Microsoft 365 Apps for Business: the shared-device limit
Microsoft 365 Apps for Business
per user per month, excluding VAT
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Microsoft 365 Apps for Business licenses the Office applications on their own: Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook installed on the device, without email hosting, cloud storage or Teams. One licence covers installation on up to five desktops or laptops, five tablets and five mobile devices for that user. The limit that catches people out is shared computer activation, the mode needed for Remote Desktop Services, virtual desktops and any machine several people sign in to. Microsoft states plainly that this ability is a Microsoft 365 Business Premium entitlement rather than a feature of Apps for Business in general.
What it is
Microsoft 365 Apps for Business is the applications-only plan in Microsoft's small and medium business range. It licenses the installed Office applications and nothing else.
Who it is for
Organisations that keep email and file storage elsewhere and need only the Office applications, and users inside a larger tenant who need installed applications without a full productivity plan.
Key capabilities
- The Office desktop applications installed on the device
- Installation on up to five desktops or laptops, five tablets and five mobile devices per user
- The web and mobile versions of the same applications
- Licence carried in the user profile, activated by signing in with a Microsoft Entra account
The limit that decides between this and the enterprise plan
Shared computer activation. It is the mode required whenever several people sign in to the same machine with their own accounts: Remote Desktop Services, virtual desktop infrastructure, shift-worker machines, a shared conference room PC. Microsoft's wording is exact: the ability to enable shared computer activation is a Microsoft 365 Business Premium entitlement and not a feature of Microsoft 365 Apps for business in general. Business Premium is the only Business plan that supports it.
Apps for Business also does not support using Group Policy to enable shared computer activation, so even where the entitlement exists the configuration route is narrower.
When Apps for enterprise is the right plan instead
Any plan that includes Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise supports shared computer activation, and device-based licensing is an enterprise capability as well. Shared devices, terminal servers and virtual desktops all point to the enterprise plan.
Requirements
Activation requires internet connectivity to the Office Licensing Service and TLS 1.2 enabled on the operating system. Shared computer activation is not available for Office for Mac in any plan.
Can I use this on a Remote Desktop Services or virtual desktop server?
Not on this plan alone. That needs shared computer activation, which Microsoft documents as a Microsoft 365 Business Premium entitlement rather than a feature of Apps for Business. Any plan including Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise also supports it.
How many devices does one licence cover?
Up to five desktops or laptops, five tablets and five mobile devices for that user. Shared computer activation, where it applies, does not count against that limit.
Does it include email or cloud storage?
No. It licenses the applications only. Business email and cloud file storage come from Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Standard or Premium.
What is the difference from Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise?
Chiefly shared computer activation and device-based licensing, both of which are enterprise capabilities. If several people sign in to the same machine, or devices are shared rather than assigned, the enterprise plan is the correct one.
Does shared computer activation work on Mac?
No. Shared computer activation is not available for Office for Mac in any plan.
- Vendor
- Microsoft
- Category
- Productivity
- Type
- SaaS
- Billing
- Monthly
- Commitment
- 1-Year
- Available terms
- 1-Year, Monthly
- SKU
- MST-NCE-100-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.