Microsoft Office On iOS: Startup Guide
Microsoft Office on mobile devices offers the flexibility to work on Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents when and where needed. Here's how to install, configure, and use Microsoft Office on iPhones and iPads.
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Microsoft Office allows you to create polished documents, save them to your personal OneDrive or third-party cloud, and collaborate on those documents with others in real-time. With Microsoft Office you can extend your Office experience to mobile devices so that you can remain productive virtually anywhere.
Microsoft Office for iOS
Microsoft Office is supported on all major mobile platforms, including Windows, Android, and iOS. Office for iOS unifies the user experience across all devices in a simplified and productive manner. The full suite includes Word, Excel, and PowerPoint applications. With Office for iPad or Office for iPhone, you can view, create, and edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents anywhere while on your iOS mobile device.
Create new Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and PowerPoint presentations on a mobile device.
Edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents on the go, and even change basic formatting in Word and Excel.
Review documents while traveling.
Sync and share documents easily with OneDrive and Dropbox integration to access, save, and share documents in the cloud.
Click through the following pages to learn how to install and configure Microsoft Office on iPad and iPhone.
[Could use other options? Read about 8 Microsoft Office Alternatives.]
Search And Install
To find and install Microsoft Office on an iPhone or iPad:
Go to the App Store.
Search Office for iPhone or Office for iPad.
Tap Get and Install on the Office app(s) you want, such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft PowerPoint. When installing any Office app for the first time, you'll need to use your iTunes Store username and password.
Make sure your device runs on iOS 7.1 or later. Microsoft Office for iPad/iPhone includes Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Each app is free of charge to view and edit documents that have been created elsewhere.
Free Microsoft Account Sign-In
Microsoft offers two ways to access Microsoft Office apps. Users can either use the app with Microsoft's free account for home/personal use or they can use Office 365 for business use.
Opening any Office app for the first time requires the following steps:
To sign in with a Microsoft account, work account, or school account, tap Sign in.
If you don't have an account set up already, create a new Microsoft account by tapping Create an Account.
Fill in the required details and tap Create account at the bottom of the page.
On the Sign in page, enter your account information and tap Next.
Type your Password, and then tap Sign in.
Tap Create and Edit Documents to start working on documents.
After completing the sign-in process on one of the Office apps, your work or school account and the OneDrive for Business service, if applicable, are automatically added to other Office apps installed on your device.
Set Up Microsoft Word
To configure Microsoft Word for the first time on your iPad/iPhone:
After downloading and installing the Microsoft Word app, tap on the icon to open the app.
Next, the program will enable certain features. For example:
Your Office 365 subscription gives you one subscription, installed on multiple devices, that allows your documents to be "always synced" and accessible virtually anywhere and anytime.
The AutoSave option saves changes automatically.
The co-author option allows collaboration with other members on a single document along with the ability to apply formatting, review comments, and track changes.
Once you sign in, tap Create and Edit to open Word.
What's New will display to highlight the latest updates to the app. For example:
Dropbox support: Gives you the ability to open, edit, and save documents from the Dropbox collaboration service directly in Word. To add Dropbox support, tap Add Account.
Improved accessibility: Get better support for reading and editing using VoiceOver.
Tap Done after viewing the new features to start creating and editing Word documents.
Note: When configuring any of the Office apps for the first time, you must sign in with a Microsoft account (or the work or school account that you use to access Office 365). If you don't have one of these accounts, then you must create one.
Work With Word
The Microsoft Word app for iPad and iPhone offers the following functions:
View, create, or edit documents.
Insert images, tables, charts, SmartArt, footnotes, and equations.
View email attachments and access Word documents from OneDrive, Dropbox, OneDrive for Business, or SharePoint.
Print Word documents to an AirPrint printer, with or without markup.
Maintain content and formatting across devices -- PC, iPad, or iPhone -- when editing a document.
Track changes, add comments, and work simultaneously with others on the same document. (Available only with a Microsoft Office 365 subscription.)
Automatically save documents so work isn't lost while traveling.
Easily share work with others by emailing a file, a hyperlink, or a PDF.
On the iPhone, the menu ribbon is located at the bottom of the screen for easy access.
Note: The core Word experience is free, including viewing, creating, and editing documents. You can unlock the full Word experience with a qualifying Office 365 subscription.
Set Up Microsoft Excel
To configure Microsoft Excel for the first time on your iPad/iPhone:
After downloading and installing the Microsoft Excel app, tap on the icon to open the app.
Next, the program will introduce features such as:
Your Office 365 subscription gives you one subscription installed on multiple devices that allows your documents to be "always synced" and accessible virtually anywhere and anytime.
The AutoSave option saves changes automatically.
With the Formula bar, you can easily build and edit formulas using the formula keyboard.
Once you sign in, tap Create and Edit to open Excel.
What's New will display the latest updates to the app. For example:
Dropbox support: Enables you to open, edit, and save documents from Dropbox directly in Excel. To add Dropbox support, tap Add Account.
Improved accessibility: Get better support for reading and editing using VoiceOver.
Tap Done after viewing the new features to start creating and editing Excel documents.
Note: When configuring any of the Office apps for the first time, you must sign in with a Microsoft account or the work or school account that you use to access Office 365. If you don't have one of these accounts, then you must create one.
Work With Excel
The Microsoft Excel app for iPad and iPhone offers the following functions:
View, edit, or create spreadsheets.
Create formulas, tables, charts, and PivotTables, and use sorting, filtering, and more.
View email attachments and access Excel spreadsheets from OneDrive, Dropbox, OneDrive for Business, or SharePoint.
Print an entire Excel workbook, a worksheet, or a selected range to an AirPrint printer.
Maintain content and formatting across devices -- PC, iPad, or iPhone -- when editing a spreadsheet.
Add numbers rapidly with a numeric keypad, which is much easier than with a standard keyboard.
Automatically save spreadsheets so work isn't lost while traveling.
Share work with others by emailing a spreadsheet, a hyperlink, or a PDF.
On the iPhone, the ribbon menu is located at the bottom of the screen for easy access.
Note: The core Excel experience is free, including viewing, creating, and editing spreadsheets. Unlock the full Excel experience with a qualifying Office 365 subscription.
Set Up Microsoft PowerPoint
To configure Microsoft PowerPoint for the first time on your iPad/iPhone:
After downloading and installing the Microsoft PowerPoint app, tap on the icon to open the app.
Next, the program will introduce features such as:
Your Office 365 subscription gives you one subscription installed on multiple devices that allows your documents to be "always synced" and accessible virtually anywhere and anytime.
The AutoSave option saves changes automatically.
The co-author option allows collaboration with others on an individual presentation, as well as the ability to edit and share presentations.
After you sign in, tap Create and Edit to open PowerPoint.
Tap Done after viewing the new features, and start creating and editing PowerPoint presentations.
Note: When configuring any of the Office apps for the first time, you must sign in with a Microsoft Account or the work or school account that you use to access Office 365. If you don't have one of these accounts, then you must create one.
Work With PowerPoint
The Microsoft PowerPoint app for iPad and iPhone offers the following functions:
View, edit, or create presentations.
Insert images, tables, charts, SmartArt, transitions, animations, and more.
With Presenter's View, see speaker notes and use the built-in laser pointer, pens, or highlighters to get your point across.
View email attachments and access all your PowerPoint presentations from OneDrive, Dropbox, OneDrive for Business, or SharePoint.
Print PowerPoint presentations to an AirPrint printer.
Maintain content and formatting across all your devices -- PC, iPad, or iPhone -- when editing a presentation.
Work simultaneously with others on the same presentation with the co-author feature.
Automatically save presentations so work isn't lost while traveling.
Share work with others by emailing a presentation, a hyperlink, or a PDF.
On the iPhone, the ribbon menu is located at the bottom of the screen for easy access.
Note: The core PowerPoint experience is free, including viewing, creating, and editing presentations. Unlock the full PowerPoint experience with a qualifying Office 365 subscription.
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