We have split the most common Microsoft apps into categories.
Microsoft Word is available on every Managed Desktop computer within the university
Microsoft Word is available through the Office 365 portal at
Microsoft Excel is available on every Managed Desktop computer within the university
Microsoft Excel is available through the Office 365 portal at
Microsoft PowerPoint is available on every Managed Desktop computer within the university
Microsoft PowerPoint is available through the Office 365 portal at
Microsoft Access is available on every Managed Desktop computer within the university
Microsoft Access is available through the Office 365 portal at
Office Online provides a free, cut-down, browser-based versions of the popular Office apps and allows you to easily collaborate with colleagues, peers and other users of Office 365 in real time.
Office online is available for Word, PowerPoint, OneNote and Excel. These Office applications are designed to work quickly in a web browser, meaning you can access your work anytime and anywhere, without installing software.
All files created using Office Online are automatically saved to your OneDrive for Business file storage. From here you can manage your files and chose to share them with colleagues or peers.
Why not try using your favourite desktop Microsoft applications online? Are you working in a team and want to easily share, review and comment on documents? Use Office online to access, read and modify the same document in real time.
When using Office 365 online, the Homepage and App launcher (waffle menu) in the top left corner presents the applications available to you. The App launcher offers a way to navigate with ease between compatible 365 tools, for example, create a document in Word and save and share with others using OneDrive. It's possible to customise your app launcher to present the view that works best for you by moving or unpinning tiles from the menu.
If you are working in Office Online and need to do more advanced formatting, select 'Edit Document' and choose to 'Edit in Word/Excel/PowerPoint or OneNote'. Your file will open for editing using your desktop Office suite and continue to save to OneDrive.
When using Office Online your work is automatically saved, to change the name of the document click in the centre of the top navigation bar and type the desired file name.
Your OneDrive for Business area is personal to you, just like your university provided G:\ drive, so only you will be able to view and edit your files.
Unlike your G:\ drive, however, please be aware that you are able to share files and folders from OneDrive for Business, by changing the view and edit rights for others.
Viva Engage is a private, university wide communications and social network platform which allows you to communicate and collaborate with online colleagues online at your desk or on the go.
The use of a social networking tool in a work environment may seem odd to some, but when used correctly it can provide fantastic opportunities for greater collaboration, interaction, and involvement whatever your job role or location
OneDrive is a cloud based storage platform which integrates into both Microsoft Office 365 and all Windows, Mac and mobile device platforms, meaning that files can be accessed almost anywhere and anytime.
This service will provide both staff and students with a secure cloud based file store (currently 1Terabyte cloud file storage), accessible both on and off campus. Information stored within the system may be shared to individuals or groups of people, and allows for online same-time, multi-user collaboration on Office documents. There are three methods of accessing your OneDrive files:
Teams is a cloud based collaborative hub that brings all the best Microsoft tools onto one page, designed to help people work together better. It's an online shared area for a group where members can post messages, pictures and links with the ability to comment and discuss on the things posted. Teams is itself a collection of other Microsoft tools, allowing members to pull in resources from Office standards, such as Word and PowerPoint, but also Planner, OneNote, OneDrive and even connect to external resources (where licensed and permitted|). Team activity can be set to appear on a feed, and with PC, Mac and mobile clients you can keep in touch with your group and the work with ease.
Teams allows you to easily plan, track and organise projects or team work in your group's shared online space. Sometimes email is not the most suitable way to collaborate on work, so rather that endless email chains, create a team space which members can drop in and out of, post content to be commented on, and shared on the activity feed.
Features include:
Microsoft Teams is available for members of staff on every Windows 10 Managed Desktop PC within the university available to download or use online through the Office 365 portal at
OneNote is a multi-purpose digital notebook, allowing you to collate words, pictures, audio and video into a singe place, which can be private, or shared and edited by several users simultaneously. Additional functionality includes screen grab and optical character recognition. A OneNote document can comprise a single page, a group of pages (called a section) or multiple sections.
You can use OneNote via a browser, as part of your Office 365 licence, or download the full Microsoft OneNote software package to a PC, Mac or mobile device, so you and your colleagues are able to read and add to your documents at all times.
With OneNote, you can:
OneNote is an extremely powerful tool which can be used as a repository of files, a project document or a training guide.
Microsoft Forms is a quick and simple way to create web based forms, allowing you to gather information via surveys, questionnaires or quizzes, and easily see results as they come in.
Features include:
Whilst we still recommend that staff and researchers use more comprehensive Online Survey Tools for surveys that are either more complex or collect sensitive or research data, MS Forms offers a simple alternative for quick surveys and quizzes.
As it comes as part of the University's subscription to Office 365, Microsoft Forms it is a better choice for your University surveys than tools such as Google Forms or Survey Monkey because:
Microsoft Forms is available through the Office 365 portal at
If you are collecting , you must ensure that the processing is compliant with Data Protection legislation. Failure to do so could lead to significant fines or institutional risk. If you are at all unsure, or want further information, please contact the University's Information Compliance Manager.