Microsoft 365 is a subscription service providing users with a suite of the some of the most commonly used productivity applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more. In contrast to a one-time purchase of an individual application (such as Microsoft Word 2019) installed on a user’s computer, Microsoft 365 provides access to the most up-to-date versions of each application with the latest features and updates as soon as they’re released. In addition, users can take advantage of cloud storage and online collaboration features via OneDrive, providing one central online location to save and manage work.
To help users create and share documents across all devices, Microsoft 365 also includes online, web-based versions of Word and other key applications. Files saved to OneDrive can be opened from the desktop application to access all of Word’s robust features, or using a streamlined online version optimized for the web. However OneDrive files are accessed, Word’s AutoSave feature ensures that all changes made to your files are reflected in real time and available to all your collaborators. Throughout this text, students will learn about saving files to OneDrive and working with Word as a component of Microsoft 365.