Microsoft 365 Licensing: A5 and A1 levels

This page contains and overview of MS365 licenses, highlights the differences between online apps & desktop applications, and explains how to get help with licensing.

Overview

Microsoft 365 Education licensing allows those affiliated with Tufts University to access Microsoft 365 software according to the following license levels:

• Microsoft 365 A5: The A5 license provides full use of the Microsoft 365 service, including the ability to download and install applications on personal devices.
  • To qualify you must be a paid employee/staff or student

• Office 365 A1: The A1 license provides use of the Microsoft 365 service, including web-based access to the online versions of Microsoft 365, but does not include the ability to install these applications on any devices.
  • Medical School Faculty who are not employees of the University are assigned A1 licenses. Those who want to install Office applications should check with their home health system/institution to obtain the software as they may have Office applications available; alternatively they may acquire individual licenses from Microsoft. Click here for more information on Office 365 plans.

• For more on the differences between A5 and A1 licenses, see Microsoft 365 Education license comparison.

Differences between online apps and desktop applications

Not all of the applications featured in desktop versions of Microsoft 365 are available online. Additionally, the web apps lack some functionality compared to the desktop versions. Differences in some of the most commonly used features include:

• The online version of Word does not support mail merge, VBA and Forms scripts, SmartArt, or captions.
• The online version of Excel does not offer VBA and Forms scripts, "What if" analysis tools, external references, workbook protection, or slicer and Timeline filters, and offers only basic formulas.
• The online version of OneNote does not offer clipping experiences, drag-and-drop section groups, editing of embedded files, inking tools, or template support.
• When working with web apps, your files are stored in Microsoft OneDrive not locally on your personal computer.
• You can use the Microsoft Teams web app in a fully supported browser  (Chrome or Edge).

For a full list of functionality differences, see Office for the web service description .

Get help

If you have a need for Microsoft applications that are not included in your license, or if you believe that you have been placed in a given licensing group in error, contact it@tufts.edu to ask for the appropriate license.