These days Microsoft 365/Office 365 is a software rental service where each customer pays to use Office software on any device. That change happened back in 2018: The new Office 365 licence system starts today It’s consistent with Microsoft’s change in licensing from a ‘per machine’ or ‘per installation’ approach to a ‘per user’ system. The change is another way Microsoft is tightening their control over how and when customers use Office software. Maybe sharing a computer temporarily but don’t want that person to access your recent documents list etc? That’s still possible by signing out of the program but leaving the software running. There are situations where it might be useful to use Office apps without a sign-in. Does it matter?įor the vast majority, this change won’t matter because they use Word, Excel etc with a sign-in. Most features are disabled except viewing and printing but no editing. “PRODUCT NOTICE Most of the features of Word have been disabled because it hasn’t been activated” with an Activate button.
If you're using multi-factor authentication, follow the instructions to provide additional authentication information, such as a verification code. Close that dialog and more appropriate ‘Sign in to set up Office’ options appear. In the Sign into your account dialog box, type your Microsoft 365 work or school account user name and password, and then select OK. That’s a strange first prompt because most people just need to sign in to their Microsoft account. McMaster University offers Microsoft Office 365 at no charge to students, staff, and faculty, and includes access to leading productivity and collaboration. When you start a Microsoft 365 program after signing out, you’re first presented with a Product Key prompt. In other words, the licence check is only done when the program is started or at sign-in. Same applies if you try opening another Office program after signing out. Only when you close down the Office/Microsoft 365 software that it becomes disabled. OneDrive sync on Windows or Mac should still work after you’ve signed out from Word, Excel etc. However the sign-in for OneDrive sync is separate from the Microsoft 365/Office program sign-in. It is a good idea to save all cloud-stored documents before signing out.
The OneDrive app login is separate from the Office/Microsoft 365 login. However, it’s possible to work with documents synced to the local computer.
Most obviously, direct OneDrive access isn’t available. Some cloud-based features only work with a Microsoft account login. Microsoft’s warning message, see above, says “To complete the process, close all Office apps.” But if you keep the programs open after sign out they’ll still work.