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Sign up for Microsoft 365 Business Basic

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Want to sign up for a Microsoft 365 Business Basic?

There are a couple of ways to get started:

Need something different? You can:

Note

Microsoft 365 Business Basic subscription is for commercial use and is intended for business customers.

Sign up steps

To buy and sign up for Microsoft 365 Business Basic subscription, complete the following steps.

Important

The person who signs up for Microsoft 365 for business (usually the business owner) automatically becomes the technical administrator of the organization. You can add other people as admins if you want help managing your Microsoft 365 services. Check out Assign admin roles for more info.

  1. On the For business page, see what's included in Microsoft 365. Under Microsoft 365 Business Basic, select Buy now.

  2. On the Microsoft 365 Business Basic page, choose the number of users, subscription length and billing term you prefer, then select Next.

  3. Enter an email address that you already use. This can be any address you want Microsoft to use to communicate with you during setup. It's also the address where we'll send you information about your bill and renewals.

  4. If you're already signed in with an account to another Microsoft service, you can either select Sign In to use this account, or select Create another account instead. If you're not already signed in with another Microsoft service, select Set up account and enter your name, business phone number, business size, company name, and location, and select Next.

    Note

    We display your company name in the Microsoft 365 admin center. This is where you manage users, licenses and other features and services. We also include it in any internal SharePoint site URLs.

  5. Under Tell us about yourself, fill out details about you and your company. Select Next.

  6. Help us make sure this is you. Choose a contact method and enter a number that we can use to reach you and select Send Verification Code. You'll receive either a text or a phone call, depending on your choice. Enter your code and select Verify.

  7. Create a new account by either accepting the suggested username or entering your own, adding a domain, and creating a password. The domain you choose will be in the form <domain>.onmicrosoft.com. You can add your own domain to your account later. Select Next.

  8. Select how many business licenses you want for your organization and select Add payment method and continue with checkout to Place order.

  9. On the Confirmation details page, we'll give you some more info about your subscription. You can now go to the Microsoft 365 admin center to add users, install Office apps, invite your team to use Microsoft 365 and more. We'll also send you an email with set-up steps.

Follow these steps to finish setting up your Microsoft Business Basic subscription. You can also add a domain when you're ready.

Frequently asked questions

What is a business email and what are the advantages to setting one up?

A business email is an email that uses your own domain name. For example, if you own the domain name contoso.com, you can build a website using the url www.contoso.com, but you can also have a custom email address such as yourname@contoso.com. This is referred to as a branded business email as it gives your email a professional look.

How do I get a new business email address?

There are three options for getting a business email.

  • You can use a suggested onmicrosoft.com domain for free (someone@mybusiness.onmicrosoft.com).
  • You can buy a new domain to have a more compact email address (mybusinessname@contoso.com).
  • You use a domain name that you already own.

Why might I need to verify my domain to create a business email?

If you choose to use a domain you already own, you can use it for your email address with Microsoft 365. As part of sign up process, we ask you to verify the domain so you can send emails via Microsoft 365. This confirms that you're the owner of the domain that is sending emails with that identity, which enhances security and prevents fraudulent activity.

Is there a benefit to paying monthly vs annually?

To provide customers with the greatest amount of flexibility, different payment options are available.

  • Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Apps for business, Business Standard, and Business Premium plans are available for monthly commitment payment or annual commitment payment.
  • Monthly commitment payment: You pay month by month, and you can cancel at any time.
  • Annual commitment payment: You sign up for a one-year subscription, but you can choose to pay month to month or pay for the entire year at the time you sign up. There's a discount for using this payment option.

How does recurring billing work?

When recurring billing is on, your subscription will continue to be billed each year on the day you subscribed. You can turn it off or back on again in the admin center if your subscription is active. Learn more at Manage recurring billing in the Microsoft 365 admin center.

What do I do if I want to change my business name?

Contact our small business support experts who can help you change your business name. Learn more at Get support.

Set up Microsoft 365 Business Basic

For steps on how to buy or add a domain, see Set up Microsoft 365 Business Basic with a new or existing domain.