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A1 products and features

Microsoft 365 apps

Desktop client apps

Desktop client apps with an A1 license are basic Microsoft tools like Word, Excel, and Teams that are available online (not installed) through the free Microsoft 365 A1 plan for students and teachers.

Microsoft 365 for mobile

Microsoft 365 for mobile with an A1 license allows students and teachers to use mobile apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote on phones and tablets to view and do basic editing of documents, as part of the free Microsoft 365 A1 plan.

Install apps on up to 5 PCs/Mac + 5 tablets + 5 smartphones

With a Microsoft 365 A1 license, users can access web-based apps only, but A3 or A5 licenses allow installation of Office apps on up to 5 PCs or Macs, 5 tablets, and 5 smartphones per user.

Microsoft 365 for the web

Microsoft 365 for the web with an A1 license gives students and teachers free access to online versions of apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Teams, all available through a browser without needing to install anything. Learn more: Microsoft 365 Education.

Visio for the web

Visio for the web with a Microsoft 365 A1 license provides students and educators with free access to create and edit basic diagrams and flowcharts directly in a browser using Visio in Microsoft 365, with limited templates and real-time collaboration features.

Multilingual user interface for Microsoft 365 apps

Multilingual user interface, allowing users to change the display language and use proofing tools by installing free Language Accessory Packs or Language Interface Packs (LIPs), which can be deployed across devices using tools like the Office Deployment Tool.

Email, Calendar, scheduling

Exchange Plan 1

Exchange Online Plan 1 for Education provides each user with a 50-GB mailbox, access to Outlook on the web, and essential email features like Focused Inbox and In-Place Archive, making it a foundational email solution for students and educators.

Learn more:

Outlook Desktop Client

The Outlook Desktop client for education is a fully installed application included in Microsoft 365 Education plans (such as A1, A3, and A5), providing students and educators with robust email, calendar, and productivity tools integrated with Exchange Online and other Microsoft 365 services.

Calendar

Students and educators can use the Outlook web app to manage their calendar, schedule meetings, and set reminders—all accessible online through Outlook on the web.

Exchange Online Protection

Exchange Online Protection (EOP) is included with the Microsoft 365 A1 license, providing cloud-based email filtering that protects students and educators from spam, malware, phishing, and other threats in Exchange Online 1 and is managed through the Microsoft 365 admin center.

Public folder mailboxes

Public folder mailboxes are supported in Microsoft 365 A1 through Exchange Online, allowing students and educators to share emails, calendars, and notes in a structured, browsable format via Outlook or the Exchange admin center.

Resource mailboxes

Resource mailboxes—such as room and equipment mailboxes—are supported with the Microsoft 365 A1 license and can be created and managed through the Exchange Admin Center without needing a separate license, unless used with services like Microsoft Teams Rooms.

Inactive mailboxes

Inactive mailboxes in Microsoft 365 A1 allow organizations to retain the email data of former students or staff by placing a hold (via Microsoft Purview retention policies) before deleting the user account, ensuring the mailbox remains accessible for compliance or legal purposes.

Microsoft Shifts

Microsoft Shifts, included with the Microsoft 365 A1 license, is a schedule management tool within Microsoft Teams that allows educators and staff to create, manage, and share shift schedules, track time, and coordinate tasks—all accessible through the Teams web or mobile app. Get started with Microsoft Shifts.

Social, intranet, and storage

SharePoint Plan 1

SharePoint Plan 1 allows students and educators to create team sites, share files, collaborate in real time, and manage content securely through the web. Learn more about Microsoft 365 Education and SharePoint Plan 1 details.

Yammer Academic (Viva Engage)

Enable students and educators to connect, share ideas, and collaborate in a secure, school-wide social networking environment through Yammer on the web or in Microsoft Teams.

Meeting, Calling, and chat

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams gives students and educators free access to chat, video meetings, file sharing, and classroom collaboration tools through Teams for Education on the web and mobile apps, supporting features like assignments, Class Notebooks, and channels.

1:1 and group online audio and video calls

With a Microsoft 365 A1 license, students and educators can use Microsoft Teams to make 1:1 and group audio/video calls, join scheduled meetings, and collaborate in real time using the web or mobile apps—supporting features like screen sharing, live captions, and chat for up to 300 participants.

Scheduled meetings

Students and educators can use Microsoft Teams for Education to schedule and join online meetings via the web or mobile apps, enabling real-time collaboration with features like calendar invites, chat, screen sharing, and breakout rooms—all at no cost.

Recorded meetings

Students and educators can record 1:1 or group meetings in Microsoft Teams, but recordings aren't automatically saved to Stream; instead, they're temporarily available for download from the meeting chat for up to 21 days and must be manually saved to OneDrive, SharePoint, or Stream.

Classroom tools

Classroom experience in Microsoft Teams

Students and educators get free access to the classroom experience in Microsoft Teams, including features like assignments, Class Notebooks, channels, file sharing, and real-time collaboration—all accessible via Teams for Education and detailed in the Microsoft 365 Education service description.

Microsoft Whiteboard

Collaborate visually in real time using digital ink, sticky notes, and templates—accessible via Whiteboard on the web or through Microsoft Teams, with no feature differences currently between Whiteboard Plan 1 and Plan 2.

OneNote Class Notebook

OneNote Class Notebook, included in the Microsoft 365 A1 license, enables educators and students to collaborate in a digital notebook with private student sections, a content library, and a shared collaboration space—accessible via OneNote on the web or Microsoft Teams, with setup guidance available in this walkthrough.

Minecraft Education

Minecraft Education is available as an add-on to the Microsoft 365 A1 license, offering a game-based learning platform that supports coding, collaboration, and creativity across subjects—accessible on desktop and online with features like multiplayer mode, Immersive Reader, and Code Builder, and can be added through Microsoft Education licensing options.

Learning Accelerators

Microsoft Learning Accelerators empower educators and students by providing data-driven, personalized tools that enhance reading, writing, math, and communication skills in real time.

Take a Test app

Take a Test app provides a secure, full-screen, browser-based environment that locks down devices during assessments, helping educators ensure academic integrity and minimize distractions during digital testing experiences.

You can learn more about its features and setup here:

Set up School PCs app

School PCs app streamlines the configuration of student devices by enabling IT admins and educators to quickly apply school-optimized settings via USB, ensuring secure, consistent, and classroom-ready Windows PCs with minimal effort.

You can explore more here:

Content Services

Microsoft Graph API

Microsoft Graph Education APIs empower developers and schools to build integrated, data-driven educational solutions by providing secure access to information about classes, students, teachers, assignments, and rosters across Microsoft 365 and Teams.

Explore more here:

Microsoft Search in Bing for Education helps students and educators quickly find personalized school-related information—like assignments, classes, files, and conversations—securely integrated with Microsoft 365, saving time and enhancing productivity in the classroom.

You can explore more here:

Microsoft Stream

Microsoft Stream enables educators to securely create, share, and manage video content across Microsoft 365, enhancing student engagement and accessibility through features like auto-captioning, transcripts, and seamless integration with Teams, OneDrive, and SharePoint.

Learn more here:

Microsoft Forms

Microsoft Forms empowers educators to create interactive quizzes, surveys, and polls that support formative assessment, gather feedback, and enhance student engagement—all while providing real-time analytics and seamless integration with Microsoft 365 tools.

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Microsoft Lists

Microsoft Lists helps educators, students, and administrators organize, track, and collaborate on classroom tasks, assignments, and school operations through customizable, easy-to-use lists integrated with Microsoft Teams and SharePoint.

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Project and task management

Microsoft Planner

Microsoft Planner helps educators and students collaborate, organize assignments, manage group projects, and track progress visually using task boards and timelines—all integrated seamlessly within Microsoft 365 and Teams.

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Microsoft To Do

Microsoft To Do helps students and educators stay organized and manage tasks efficiently by creating personalized to-do lists, setting reminders, and integrating seamlessly with Microsoft 365 apps like Outlook and Teams for better productivity and time management.

Learn more here:

Automation, app building, chatbots

Power Apps for Microsoft 365

Power Apps for Microsoft 365 empowers educators and students to build custom apps that streamline classroom tasks, automate workflows, and enhance learning experiences—all without writing code—while integrating seamlessly with Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and other Microsoft 365 tools.

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Power Automate for Microsoft 365

Power Automate for Microsoft 365 enables educators and school staff to streamline repetitive tasks, automate workflows like attendance tracking, feedback collection, and event registration, and integrate seamlessly with tools like Teams, Forms, and SharePoint to save time and boost productivity.

Explore more here:

Analytics

Compliance Management

Compliance Management in Microsoft 365 for Education helps schools protect sensitive data, meet regulatory requirements, and manage risks through tools like Microsoft Purview, Data Loss Prevention, Information Barriers, and Compliance Manager—all integrated into a unified compliance portal.

Education Insights in Teams

Education Insights in Microsoft Teams empowers educators to track student engagement, assignment progress, and class participation through real-time, visual data dashboards—helping personalize instruction and support student success across Microsoft 365 for Education.

Adoption Score

Microsoft Adoption Score in education provides data-driven insights into how students, educators, and staff use Microsoft 365 tools—highlighting opportunities to improve collaboration, communication, and technology experiences—while supporting digital transformation goals in schools and institutions.

Secure Score

Microsoft Secure Score in education helps schools assess and strengthen their security posture by providing data-driven insights, prioritized recommendations, and measurable benchmarks across Microsoft 365 services—empowering IT teams to protect sensitive data and ensure compliance.

Viva Connections

Microsoft Viva Connections for Education

Microsoft Viva Connections for Education provides students with a personalized digital home inside Microsoft Teams, centralizing access to courses, assignments, extracurriculars, campus news, and essential tools—helping them stay connected, organized, and engaged throughout their academic journey.

Identity and Access Management

Microsoft Entra ID for Education

Microsoft Entra ID for Education provides secure identity and access management for students, educators, and devices—enabling seamless sign-in, resource access, and policy enforcement across Microsoft 365 services, while supporting integration with SIS, Intune, and third-party apps.

User Provisioning

User Provisioning for Education in Microsoft 365 enables schools to efficiently create, manage, and retire student and staff accounts using cloud-only or hybrid identity models—integrated with Microsoft Entra ID, School Data Sync, and SIS platforms to streamline onboarding and ensure secure access to learning tools.

Cloud user self-service password change

Cloud user self-service password change for Education allows students and staff to securely reset or change their Microsoft 365 passwords without IT assistance—reducing help desk load and improving access continuity—using built-in features of Microsoft Entra ID and Azure-integrated tools.

Multifactor authentication

Multifactor authentication (MFA) for Education enhances the security of student and staff accounts in Microsoft 365 by requiring an additional verification step—such as a code from an authenticator app or SMS—helping protect against unauthorized access and cyber threats in school environments.

Conditional Access

Conditional Access for Education in Microsoft 365 helps schools protect sensitive data and ensure secure access by enforcing policies based on user identity, device compliance, location, and authentication strength—enabling dynamic, risk-based access control across apps and services.

Microsoft 365 Groups

Microsoft 365 Groups for Education simplify collaboration by automatically creating shared workspaces—including Outlook inboxes, calendars, document libraries, and Teams—for classes, staff, and PLCs, enabling seamless communication and resource sharing across Microsoft 365 tools.

Single sign-on (SSO)

Single sign-on (SSO) for Education using Microsoft Entra ID enables students, educators, and staff to securely access all their Microsoft 365 and third-party learning tools with a single login—simplifying user experience, reducing password fatigue, and improving security across educational environments.

Windows Hello for Business

Windows Hello for Business for Education provides students and educators with secure, passwordless sign-in using biometrics or PINs tied to their devices—enhancing protection against phishing and credential theft while simplifying access to Microsoft 365 and school resources.

School Data Sync

School Data Sync (SDS) for Education automates the creation and management of online classrooms in Microsoft 365 by syncing data from Student Information Systems (SIS), enabling seamless provisioning of users, classes, and rosters in Teams, OneNote, and other educational tools.

Endpoint and app management

Microsoft Intune for Education

Microsoft Intune for Education is a cloud-based mobile device management (MDM) solution that empowers schools to easily manage student and teacher devices, apps, and security settings to create a safe and productive learning environment. Learn more: Intune for Education

Microsoft Intune Remote Help

Microsoft Intune Remote Help for Education is a secure, cloud-based support tool that enables school IT staff to remotely assist students and educators with device issues using role-based access controls and real-time troubleshooting.

Mobile Device Management

Mobile Device Management for Education enables schools to securely manage and configure student and teacher devices, apps, and settings through a cloud-based platform, helping ensure a safe, productive, and personalized digital learning environment.

Mobile application management

Mobile Application Management for Education enables schools to protect and manage educational apps and data on both school-owned and personal devices without requiring full device enrollment, ensuring secure access to learning tools like Outlook and Teams.

Group Policy support for Windows

Group Policy support for Windows in Education enables schools to configure and enforce device settings—such as app access, themes, and user restrictions—across student and staff Windows devices to create a secure and tailored learning environment.

Group Policy support for Microsoft 365 apps

Group Policy support for Microsoft 365 Apps for Education allows schools to centrally manage update settings and configurations for Microsoft 365 Apps across student and staff devices, ensuring consistent performance and compliance in educational environments.

Cloud policy service for Microsoft 365

Cloud Policy service for Microsoft 365 enables schools to centrally enforce user-based policy settings for Microsoft 365 Apps across student and staff devices—even unmanaged ones—ensuring consistent, secure, and personalized learning experiences.

Data lifecycle management

Manual retention labels

Manual retention labels in Microsoft 365 for Education empower educators and administrators to classify and manage content by manually applying labels that retain or delete data based on compliance, legal, or organizational policies.

Information Protection

Basic Message Encryption

Basic message encryption in Microsoft 365 enables IT administrators in educational institutions to enforce secure email communication policies by automatically encrypting sensitive messages, ensuring compliance with data protection standards and safeguarding information shared internally and externally.

Data Loss Prevention (DLP)

DLP for emails and files

Implementing Data Loss Prevention (DLP) strategies in educational institutions is essential to safeguard sensitive student and staff information transmitted via emails and stored in files, ensuring compliance with privacy laws like FERPA and mitigating data breach risks.

You can explore more through these resources:

eDiscovery and auditing

Content search in education refers to the ability to intelligently locate, curate, and retrieve relevant educational materials—such as lesson plans, AI-enhanced learning modules, and configuration guidance—across platforms like Microsoft Learn and Microsoft 365 Education to support personalized learning, operational efficiency, and institutional transformation.

You can explore more through these links:

eDiscovery (Standard) (including Hold and Export)

Microsoft Purview eDiscovery (Standard) is a built-in compliance tool included in Microsoft 365 Education (A1, A3, A5) that enables institutions to identify, preserve, search, and export content across Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams to support legal holds, FOIA/FERPA requests, and investigations into academic misconduct or data breaches.

You can explore more through these links:

Purview Audit (Standard)

Microsoft Purview Audit (Standard) is a built-in auditing solution in Microsoft 365 Education (A1, A3, A5) that enables IT admins and compliance officers to search and analyze user and admin activity logs across services like Teams, OneDrive, and Exchange to support investigations, ensure policy compliance, and meet regulations such as FERPA and GDPR.

You can explore more through these links:

Insider risk management

Information Barriers

Microsoft Purview Information Barriers in education are compliance policies that restrict communication and collaboration between defined groups—such as students and staff across different schools—within Microsoft 365 (Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive), enabling institutions to enforce privacy, safety, and regulatory boundaries at scale.

You can explore more through these links:

Windows

Windows Autopilot

Windows Autopilot for Education is a cloud-based provisioning technology that enables school IT departments to pre-configure and deploy new Windows devices so students and teachers can set them up easily by powering on and signing in, with all settings, apps, and policies automatically applied from the cloud.

Windows 11 Pro Education

Windows 11 Pro Education is a version of Windows 11 tailored for K-12 institutions, combining the enterprise-grade security and manageability of Windows 11 Pro with education-specific default settings and features—such as Simple Sign-In and cloud-first management—to support safe, inclusive, and efficient learning environments.

You can explore more through these links:

Universal Print

Universal Print is Microsoft’s cloud-based print infrastructure that enables educational institutions to eliminate on-premises print servers, manage print jobs centrally via Microsoft 365, and provide secure, location-independent printing for students and staff—while simplifying IT management and reducing costs.

You can explore more through these links: