Access to Office 365 and a Copy of Office

As an NC State student, faculty or staff member, you can download and install a free copy of the full MS Office suite (includes Word, Excel and PowerPoint), and you also have access to the cloud versions of these products (Office 365).

Your free copy of Office 365 can be installed on multiple devices and comes with online file storage space in OneDrive.

NOTE: Google Workspace is the university’s primary communication and collaboration tool for NC State. OIT recommends that you use Google Workspace for collaboration instead of Office 365.

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Get your copy

  1. Go to:
    office365.ncsu.edu.
  2. Sign in with your Unity ID and password.
  3. Choose one of these two options for working with Office 365:
    • Option 1 – To download and install MS Office and work locally:
      • On a personally-owned computer:
        Choose the product to install and follow the instructions on the screen.
      • On a university-owned computer: 
        Contact your local IT staff before attempting to install Office on it.
    • Option 2 – To work in the cloud without downloading and installing MS Office:
      Be aware that you’ll be using limited versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

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Install on multiple devices

You can install the Office suite on up to ten devices, including personal ones:

  • five PCs or Macs
    AND
  • five smartphones or tablets (see Help below for links).

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Mobile Setup

Set up Office apps and email on a mobile device

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Office 365 features that are not available at NC State

  • Exchange, including email and calendar

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Keep your Office copy activated

If you downloaded and installed the full Office suite on your PC or Mac, be sure to keep it activated by connecting to the internet at least once every 30 days.

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Working online

  • Use newer browsers:
  • Be aware that features are limited in online versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
  • You have 1 TB (1000 GB) of personal space in OneDrive, the online space connected with Office 365.
  • Documents you create online will be stored online.

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Storing sensitive data

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Collaboration

  • Be sure to use Google Workspace instead of Office 365 to share documents and work collaboratively.
  • Google Workspace remains OIT’s primary collaboration and communication tool for campus.

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When you leave NC State

You will lose access to your Office 365 account and any data or information stored within. This information may not be retrievable after your access is lost.

  • Disposition of files stored in OneDrive
    • Students
      • Transfer personal data to other locations; e.g., local computer, a personal Google account, or a personal Office 365 account.
      • Graduating students who complete a degree program with NC State will maintain access to their NC State Google account for six months; if you want to transfer any data, use a personal Google account. See Extended access for new graduates for more information.
    • Employees
      • Transfer any university or department data and files to your supervisor or any other appropriate department file storage location.
        See the Separating Employee Guide.
      • Transfer personal data to other locations; e.g., local computer, or a personal Google account, or a personal Office 365 account.
  • Additional Resources

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Help

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