Microsoft Office Activation FAQ for Students

If you can't find the answer to your question below, please contact the OIT Service Desk at (919) 684-2200.

This page includes Office Activation information for Duke students.  If you are a faculty or staff member, visit the Faculty/Staff Office Activation Page.

  • Which version of Office is right for me?
  • How do I download Microsoft Office through 365?
  • How do I get and activate the graduation copy?
  • What if I already graduated and forgot to get my graduation copy?

Which version of Office is right for me?

About to Graduate - Click here for Graduation Copy - Students are entitled to a free, perpetual graduation license of Microsoft Office, which will allow the installation of Office on one Mac or PC. This license will work after a student graduates. It is recommended that students only access the graduation copy during their final semester since only one download and installation of one version is permitted.

While enrolled at Duke - See access instructions below - Current Duke students are entitled to download Microsoft Office 365 for their personally owned computers and mobile devices through the Duke Office 365 license. Under this license, Office software can be installed on up to five computers and mobile devices simultaneously.  This version activates with Duke netID authentication, so it will stop working when you leave Duke.

How do I download Microsoft Office through 365?

  1. Visit http://mail.duke.edu
  2. Click the icon
    in the top-left corner of the website after you log in.
  3. Select Microsoft 365
  4. Click "Install and more" on the top right side of the page
  5. Select Install Microsoft 365 apps
  6. Click Install Office to start downloading the files
  7. Once you see the Welcome screen, select Sign in to an existing Office 365 Subscription
  8. Then, enter your [netID@duke.edu] email address, and sign in with your netID and password.

Office 365 Education for Faculty, Staff, and Students is an Office 365 plan that is available for free to Duke faculty, staff, and students who attend or work at academic institutions that have purchased Office for faculty and staff. This plan allows Duke students and employees to install Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote on up to 5 PCs or Macs and Office apps on other mobile devices including Windows tablets and iPads. The plan also includes 1TB of OneDrive for Business storage, managed by the school, and employees and students can edit and collaborate using Office Online, Yammer, and SharePoint sites.

Students can use the plan until they graduate or are no longer enrolled at a qualified school, and faculty/staff may use the plan until they leave Duke. Duke affiliation may be re-verified at any time by Microsoft. At expiration, the Office applications enter a reduced-functionality mode, which means documents can be viewed but it isn't possible to edit or create new documents. In addition, online services associated with the school email address, for example Office Online and OneDrive for Business, will no longer work. For this reason, prior to graduation, students should download a graduation copy of Microsoft Office, which will allow them to continue to use Microsoft Office on a single Mac or PC at no cost. The graduation license is perpetual and does not expire.

How do I get and activate the graduation copy?

Before graduating, visit Software website and order Microsoft Office. Note that this page is not accessible after you lose your student affiliation.

What if I already graduated and forgot to get my graduation copy?

The graduation copy distribution page is netID-protected, so you will not be able to access it.  For this reason, it is important to access the graduation copy during your final semester at Duke.  

Article number: KB0024448

Valid to: May 31, 2025