Tech Guides (IT Governance)

Downloading & Installing Microsoft Office for Free

Updated on

Students and employees of BYU-Idaho can download and install Microsoft Office for free by following the instructions outlined below. Choose between one copy of Office 2019 (or the latest version) or a subscription to Office 365, which can be installed on multiple personal devices.

Programs included with Microsoft Office (from Office Applications):

  • Microsoft Word: a full-featured word processing program for Windows and Mac operating systems
  • Microsoft Excel: a spreadsheet program that features calculation, graphic tools, pivot tables, and macro programming language support for Windows and Mac operating systems
  • Microsoft PowerPoint: a presentation program for Windows and Mac operating systems
  • Microsoft OneNote: a free-form note-taking program for Windows and Mac operating systems
  • Microsoft Outlook: an email program for Windows and Mac operating systems
  • Microsoft Publisher: a desktop publishing program for Windows operating systems

Employees can only use Office 365 to download Microsoft Office. They must use the Office 365 download option.

Navigate to the University Store website under Services on the BYU-Idaho homepage > Technology > Downloads.  


Microsoft Office 2019

Students can use OnTheHub to download Microsoft Office 2019 (or the latest version). OnTheHub gives a key code that never expires.

1. Visit the University Store's Other Software page and select Visit Downloads Store.

2. Once you are logged into your BYU-Idaho account, you will be redirected to BYU-Idaho's OnTheHub page, where you can download programs licensed through the university.

Find the Office download package that matches your computer’s operating system (Mac or Windows). 

3. Select the Microsoft Office Professional Plus version that you want, then select Add to Cart.

A personal Microsoft account will be required when choosing Microsoft Home & Business suites.

4. A pop-up window will appear. Select any additional products you want, if desired, select Check Out.

5. Complete the Microsoft Student Option User Acceptance Form and select Accept.

6. Confirm your contact information, complete the Captcha, and select Proceed With Order.

7.  You will be redirected to a page with your Product Key; it will appear in red. You will need this key to register your Office product after downloading it.

Take a screenshot of the product key and email it to yourself so you can use it later. Star/save the email in a separate folder from your inbox for easy access.

Product Key  

  • A 25-character alphanumeric code  
  • Verifies your software copy is legal and legitimate 
  • Authorizes your full use of all features forever

If your computer crashes, or you get a new hard drive, operating system, or a whole new computer, you will need to input your product key again to reinstall Office.

8. After saving your product key, select Download.

9. You will be redirected to an Order Summary page. Select Download again. The version of Office that you ordered will begin downloading.

The following steps vary depending on whether you are using a PC or a Mac.

Stay connected to the internet during the installation so the program loads successfully.

Installing Office on PC

1. Open the download file to begin installation.

2. If you see the User Account Control prompt that says, Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device? select Yes.

3. Your install is finished when you see the phrase, "You're all set! Office is installed now." Select Close.

4. Your Microsoft Office programs are now ready to be used. To use one of these programs, open the Start menu and click the program you want to use, such as Microsoft Word.

5. When you are prompted for activation, enter the Product Key that you saved before.

6. To pin an Office program to the taskbar, open the program, then right-click the program's icon in the taskbar and choose Pin to taskbar.

Installing Office on Mac

1. Once the download has completed, open Finder, go to Downloads, and double-click Microsoft Office installer.pkg file (the name might vary slightly).

If you see an error that says the Microsoft Office installer.pkg can't be opened because it is from an unidentified developer, wait 10 seconds and move the downloaded file to your desktop. Hold Control+click the file to launch the installer.

2. On the first installation screen, select Continue to begin the installation process.

3. Review the software license agreement, and then click Continue.

4. Select Agree to agree to the terms of the software license agreement

5. Choose how you want to install Office and click Continue.

6. Review the disk space requirements or change your install location, and then click Install.

If you want to only install specific Office apps and not the entire suite, click the Customize button and uncheck the programs you don't want.

7. Enter your Mac login password, if prompted (this is the password that you use to log in to your Mac). Then click Install Software.

8. Microsoft Office will begin to install. Click Close when the installation is finished

9. Your Microsoft Office programs are now ready to be used. To use one of these programs, open the Launchpad menu and click the program you want to use, such as Microsoft Word.

10. When you are prompted for activation, enter the Product Key that you saved before.

11. To pin an Office program to the Dock, open the program, then Control+click or right-click the program's icon in the Dock and choose Options > Keep in Dock.


Office 365

This option is subscription based and will expire after graduation or termination.

1. Visit the University Store's Download Microsoft Office page and select Download. This link will take you to Microsoft's website

2. If you are not already logged into your BYU-Idaho account, enter your byui.edu email address and click Next.

login

This will take you to the BYU-Idaho login page where you will log in with your credentials. You may need to authenticate using Duo Mobile.

byu-i login

3. Once you are logged in, your will be redirected to the Microsoft Office website. On this page, select the button near the top-right that says Install Office, then select Office 365 apps from the drop-down menu. Office 365 will begin downloading.

install office
install office

The following steps vary depending on whether you are using a PC or a Mac.

Stay connected to the internet during the installation so the program loads successfully.

Be sure to get Office 2019 or the latest Microsoft Office version from the University Store when you are close to graduating.

Installing Office 365 on PC

1. Open the download file to begin installation.

2. If you see the User Account Control prompt that says, Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device? select Yes.

3. Your install is finished when you see the phrase, "You're all set! Office is installed now." Select Close.

4. Your Microsoft Office programs are now ready to be used. To use one of these programs, open the Start menu and click the program you want to use, such as Microsoft Word. If prompted for activation, enter your byui.edu email. 

Installing Office 365 on Mac

1. Once the download has completed, open Finder, go to Downloads, and double-click Microsoft Office installer.pkg file (the name might vary slightly).

If you see an error that says the Microsoft Office installer.pkg can't be opened because it is from an unidentified developer, wait 10 seconds and move the downloaded file to your desktop. Hold Control + click the file to launch the installer.

2. On the first installation screen, select Continue to begin the installation process.

3. Review the software license agreement, and then click Continue.

4. Select Agree to agree to the terms of the software license agreement

5. Choose how you want to install Office and click Continue.

6. Review the disk space requirements or change your install location, and then click Install.

If you want to only install specific Office apps and not the entire suite, click the Customize button and uncheck the programs you don't want.

7. Enter your Mac login password, if prompted (this is the password that you use to log in to your Mac). Then click Install Software.

8. Office 365 will begin to install. Click Close when the installation is finished

9. Your Microsoft Office programs are now ready to be used. To use one of these programs, open the Launchpad menu and click the program you want to use, such as Microsoft Word. If prompted for activation, enter your byui.edu email.

To pin an Office program to the Dock, open the program, then Control+click or right-click the program's icon in the Dock and choose Options > Keep in Dock.


For immediate assistance, contact the I.T. Service Desk at (208) 496-1411 or through their Live Chat function. 

For more help visit BYU-Idaho's Yammer community for Microsoft 365 Users.

0 Comments

Add your comment

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Previous Article OneDrive Terms of Service
Next Article Using OneNote
Still Need Help? Contact Us