Getting Started with Microsoft Office 365

Rhianon Gutierrez Updated by Rhianon Gutierrez

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Why does my new L4L not have Microsoft Office applications installed already?

Your new L4L has a faster, more reliable solid state drive; however, that comes with a trade-off of having smaller storage space. We have made a decision to not install Office applications to save space. Office 365 (online version) and Office 2016 (desktop version) are available for users who prefer to use Office applications. 

Q. How do I set up Office 365 (online version)?

Follow our Getting Started with Microsoft Office 365 instructions.

Q. Should I download and install Microsoft Office 2016 (desktop version) on my new L4L?

If you frequently use your computer and Office applications in an offline environment, you may want to install it on your computer. It will use about 8GB of your approx. 120GB hard drive space. The installation comes with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Outlook. You can delete unused applications after installation to free up space.

Q. I’m ok with installing Microsoft Office 2016. How do I do that?

Login to your account using your BPS ID and password at www.office.com. Look for the “Install Office apps” icon near the top right corner and then install Office 2016. Follow the prompts. 

Q. Why do my Word/Excel/PowerPoint files open in Pages/Numbers/Keynote? 

Your computer comes with Mac’s native apps installed, but does not have Microsoft Office yet. You can open Office by either using the online Office 365 or installing Office 2016 on your computer. To install Office 2016, you can go to www.office.com, log in with your complete BPS email address and your BPS password, and click on “Install Office apps”. 

Q. My Office files (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) are up on my Google Drive. How do I open them in Office 365?  

You must first download your files to your computer then move them into OneDrive, either via OneDrive Sync or by manually uploading them. 

Q. My Office files (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) are on my computer or external drive. How do I open them in Office 365?  

You must move them into OneDrive, either via OneDrive Sync or by manually uploading them. 

Q. Should I use Google Drive or OneDrive to backup all of my files? 

As a Google for Education district, we encourage all users to use your unlimited Google Drive storage to backup your work-related documents. Be sure to backup all local data periodically so that you can retrieve all of your files even if you experience laptop damage or loss. 

Q. Should I install and sync OneDrive Sync on my new L4L? 

BPSTechnology does not recommend using OneDrive Sync, as it will take up space on your 120GB hard drive and may slow down your computer. You can install it if your computer has sufficient space AND you will need OneDrive offline. 

Q. Should I install and sync Google Drive File Stream or Backup & Sync on my new L4L? 

BPSTechnology does not recommend using Backup & Sync or Drive File Stream, as they will take up space on your 120GB hard drive and may slow down your computer. You can install one of these options if your computer has sufficient space AND you will need Google Drive offline. First check to see how much memory your Google Drive is using (open your Google Drive and look at the bottom of the left side column, right below “Trash”). Do not install if your drive will take up a significant portion of your L4L’s 120GB storage.

Q. Can I type math equations in Office 365? 

Equation editor does not work in Office 365. You must download and install Word if you use it to edit math equations.

Additional Resources

Office 365 Training Center (website)

Download, Install, or Reinstall Office 365 or Office 2016 on a Mac (website)

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