Microsoft 365 F1: no mailbox, read-only apps
Microsoft 365 F1
per user per month, excluding VAT
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Microsoft 365 F1 is the smallest frontline worker licence, and the one most often bought by mistake. It gives Microsoft Entra ID P1, 2 GB of OneDrive storage, and read-only access to the Microsoft 365 web and mobile apps. It has no desktop applications. Most importantly it carries no Exchange mailbox rights: a mailbox is provisioned through the Exchange Kiosk service plan so the Teams calendar works, but F1 users are not entitled to use it, and Microsoft recommends disabling Outlook on the web for them. If a worker needs email or needs to edit a document, F1 is the wrong licence and F3 is the right one.
What it is
Microsoft 365 F1 is the entry frontline worker plan. It is designed for staff who need identity, communication and access to company information, rather than for people who produce documents or work from a mailbox.
Who it is for
Frontline and deskless staff who need to be reachable, to see company content, and to be managed as identities, without needing email or document authoring.
Key capabilities
- Microsoft Entra ID P1 for identity, Conditional Access and multifactor authentication
- Read access to documents through Microsoft 365 for the web and mobile
- 2 GB of OneDrive storage
- Access to company resources published in SharePoint
- Microsoft Teams in the editions that include it, for chat, meetings, channels and apps
What is not included, and this is the important part
F1 carries no Exchange mailbox rights. A mailbox is provisioned through the Exchange Kiosk service plan so that the Teams calendar functions, but the user is not entitled to use it. Microsoft's own guidance is to disable Outlook on the web for F1 users and ask them not to reach the mailbox by other means.
F1 also has no desktop applications, and its access to the web and mobile apps is read-only: an F1 user can open a document but cannot create, edit or save one. There is no personal site and no site mailbox. Teams Phone capabilities require an additional add-on.
How it compares to F3
Microsoft 365 F3 gives a real 2 GB mailbox reachable through Outlook on the web, and full create and edit rights in the web and mobile apps. If either of those matters to the role, F3 is the licence, not F1.
Does Microsoft 365 F1 include email?
No. F1 does not include Exchange mailbox rights. A mailbox is provisioned through the Exchange Kiosk service plan so the Teams calendar works, but F1 users are not entitled to use it, and Microsoft recommends disabling Outlook on the web for them. For email, the licence is F3.
Can an F1 user edit a Word or Excel file?
No. F1 access to Microsoft 365 for the web and for mobile is read-only. Users can open and read files but cannot create, edit or save them. F3 grants full access in the web and mobile apps.
What is the difference between F1 and F3?
F3 adds a 2 GB Exchange mailbox reachable through Outlook on the web, full create and edit rights in the web and mobile apps, and services such as Power Apps and Power Automate. Neither plan includes desktop applications.
Does F1 include desktop Office applications?
No. Neither F1 nor F3 includes the desktop client applications. Both are web and mobile plans, and the mobile apps are limited to devices with integrated screens under 10.9 inches.
Does F1 include identity management?
Yes. Microsoft Entra ID P1 is included, so F1 users can be covered by Conditional Access and multifactor authentication like any other user.
- Vendor
- Microsoft
- Category
- Productivity
- Type
- SaaS
- Billing
- Monthly
- Commitment
- 1-Year
- Available terms
- 1-Year, Monthly
- SKU
- MST-NCE-111-C100
- 1You request the licence, or add it to the cart.
- 2I confirm price, term and seats, and check your VAT number in VIES. Businesses in the EU only.
- 3You pay before we provision, under the CSP Marketplace Terms. The invoice comes from Michal Jatczak, a sole trader registered in Malta, trading as ITSailor. Reverse charge for an EU VAT number that validates in VIES.
- 4Your authorised signatory accepts the Microsoft Customer Agreement before activation.
- 5I place the order with Pax8 within one business day of payment.