CSU Microsoft Accounts for Emeritus

Emeritus faculty and staff retain access to a Microsoft 365 A1 license after separation from Cal Poly. This license provides full access to the web-based Microsoft 365 applications, but you will no longer be able to download the desktop version of the Microsoft Office software suite.

NOTE: You can still open and print documents previously created in Office desktop apps using Microsoft 365 online apps.

What is the difference between Microsoft 365 and Office?

Microsoft 365: A subscription that gives you access to the web-based suite of Office 365 apps, which includes online versions of Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive, and OneNote. Cal Poly provides this through a Microsoft 365 A1 license to Emeritus.

Microsoft Office: A one-time purchase of a suite of installable desktop software for Mac and Windows, which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and sometimes Outlook.

How do I continue using Microsoft apps?

Web-based (Free subscription, provided by Cal Poly to Emeritus)
If you are familiar with the Office 365 web-based apps, you can continue to use them as you normally would. Just keep logging into the My Cal Poly Portal or http://Office.com to access your email, calendar, and other apps.

Or…

Desktop (Purchase the software from Microsoft)
If you have downloaded the Microsoft Office software suite from Cal Poly and frequently use the desktop apps, the only way to continue using the desktop apps is to purchase a personal copy of the Microsoft Office software suite.

STEP 1 - PURCHASE and INSTALL Microsoft Office on Your Computer

If you prefer using Microsoft Word, Excel, or Outlook installed on your computer, you may purchase a personal license from Microsoft or a retail provider. Below are the steps to obtain a license:

There are two options to purchase Microsoft Office: Office Home or Office Home & Business.

Version	Includes

Version	Includes
Office Home	Word, Excel, PowerPoint
Office Home & Business	Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook

Select which plan best suits your needs, Office Home or Office Home & Business and complete your purchase through the Checkout…

NOTE: To complete this purchase, you will need to sign in with a personal Microsoft account that is not a Cal Poly email address. If you do not have a personal Microsoft account, click Create an Account and follow the provided steps.
Once your purchase is complete, proceed to the Activation steps below for your particular device…

STEP 2 - ACTIVATE Microsoft Office

Mac:

Click the Spy Glass icon in the menu bar at the top of your screen

Type Word in the Spotlight Search field, then hit Enter. Click on Microsoft Word when it appears.

The What's New window opens automatically when you launch Word. Click Get Started to complete the activation process.

Windows PC

In the lower, left-hand corner, click the Start button and type Word.

Click the Microsoft Word icon.

When the Office app opens, accept the license agreement Office is activated and ready to use.

STEP 3 - CONNECT Microsoft Office to Your Cal Poly Account

You can use any Microsoft Office app to do the following steps, however these instructions use Microsoft Word to sign out and back into Microsoft Office:

Mac

From Microsoft Word, click on the Word menu next to the Apple logo.
Click Sign Out

From Microsoft Word, in the upper, left-hand corner click Sign In.

Enter your Cal Poly login and authenticate your account.

Windows

Open Word
From the Word menu, select Sign Out
From Microsoft Word, go to File, then Account. Click Sign In.