobiles and Portable devices( ex.IPADs). Sharepoint Online helps you to create own Website to share documents, updates, etc within an organization or with external parties. O365 is one of the greatest solution provided by Microsoft for any Organization which will cover at least 80% of the most needed applications in one platform.( Based on the licenses you purchased.)
Cons:
Microsoft Intune limitation to setup Emails on an Android platform using a Fully managed profile when you have a none third party exchange platform that is not connected to Exchange Online. Only "Gmail" and "Ninework" works with Intune Android emails. New Sharepoint Online some features complex compared to the previous version for users who used to the previous version.
All in One Software to for Your Day Job and Business
Comments: Overall, I am completely satisfied using Office 365. It can be costly since it follows a subscription model, the cost is worth it, considering the benefits and apps that it provides. Since it is created by Microsoft Corporation, you are assured that it will be highly maintained and improved for years to come to satisfy its users. You can also be assured that the customer support that you will get is top notched.
Pros:
I have been a subscriber to Office 365 since 2019. I am using Excel and MS Word heavily since they came out. I am an accountant by profession and these two apps (Excel & MS Word) including Powerpoint helped me get the job done in my work and in my business. By the way, Office 365 Family allows you to install your devices up to 5 devices. Your apps get sync between your devices. So the history of the files you are working on with the 3 software I mentioned above gets synced and stored in the history of your devices. If you are using OndeDrive to store your files, then you will be able to access them anywhere as long as there is Internet. And with the history stored in your software, you know where to pick up where you left off. Another key feature if you are using Office 365 is the ability to get automatic upgrades and updates. As long as you stay subscribed, your software are always up-to-date. Office 365 also provides access to other apps such as Outlook, Access, Publisher, One Note, OneDrive (cloud storage), and Skype usage (60 minutes / month if you are using Family.) Lastly, another feature is file sharing. You can share your files to anyone you want and give them the access to edit it. You can share a file or a folder.
Cons:
Subscription cost is the price for using Office 365. Not everyone likes to pay subscription. But if you are a heavy user of Excel, MS Word, Outlook and OneDrive and works with different devices like me then it's worth it. But if you're just a casual user, you may not utilize its full potential. Although the Family subscription can lower down your cost greatly by sharing it with your household. This might not be bad thing, but I must point out, you may not be able to use all its apps and features. Because of free communication online, I don't use Skype. I also don't use Access and One Note.
eh?
Comments: Disappointment and forced bondage (we've always used powerpoint for presentations, so we're going to carry on doing that, even if they're a pain to update and many more modern, better options are available).
Pros:
Familiarity, I guess, I mean, if I could literally use anything else, I would.
Cons:
Microsoft are one of the biggest software companies in the world, with more software engineers than I can count, yet each new release of this software is basically a "where do I find that feature now". Nothing new, nothing useful added, just the shelves rearranged so I have to take time out and learn where they've moved something to this time and when working across devices with different versions I have to increase my mental load on using the application to recall how to do things rather than spending that mental load on completing a task. Speaking of different versions, of course they render files slightly differently, or don't support some of the limited new features over the years so you're dissuaded from using them, does xlookup work better than vlookup? Yes, can you use it? No, because the file may go to a client with an version that doesn't support it. Appreciate I may sound contradictory, of complaining of no new features, and then those new features not being backwardsly compatible, but this is the annoyance of using this. Then you go to the web versions that are even more kneecapped, need to use a macro to achieve something? Not online you don't. Now you have to open the file in a desktop version, run the macro, and re-sync to the cloud and close the app, go back to the webversion, gah, all such a faff for an application that's older than any of my interns.
Jack of all trades and master of some
Comments: I use Microsoft 365 every day for both business use and personal use. The programmes are invaluable to me and my business. Being the industry standard ensures that compatibility is not an issue. It is stable and feature rich. The user community is active and there is always someone out there who knows how to do what you don't. I love the fact that I can legitimately share my licence with my kids to save them the cost of buying this great package.
Pros:
As an all-in-one package it is impossible to beat Microsoft 365. I does everything very well and some things brilliantly. For the price it is, in my opinion, unbeatable. I was sceptical when they brought out the subscription model but now it has proved to be good value for money. As at November 2022 I pay £79.99 for the Family package and I can share my licence with 5 other members of my family. Bargain! The bundle contains Word, Excel and PowerPoint along with Outlook. Additionally you also get 1TB of OneDrive cloud storage - per user. There are other programs to that I don't use including Skype, OneNote, Publisher and some other stuff too.
Cons:
There are two cons for me with Microsoft 365. The first is Microsoft's approach to the interface which has been updated over the years and has become to flat and minimalist. Biggest issue is identifying 'Today' in the outlook calendar in Month View. The second issue is the support - or lack of it. Having millions of users worldwide makes it impossible for them to run a phone-line help desk and it is frustrating when you want to give feedback or ask for help. Having said that, most issues can be investigated with Google and YouTube.
Microsoft 360 is an excellent professional program in the full sense of the word, suitable for teach
Comments: My experience since 2014 is getting better day by dayMy experience usedMicrosoft WordMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft PowerPointMy experience is excellent and I would recommend it to anyoneIt is better to stay away from Cracked and non-original serials, it is more harmful to a physical company than it is to use an official license from the company Microsoft 365, and for any company Thanks.
Pros:
Microsoft 360 is an excellent professional program in the full sense of the word, suitable for teachers, business owners, and studentsIts advantages are many, I will mention a few of them* You can add any line you want* A Word file can be formatted, for example, into any language* You can create a page as you want with settings in Microsoft Word* Presentation reviews can be customized as you like with consistent color, speech, audio and video* In Excel, you can create an expense and profit accounting template for years, which reduces your time and effort, as well as sales and organizing tasksMany features can convert video with audio into written textAnd the beautiful thing is that there are packages for the family, individuals, and education at special pricesAnd students with a university email can get an excellent discountIt also helps if it's with a teamA program made by qualified expert engineers that really saves a lot of time and effort with experience
Cons:
There is nothing negative to say* It is possible for all the features of the computer version to be put in an application on a phone. If there are not all features in a phone that are complete and comprehensive* There is a problem with a phone application. When I press a space, a point appears, not a space. This is a simple problem* We want it to be a private USB dedicated only to Microsoft 365. It is internal to the USB and cannot be modified or added. This is just an idea I want to add