What to Expect During the Installation

Starting the Office 365 upgrade process manually

Use these steps if you prefer to start the upgrade process manually, rather than waiting for your system to upgrade automatically after the deadline.

1. Open Self Service and click Microsoft Office – Activate Office 365 Version Self Service.
   
   
    
2. Click Activate O365.
   
   
    
3. The activation may take 1-2 minutes to complete.

4. The next time an Office application is opened, it will prompt you either to activate the product or to sign in immediately.
   • If you are prompted to activate the product when an Office app is opened:
     1. Click Activate in the yellow activation warning bar.
        
        
         
     2. Click the Sign in link at the bottom of the activation window.
        
        
         
     3. Log in using your Cornell NetID and password.
     4. The Office application will no longer display the yellow activation warning bar.
         
   • If you are prompted to sign in when opening an Office app:
     1. At the Microsoft Sign in window, type your NetID in the field labeled Email, phone, or Skype, then click Next.
        
        
         
     2. Log in using your Cornell NetID and password. The Office application should open normally.
         
5. To confirm your activated Office 365 license in any Office application, click the application name in the Menu bar, then click About. The license type should read “Office 365 Subscription.”
   
   
    

What to Expect After the Upgrade

• Dock shortcut icons
  For any Office applications that were in the Mac Dock, you will need to add them again to the Dock. (To do this, open the app to make its icon appear again in the Dock. Control-click the app’s icon, then choose Options > Keep in Dock.)
• Your Office 365 Subscription
  This Office installation will count toward the five total installations that you are allowed through Cornell’s Office 365 licensing. When you launch any Microsoft application in the suite, you will be automatically logged in based on your Mac login. (The assumption is that you are using an Active Directory-bound system.)
• OneDrive for Business
  If you still use OneDrive for Business, be aware that it will not be re-installed with Office 365. We recommend you use the OneDrive app moving forward. For more information, see Sync files with the OneDrive sync client on Mac OS X.
• If your upgrade fails
  In the unlikely event that your Office upgrade fails, leaving your system without Office applications installed locally, please submit a ticket to CIT Desktop Support immediately.
  
  Until your upgrade issue is resolved, use the web-based Office applications. Log in to the Office site, then click the Apps icon in the upper left-hand corner to open a menu of available web-based Office apps.

What to Expect from Future Office Updates

• Release Notes
  Release notes for each version and channel can be found on the following pages:
  • Release information for updates to Office 365 ProPlus
  • Release notes for Monthly Channel releases in 2019
• Regular Office Updates
  Once the upgrade has been rolled out, users will be on a "monthly channel." This means new feature updates will be released monthly for the product. For details, see Overview of update channels for Office 365 ProPlus. Unlike previous Microsoft Office updates which users received as part of "Patch Tuesdays," these Office 365 client updates require the apps to be closed prior to starting the update.