Office 365 - Frequently Asked Questions

Introduction

This article provides a list of frequently asked questions related to Office 365 at Pima Community College.

Questions

How do I get an Office 365 account?

If you are an active employee or active student, you can go to Office.com and sign in with your Pima email address and the same password you use for MyPima. After doing that, you can use the Office applications online and download Office applications to a personal device, so long as you are on an active contract or are an actively enrolled student.

What will happen to my Office 365 access if I am neither on an active contract nor currently enrolled as a student?

If that is the case, you are assigned an Office 365 "A1 license". With that type of license, you can use the Office applications on the web but not activate downloaded copies of the software. If you had already downloaded copies of Office 365 to personal devices prior to the college's upgrade to Office 365 in the summer of 2022, they will no longer function. If your status changes in the future, your license will automatically be upgraded and those limitations removed.

What happens to my Office 365 access if I leave the College entirely?

Once you leave the college, your Office 365 account is automatically disabled, and your access to the applications, both online and downloaded versions, is revoked. Any data you have stored in that account becomes inaccessible as well.

Why am I prompted for additional information when I first sign in to Office 365 or Office.com?

A functioning account requires secondary recovery information for each user, including a backup email address and phone number. That phone number is used for multi-factor authentication. When you sign in, Microsoft sends a text message to your phone to confirm it’s you. You confirm that by entering the code contained in the text message. After you enter the code, you can continue the sign-in process.

How do I download and install Office 365 on my personal device?

To download and install Office 365 on your personal device:

1. Navigate to Office.com.
2. Click Sign In, and then enter your Pima email address and password.
   Note: The first time you sign in, you should be prompted to confirm or supply an alternate phone number and email address.
3. In the upper-right corner, click the Install Office button.

4. Follow the on-screen prompts to download and install Office 365 applications on your personal device.
5. After installation completes, activate Office the first time you run any of the applications by signing in with your Pima email address and password. See the next question.

How do I activate my downloaded copy of Office 365 on my personal device?

The screen you see for activation varies depending on your device. The example shown below is for a Windows PC, where the user downloaded and installed Office 365, and then opened Word. It prompts for the email address during the activation process.

When prompted, enter your Pima email address and then click Next. Follow subsequent dialog box prompts for logging into Office.com, which should result in the copy of Office being activated.

I already had a downloaded copy of Office 365 on my personal device. Do I need to reinstall or reactivate it?

We have seen instances where employees and students could not activate the previously installed copy of Office 365 on their personal devices. In these cases, uninstalling and reinstalling resolved the issue. When reinstalling, be sure to sign in to Office.com on the web using your Pima credentials (you may need to first sign out of a personal account) and then use the Install Office button to ensure you’re installing the version corresponding to your College-related account.

How many activations of Office 365 am I allowed?

Pima Community College’s education licensing contract with Microsoft for Office 365 permits five total activations on up to five separate devices; this total includes any Pima-owned devices signed in to.

Will I need to activate Office 365 on classroom or instructor station computers?

Yes. Classroom computers, instructor stations, computer commons, library computers, assessment computers, and other public-facing computers are set up with multi-user, shared licenses. These devices do not count towards the 5-device activation limit.

Where can I manage my Office 365 activations?

1. After you sign in, click Install Office and then click Other Install Options as shown here:

2. After the My Account page opens, click View Apps and Devices.

3. On the Apps & devices page, click the down arrow next to Devices to expand the list of activated Office 365 installations.

4. As necessary, click Sign Out for the devices on which you no longer need Office 365 to be activated.
    

Is Microsoft Access included with Office 365?

The default Office 365 installation does not include Access (Microsoft's database management system). If your job role/function requires Access, submit a Request Software (Employees Only) ticket to have Access deployed and installed.

Do I have access to OneDrive with Office 365?

While OneDrive is included with Office 365, the college does not allow access to this service. Instead, store files in the College-approved cloud storage service: Google Drive.

Need Help?

If you need help with Office 365 installation, activation, or have any questions related to Office 365, please Report a Software Problem.