Questions about 365 and Office on android and pc

Question

I want to get back to using outlook and one note on my new laptop and phone and have them sync at least with the calendar part.

My phone is a samsung and has reinstalled Microsoft office apps which I haven't used yet.

My old laptop has office 2013 with windows 10 and im not using it online anymore but have been saving important information from it to an external drive including old emails and attachments.

For my new laptop I purchased 365, but haven't installed it yet and may return it and opt for Office 2024 because I am less interested in cloud storage and continual updates. But if 265 is the better option for other reasons such as ability to sync with phone I might reconsider.

So my questions are:

1. Is the app from my phone all i need? Or do i need Office 2024 or 365 on my laptop?
2. If using 365 on my laptop do i install that on my phone and not use the samsung MS apps preinstalled on my phone? Or do i install it on my laptop and open the samsung MS apps and provide the 365 credentials?
3. If i use Office 2024 on my new laptop, how would i be synching with my phone? Would one note sync?
4. Does the samsung MS app have cloud storage for one note? If so, how much?
5. Should i start a seperate and new Microsoft account to avoid losing access to old emails? Im just a bit terrified about losing information in the process, especially when i realize it is impoosible to find a human to speak with at Microsoft support, so any adcice there would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance for any guidance!!

Answer 1

Hi. I'm Brian and I'll try to help.

Outlook on a PC and on a phone cannot sync the calendar unless both devices access the same mail/calendar provider. A Microsoft account whose address ends in @hotmail.com, @outlook.com, @msn.com or @live.com (or one of these international versions of these domains) allows this, as does an account in an institutional Microsoft 365 tenant. OneNote should sync as well if you are using the same Microsoft account. See this for guidance for OneNote: https://support.microsoft.com/office/1986c4cf-7716-4c78-b7e7-479be30992c7

Answer 2

1. To sync Outlook and OneNote between your phone and laptop, you will need Microsoft 365 installed on your laptop. While the mobile apps can function independently, having the desktop version allows for better integration and syncing capabilities with your Microsoft account.
2. If you choose to use Microsoft 365 on your laptop, you can install the mobile apps on your phone and log in with your Microsoft 365 credentials. You do not need to uninstall the preinstalled Samsung Microsoft apps, but using the official Microsoft apps will provide better functionality and features.
3. If you opt for Office 2024 on your new laptop, syncing with your phone will be limited compared to Microsoft 365. OneNote will not sync as effectively without a cloud service like OneDrive, which is integrated with Microsoft 365. Office 2024 does not offer the same level of continuous updates and cloud features.
4. The Samsung Microsoft app does not inherently provide cloud storage for OneNote. Instead, OneNote typically syncs with OneDrive, which is part of Microsoft 365. The amount of storage available depends on your OneDrive plan, which comes with Microsoft 365 subscriptions.
5. It is advisable to keep your existing Microsoft account to avoid losing access to your old emails and data. Creating a new account may complicate access to your existing information. Instead, consider using your current account with the new installations to ensure all your data remains accessible.

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References:

• Understand licensing in new Outlook for Windows
• Plan an upgrade from older versions of Office to Microsoft 365 Apps