Program Details and Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible to use Office 365?
All current UNC Asheville student, faculty and staff are eligible to access Office 365
How much does Office 365 cost?
Office 365 is provided for FREE to current UNC Asheville students, faculty, and staff.
What does Office 365 include?
Office 365 includes the full online and local installation versions of Microsoft Office. It includes familiar Office applications like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote and more. Office 365 allows installation on up to five (5) compatible computers, and five (5) tablets. You also receive access to Office Mobile applications on iPhone and Android phones, and "Office for the Web" browser-based applications.
How do I install/access Office 365?
If you are an active UNC Asheville student, faculty or staff, visit https://portal.office.com to access online Office applications and software downloads. See Install Office 365 on a personally-owned computer for assistance installing Microsoft Office.
Note
University-owned computers assigned to UNC Asheville employees are pre-loaded with Microsoft Office applications, so no additional installation is needed. You may, however, install Office on your personal devices via Office 365.
What are the browser requirements for using Office 365?
See Which browsers work with Office for the web.
How much space do I get on my OneDrive?
Each UNC Asheville user will receive 1 TB of OneDrive storage space.
Who do I contact if I have trouble getting access?
If you have trouble accessing the Office 365 using your UNC Asheville account, please contact the ITS Service Desk at (828) 251-6445 or itservicedesk@unca.edu.
Who do I contact if an application (like Word or Excel) isn't working?
If you have trouble downloading the Office suite, or anything with your OneDrive, please contact Microsoft online or by phone at 1-800-MICROSOFT (1-800-642-7676).
What happens if I buy a new computer?
If you purchase a new computer, you can login at https://portal.microsoft.com and deactivate your old computer, then install Office 365 on your new computer. Please see Manage your Office 365 installations for details.
Do the downloaded, locally installed Office 365 applications require an Internet connection for use?
Downloading the Office 365 installer files requires an Internet connection. During installation, you'll be required to sign in using your UNC Asheville email address and security password to activate the software.
After installation, the software will attempt to verify your eligibility once every 30 days. This background process happens automatically and does not require your interaction. If, however, an Internet connection is not available when the software attempts to verify your eligibility, you will receive a prompt to connect to the Internet to continue. The software will not function until this process completes.
Saving documents to your OneDrive storage space requires an active Internet connection.
Normal day-to-day use of the software does not require Internet connectivity.
Does UNC Asheville's Office 365 offering replace Microsoft's University product or Office Home & Student?
No, the consumer Office 365 products will continue to be sold by Microsoft.
If I recently personally purchased Office and I'm eligible for Office 365 through UNC Asheville, will I receive any credit and/or compensation?
No, the Office product purchased is a consumer offering and students may continue to take advantage of the purchased offer.
If I already installed Office 365 University (or another consumer Office 365 product) on my computer, what will happen if I attempt to install Office 365 through UNC Asheville?
The Office client supports having both an Office 365 personal account (used when you signed up for an Office 365 consumer product) and a school account (login provided by UNC Asheville using your @unca.edu email account). Students will be able to remain signed in with both.
The Office installation will have both your personal and UNC Asheville Security Account associated with it after installation.
Are there resources available to help me learn more about, and how to use, the tools available?
Video: Get to know OneDrive for Business
Does this access ever expire?
Your access is only valid while you are enrolled or employed at UNC Asheville.
For students, what happens to my Office 365 account when I graduate or leave UNC Asheville?
Your account will remain active for a limited time. We recommend that you purchase Office 365 through Microsoft and move files from OneDrive to your personal account. Your ability to use Office 365 is linked to maintaining active an UNC Asheville computing account. When your UNC Asheville computing account becomes inactive due to loss of eligibility (ex. graduation or leave), you will no longer be able to access Office 365 or its services.
For faculty and staff, what happens to my Office 365 account when I separate, leave, retire from, or am no longer employed by UNC Asheville?
Your ability to use Office 365 is linked to maintaining active an UNC Asheville computing account. When your UNC Asheville computing account becomes inactive due to loss of eligibility (ex. leave or employment separation), you will no longer be able to access Office 365 or its services.
I used my @unca.edu email address when I bought Office personally or signed up for a Microsoft Live account; what should I do to take advantage of this free program?
In order to prevent confusion, we recommend you disassociate the @unca.edu email address from your personal account. To disassociate, follow these steps:
- Log into https://account.microsoft.com with your personal Microsoft account credentials.
- Select "Aliases" on the left-hand side.
- Add an alias using an outlook.com email address (this will become your personal account login).
- Make the new alias primary.
- Verify login using the new alias.
- Remove the old alias (the @unca.edu email address).
I can't disassociate my @unca.edu email from my personal Office profile, what should I do?
If you have trouble disassociating your @unca.edu email address you should contact Microsoft at 1-800-MICROSOFT (1-800-642-7676).