Set up Microsoft 365 apps for business

Check out all of our small business content on Small business help & learning.

Add users and assign licenses

You can add users in the wizard, but you can also add users later in the admin center.

1. Go to the admin center at https://admin.cloud.microsoft.

2. Choose Go to setup to start the wizard.

3. On the first page, you'll get the option to install Microsoft 365 apps on your computer. You can also do this later.

4. On the next page, you can add users and they'll automatically get assigned the Microsoft 365 apps for business license. After you've added the users, you'll also get an option to share credentials with the new users you added. You can choose to print them out, email them, or download them.

When the sign-up process is complete, you'll be directed to the admin center, where you can add users, and assign licenses.

Install Microsoft 365

Once you've created accounts for other people in your business, you and your team members will be able to install the full desktop version of Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.). Each person can install Microsoft 365 on up to 5 PCs or Macs.

Go to My accounts > Apps & devices.

1. Sign in with your work or school account.

2. Select Install.

Need more detailed steps or want to install the 64-bit version of Microsoft 365? See Step-by-step installation instructions.

Set up mobile

Install Microsoft 365 on your mobile device, and set up Outlook to work with your new Microsoft mailbox. Everyone on your team will need to do this step. Each person can install the Microsoft 365 mobile apps on up to five phones and 5 tablets.

Get the steps for your device: Android | iOS | Windows Phone

Store files online

Microsoft makes online file storage easy. To learn which storage locations are best for your business, see Where you can store files in Microsoft 365.

Everyone gets a OneDrive cloud storage location automatically when you create Microsoft accounts for them. With OneDrive, you can access files across your computers, phones, and tablets.

1. On your computer, use File Explorer to open OneDrive. Or, from Microsoft 365, open OneDrive from the app launcher.

2. View and upload personal files, or share documents or folders by selecting Share and then either inviting others to view the documents or sending them a link. To learn more, see Share OneDrive files and folders.

More at Upload files to a library.

Get started using Microsoft 365

To take a tour of Microsoft 365 and learn how to use all the Microsoft 365 mobile apps, see Get started.

Add a custom domain

You can also add a custom domain, like contoso.com, to your account to personalize the emails if you haven't already done so. For more information, see add a domain.

Finish setting up

Follow the steps below to set up Outlook and OneDrive.

Step: Set up Outlook for email

1. On the Windows Start menu, search for Outlook, and select it.

   (If you're using a Mac, open Outlook from the toolbar or locate it using the Finder.)

   If you've just installed Outlook, on the Welcome page, select Next.

2. Choose File > Info > Add Account.

3. Enter your Microsoft email address and select Connect.

Watch: Set up Outlook for email

More at Set up Outlook for email.

Import email

If you were using Outlook with another email account, you can import your previous email, calendar, and contacts into your new Microsoft account.

1. Export your old email

   In Outlook, choose File > Open & Export > Import/Export.

   Select Export to a File and then follow the steps to export your Outlook Data File (.pst) and any subfolders.

2. Import your old email

   In Outlook, choose File > Open & Export > Import/Export again.

   This time, select Import from another program or file and follow the steps to import the backup file you created when you exported your old email.

Watch: Import and redirect email

More at Import email with Outlook.

You can also use Exchange admin center to import everyone's email. For more information, see migrate multiple email accounts.

Set up OneDrive for business

Select the OneDrive cloud icon from your taskbar and follow the steps to move your files to your new OneDrive for Business folder. Select Next to set up Microsoft Teams.