This article describes the Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) license types.
Environment
Windows Platform as a Service
Procedure
There are three license activation types available for Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise. Prior to Summer 2020, Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise was known as Office 365.
User Activation
The main license activation for Microsoft 365 is user activation. Most faculty, staff, and students at University of Michigan are assigned an Office 365 A3 for faculty license in Azure Active Directory. This license type allows the licensed user account to activate Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise on up to 5 Mac OS or Windows computers. Activation occurs via sign-on to Azure Active Directory after launching a Microsoft 365 app that is installed in a computer.
No action is required to enable User Activation. This is the default behavior.
Shared Computer Activation
Shared Computer Activation can be used to make Office available on shared devices that will be used by multiple staff or students. In a Shared Computer Activation scenario, a licensed user can use installed Office applications, but activation doesn’t utilize one of the user’s 5 computer activations. More information about Shared Computer Activation is available in the Overview of shared computer activation for Microsoft 365 Apps page on the Microsoft documentation website. It’s important to note that the user account must have a license assigned in order to use this activation type. Unlicensed users cannot use Office with Shared Computer Activation.
To enable Shared Computer Activation for a device, use Otto to add the euc-Microsoft-Office-365-Shared-Machines configuration to a selected device. Adding the configuration causes the device to enable Shared Computer activation via Group Policy.
Device Based Licensing
Device Based Licensing can be used to assign a Microsoft 365 license to a device account in Azure Active Directory instead of a user account. When Device Based Licensing is used, not user activation is required when using Office applications. Device Based Licensing can be used to support use cases such as computing labs where use of user activation or shared computer activation may not adequately support all users utilizing Office.
To enable Device Based Licensing for a device, use Otto to add the euc-Microsoft-Office-365-Device-Machines configuration to the selected device. Adding the configuration causes the device to enable Device Based licensing via Group Policy. Note that in order for device based licensing to be activated, the device must be configured for Hybrid Azure Active Directory Domain Join.