Microsoft 365 Frequently Asked Questions

If you have additional questions about your Microsoft 365 account, please contact Help Desk Central.

Microsoft 365 is a subscription service that provides access to the Microsoft productivity suite of applications and file storage through OneDrive. It is available to students, faculty and staff at Texas A&M.


Microsoft 365 applications available to Texas A&M campus members includeTeams, SharePoint, Sway, OneNote, To Do, Planner, Forms, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and others. A5 licenses include access to more features and applications than the A1 license.

All full-time employees and students of Texas A&M University (parts 2, 9, 10, 23, 28) and Texas A&M Galveston (part 10) have a Microsoft 365 license and account.


Microsoft 365 services are grouped into two license types for Texas A&M University members. All active part 2, 9, 10, 23 and 28 students, faculty and staff get A5 licenses. Retirees and university affiliates get A1 licenses in the Texas A&M tenant. Texas A&M Qatar, Athletics and College of Agriculture & Life Sciences manage their own Microsoft 365 tenants, but employees in those units receive A1 licenses in the Texas A&M tenant. A full list of features included in both the A5 and A1 licenses can be found on Microsoft's website.

Microsoft 365 applications available to Texas A&M campus members include Teams, SharePoint, Sway, OneNote, To Do, Planner, Forms, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and others.

A5 licenses include robust security and protection tools along with more features and applications than A1 licenses. Some notable applications only included in the A5 license are:

  • Microsoft Bookings
  • Universal Print
  • Power BI Pro
  • My Analytics
  • InTune for Education

A full list of features included in both the A5 and A1 licenses can be found on Microsoft's website.

Full-time employees and students of Texas A&M University (parts 2, 9, 10, 23, 28) and Texas A&M Galveston (part 10) can log in to https://microsoft365.tamu.edu/ to access their Microsoft 365 account. You do not need to claim an account. 

Microsoft Exchange mailboxes must be activated by an employee’s department.

Identifying the best place to store your files depends on the purpose of your data. If your data is for your personal use and will be deleted when you leave the university, use Microsoft OneDrive. If your data needs to be used by your team and accessed after you leave the university, use Microsoft SharePoint. Learn more.

Even though all active students, faculty, and staff receive a Microsoft 365 account, the associated Exchange mailbox is disabled by default. A campus unit’s IT department (Exchange Admin) claims an Exchange mailbox to activate email for a campus member. Once activated, the mailbox will forward mail according to the user’s settings on the Aggie Account Gateway Email Delivery Settings page.

The storage quota for an Exchange mailbox depends on whether the campus member has an A5 or A1 Microsoft license.

  • A5 license - 100GB storage with the option of an additional archive mailbox for storage. 
  • A1 license - 50GB with no option for additional storage.

Contact your unit’s IT department (Exchange Admin) if you need more than 100GB of storage.

When a campus member leaves Texas A&M (i.e., their NetID is no longer active), they lose access to Microsoft 365. 

  • Students: NetID remains active for two years after graduation or withdrawing from Texas A&M. 
  • Former Employees:  NetID is deactivated immediately on the last day of employment with the university.
  • Retired Employees: Retain their NetID as long as they live, however their A5 license is downgraded to an A1 license.

All Texas A&M students and employees have a Texas A&M account for Microsoft 365. It is possible that you may have a personal Microsoft 365 account from your personal devices (desktop or mobile). These accounts can function side by side, but your Texas A&M account may have access to additional applications and features.

  • For University-Owned Devices: We recommend asking your unit’s IT support staff before downloading any Microsoft 365 applications on a university-owned computer.
  • For Personal Devices: If you have Office 2016 or 2019 on Windows or Mac already installed, you will not be able to install the Microsoft 365 version. If you want the additional features of the Microsoft 365 applications, uninstall previous versions before installing the Microsoft 365 version.

Both FERPA and HIPAA data can be stored in Microsoft 365. Texas A&M University has a BAA in place with Microsoft and the data is encrypted both in transit and at rest.

Search for "Microsoft Office" in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and install the desired app(s). Log in with your NetID and password. Functionality on mobile devices is similar to a computer and requires an active Microsoft 365 license/subscription.

Copilot is available for Texas A&M faculty, staff, and students with Microsoft A5 licenses. Access Copilot at bing.com/chat and log in with your NetID and password.