Get Office 365 free for a year – but hurry!

14 December 2016, 08:39

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Microsoft is currently giving away FREE developer accounts for Office 365, that come complete with a year’s subscription to the Office 365 apps (that is, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and so on). However, it’s a limited time offer, so get in there quick!

Here are the steps:

  1. In your desktop web browser visit https://dev.office.com/devprogram

  2. Enter your personal details when prompted – including a working email address! If asked for a company name, just type “None” – that’s what I did, and it worked fine.

  3. Click the link in the email you get sent, and then fill-in the other personal details when prompted – which will include creating an account.

  4. You’ll need to confirm you’re not a robot by supplying a working phone number or email address, but once this is done you’ll be logged into the developer centre – and can simply click Install Office 365 at the top right to download the latest Office 365 suite. Your login details required after the Office 365 apps are installed are the same as you created earlier – a something@something.onmicrosoft.com username, and the login password you created. After this, hey presto – you’ve an entirely legitimate Office 365 subscription for 12 months!

    5. Note that you can also download the Office 365 apps individually if you don’t want the full thing.

    Update: As noted by a commenter below, if you subsequently check your subscription status it shows an expiry date of within a month. However, while signing-up you will have noticed (see screenshot below) that there’s definitely a year’s subscription offered. I assume that the month notification is a bug, or that it simply ticks over each month until the 12 months are up.

    Update #2 17 January 2017: Several people have suggested this was only a month’s subscription to the Office desktop apps, but this is simply incorrect. If you signed-up to the deal visit https://portal.office.com/account/#home, login with the account you created following the instructions above, and check your subscription status. You’ll see that you’re subscribed to the Office 365 Desktop Apps amongst other things. Sadly, however, the offer has now closed.

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    Leave a comment...

    I signed up but it’s only a free month, not a year.

    — Bryan Dean Wilson · Dec 14, 02:38 PM · #

    It’s for a year – here’s what you will have seen:

    I notice too that it says only a month in the subscription page but I assume this changes on a month-by-month basis.

    — Keir · Dec 15, 01:06 AM · #

    Is was effectively a month: a couple of days ago they sent me a notification that the monthly service is ending this week

    — Francesco · Jan 9, 12:31 AM · #

     
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