- I have an MSDN 'Visual Studio Premium with MSDN' account. I have created an Office 365 E3 Tenancy. I have 'activated' Azure AD for that tenancy and can access the 'Access to Azure AD' subscription. But this only gives me Azure AD and not all the other services.
- Visual Studio subscriptions come with different set of benefits depending on the subscription type and level. You have the option to buy just the Visual Studio IDE or to also get a comprehensive set of subscriber benefits that include cloud services, software for.
Starting in September 2019, all new members of the Office 365 Developer Program (including Visual Studio Professional and Enterprise subscribers) can sign up for a Microsoft 365 E5 developer subscription (Windows not included). This replaces the Office 365 E3 developer subscription that we made available starting in March 2018. It now includes EMS, something our customers have asked us for on User Voice. Check out the recent Developer Blog for more information.
Microsoft 365 is a subscription that includes the most collaborative, up-to-date features in one seamless, integrated experience. Microsoft 365 includes the robust Office desktop apps that you’re familiar with, like Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.
Selected Visual Studio Professional or Enterprise standard subscriptions will now have access to the Microsoft 365 developer subscription benefit as long as their subscriptions are active.
What is different about E5 vs E3?
The Microsoft 365 E5 developer subscription offers new value and expanded access to critical Microsoft 365 workloads and capabilities. Developers with Microsoft 365 E5 sandbox subscriptions can get everything they enjoyed in E3 plus can take advantage of:
- Advanced analytics with Power BI
- Enterprise Mobility + Security for compliance and information protection
- Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection
- Azure Active Directory for building advanced identity and access management solutions
To see what’s included in the Microsoft 365 E5 developer subscription, see the Microsoft 365 Developer Program FAQ.
Activation steps
Sign in to https://my.visualstudio.com/benefits.
Locate the Microsoft 365 benefit tile in the 'Tools' category, and click on Activate.
On the welcome screen, choose your region/country, enter your company name, and click the checkbox to accept the terms of use. Then click Next.
On the Program Preferences screen, fill out the various fields to indicate your preferences and areas of interest. When you're finished, click Activate subscription.
In the Set up your developer subscription dialog, choose your region/country, create your username and domain, and set your password. Then click Continue.
Specify your country code a phone number that supports SMS messages, and click Send Code. You'll receive a code via an SMS message.
Enter the code you received in the text message and click Set up.
You'll see the Office Dev Center page, with your subscription information displayed. It's a good idea to take this opportunity to assign subscriptions to your users. Click Go to subscription.
Sign in to your account.
Cancel the introduction dialog box.
Click Got it to close the Office 365 apps dialog.
Click the Admin button to open the Microsoft 365 admin center.
Select Users in the left nav pane, then choose Active users.
A list of your active users will appear. If you're just setting up your subscription, you will be the only one listed. Click Add a user.
You may be asked to personalize your sign-in and email. Choose the options that work best for you, and click Next.
On the Add new users page, you'll see a grid you can use to add users who will all have licenses assigned to them. If you need to add more users click + Add another user.
After you add users, you'll have the option to do things like create teams and install applications. You can either do any or all of those things now, or come back to the admin center any time to set those up.
Migrate from Office 365 E3 to Microsoft 365 E5
Visual Studio subscribers can now migrate Office 365 E3 developer sandbox subscriptions to Microsoft 365 E5.
Last August, we made Microsoft 365 E5 subscriptions available to new Developer Program members. We have since heard feedback from our existing members that you would like to take advantage of the same benefits. We also recognize that many Visual Studio subscribers and Microsoft 365 developers need to have the most up-to-date Microsoft 365 technology for their developer sandboxes.
We are pleased to announce that existing members of the Microsoft 365 Developer Program can now get the benefits of a Microsoft 365 E5 subscription. If you would like to migrate to a new Microsoft 365 E5 developer subscription, you can delete your current subscription and replace it now.
To get your new Microsoft 365 E5 developer subscription, go to your dashboard and do the following:
On your subscription tile, click Delete subscription.
Confirm that you want to delete your subscription by typing the name of your domain in the dialog box.
The setup process for your new Microsoft 365 E5 subscription will start automatically.
After you delete your Office 365 E3 subscription and create your replacement Microsoft 365 E5 subscription, your Office 365 E3 tenant will be available for 60 days so that you can migrate your data.
For help migrating your data, you can use the free tool Microsoft Mover. See also the following:
- Office 365 to Microsoft 365 migration guideThank you for your membership in the Microsoft 365 Developer Program.
Eligibility
| Subscription Level | Channels | Benefit | Renewable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visual Studio Enterprise (Standard) | VL, Azure, Retail, selected NFR1 | Included | Yes |
| Visual Studio Enterprise subscription with GitHub Enterprise | VL | Included | Yes |
| Visual Studio Professional (Standard) | VL, Azure, Retail | Included | Yes |
| Visual Studio Professional subscription with GitHub Enterprise | VL | Included | Yes |
| Visual Studio Test Professional (Standard) | VL, Retail | Not available | NA |
| MSDN Platforms (Standard) | VL, Retail | Not available | NA |
| Visual Studio Enterprise, Visual Studio Professional (monthly cloud) | Azure | Not available | NA |
1Includes: Not for Resale (NFR), Visual Studio Industry Partner (VSIP), FTE, BizSpark, MCT Software & Services Developer. Excludes: MCT Software & Services, Microsoft Partner Network (MPN), Imagine, Most Valuable Professional (MVP), Regional Director (RD).
Note
Microsoft no longer offers Visual Studio Professional Annual subscriptions and Visual Studio Enterprise Annual subscriptions in Cloud Subscriptions. There will be no change to existing customers experience and ability to renew, increase, decrease, or cancel their subscriptions. New customers are encouraged to go to https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/vs/pricing/ to explore different options to purchase Visual Studio.
Not sure which subscription you're using? Connect to https://my.visualstudio.com/subscriptions to see all the subscriptions assigned to your email address. If you don't see all your subscriptions, you may have one or more assigned to a different email address. You'll need to sign in with that email address to see those subscriptions.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Can I activate a Microsoft 365 developer subscription using an existing tenant, or do I need to create a new one?
A: To activate the Office Developer subscription, a new tenant is required.
Q: Can I choose E3 or E5?
As of September 2019, new Developer Program members are only offered E5, which is our flagship version of Office 365. This version of Office 365 offers even more value than E3, and can normally cost substantially more than our previous E3 subscription.
Existing members with E3, who don’t need the additional capabilities of E5, will have the option to keep their current E3 subscription and continue to renew it. We are not requiring any existing member to move from E3 to E5 if they don’t want to migrate. However each member can only have one subscription.
When we have a migration option for existing Developer Program members, we’ll provide more information about how to choose and how to migrate.
Q: How do I know which version I have?
You can verify your version now in the subscription tile located on your Office 365 Developer Program dashboard.
Look for the E3 or E5 indication in your tile.
Q: If Microsoft 365 developer subscription doesn't include Windows, how do I get Windows?
A: The Visual Studio subscriptions that include the Microsoft 365 benefit also include Windows as part of the subscriber downloads. Visit downloads to download Windows. (If you don't see downloads enabled in your subscription, please contact your admin.)
Support resources
- Need help with Microsoft 365 developer subscription? Check out the online Microsoft 365 documentation.
- For assistance with sales, subscriptions, accounts and billing for Visual Studio Subscriptions, contact Visual Studio Subscriptions Support.
- Have a question about Visual Studio IDE, Azure DevOps Services or other Visual Studio products or services? Visit Visual Studio Support.
- Have feedback on the new offer? Please share your feedback on UserVoice. The Microsoft 365 team will personally review each comment.
See also
Next steps
- Sign in to https://my.visualstudio.com/benefits and click on the Microsoft 365 developer subscription tile to get started.
- If you haven't already done so, we recommend activating these other great benefits in your subscription:
The following are frequently asked questions about the Microsoft 365 Developer Program.
What is the Microsoft 365 Developer Program and who should join it?
The Microsoft 365 Developer Program is designed to help you build people-centric, cross-platform productivity experiences that extend Microsoft 365. Join our program to get access to the tools, documentation, training, experts, and community events that you need to build great solutions for Microsoft 365 products and technologies, including:
- Excel, Outlook, Word, and PowerPoint web add-ins
As a program member, you can get a free Microsoft 365 developer subscription with 25 user licenses to use to build your solutions. This subscription will remain active for as long as you’re actively developing and deploying solutions.
For more information, see Join the Microsoft 365 Developer Program and Build Microsoft 365 solutions.
What account can I use to sign up for the Microsoft 365 Developer Program?
You can sign up for the developer program by using one of the following account types:
- Microsoft account (created by you for personal use) - Provides access to all consumer-oriented Microsoft products and cloud services, such as Outlook (Hotmail), Messenger, OneDrive, MSN, Xbox Live, or Microsoft 365. Signing up for an Outlook.com mailbox automatically creates a Microsoft account. After a Microsoft account is created, it can be used to access consumer-related Microsoft cloud services or Azure.
- Work account (issued by an admin for business use) - Provides access to all small, medium, and enterprise business-level Microsoft cloud services, such as Azure, Microsoft Intune, or Microsoft 365. When you sign up to one of these services as an organization, a cloud-based directory is automatically provisioned in Azure Active Directory to represent your organization. For more information, see Manage your Azure AD directory.
- Visual Studio ID (created for your Visual Studio Professional or Enterprise subscriptions) - We recommend that you use this option to join the developer program from within the Visual Studio Gallery to get the full benefits as a Visual Studio subscriber.
How can I get a Microsoft 365 developer subscription via the Developer Program?
When you join the Microsoft 365 Developer Program, you qualify to get a free Microsoft 365 E5 developer subscription. This is a special subscription designed to be used for application development only. For more information, see Set up a Microsoft 365 developer subscription.
What ID do I use to sign in to the Developer Program dashboard?
Use your member ID to sign in to the Developer Program dashboard to access information about your subscription. This is the Microsoft account or Azure Active Directory-enabled email that you used to sign in when you joined the program.
What ID do I use to sign in to my developer subscription?
Use the administrator ID that you created when you set up your developer subscription. You can find your administrator ID on the subscription tile on the Developer Program dashboard.
What's included in the developer subscription?
If you created your subscription after August 25, 2019, you have a Microsoft 365 E5 Developer subscription with 25 user licenses. Customers who joined the program before August 25, 2019, have an Office 365 E3 Developer subscription with 25 user licenses.
The Office 365 E3 Developer subscription includes the following:
The Microsoft 365 E5 Developer subscription includes all the apps that are included in the Office 365 E3 Developer subscription, plus the following new features:
- Advanced analytics with Power BI
- Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS) for compliance and information protection
- Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection
- Azure Active Directory for building advanced identity and access management solutions
The Microsoft 365 E5 Developer subscription includes the following:
- Azure Active Directory Premium P1
- Azure Active Directory Premium P2
- Azure Advanced Threat Protection
- Azure Information Protection Premium P1
- Azure Information Protection Premium P2
- Customer Lockbox
- Exchange Online (Plan 2)
- Flow for Office 365
- Information Protection for Office 365 - Premium
- Information Protection for Office 365 - Standard
- Microsoft Azure Active Directory Rights
- Microsoft Azure Multi-Factor Authentication
- Microsoft Cloud App Security
- Microsoft Forms (Plan E5)
- Microsoft Intune
- Microsoft MyAnalytics (Full)
- Microsoft Planner
- Microsoft StaffHub
- Microsoft Stream for O365 E5 SKU
- Microsoft Teams
- Mobile Device Management for Office 365
- Office 365 Advanced eDiscovery
- Office 365 Advanced Security Management
- Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection (Plan 1)
- Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection (Plan 2)
- Office 365 Privileged Access Management
- Office 365 ProPlus
- Office Online
- Phone System
- Power BI Pro
- PowerApps for Office 365 Plan 3
- SharePoint Online (Plan 2)
- Skype for Business Online (Plan 2)
- Sway
- To-Do (Plan 3)
- Whiteboard (Plan 3)
- Yammer Enterprise
You can determine whether you have a Microsoft 365 E5 subscription or an Office 365 E3 subscription on the subscription tile on your dashboard. The tile will show either E3 or E5 under the subscription domain name.
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Does the subscription also include a subscription to Azure?
This offer does not include a subscription to Azure. However, to receive free access to Azure services, you can create a free Azure account.
How many user licenses does the developer subscription include?
Your Office 365 E3 or Microsoft 365 E5 developer subscription includes 25 user licenses, including the administrator, for development purposes only. Using this subscription for any purpose other than application development is a violation of the license agreement. For more details about the licensing restrictions, see the terms of use.
How long is my subscription good for, and when does it expire?
Your subscription is good for 90 days and is renewable based on valid developer activity. If you're using your subscription for development, it will be renewed every 3 months and will last indefinitely. You can find the expiration date, along with your subscription name, on your Microsoft 365 Developer Program dashboard. For more information, see Subscription expiration and renewal.
If you're joining the program through Visual Studio Enterprise or Visual Studio Professional, your subscription is automatically renewed until your Visual Studio subscription expires.
MSDN Subscriptions Quick Guide (Part 1 Of 2)
Why don’t you offer a one-year subscription?
In April 2019, we transitioned to a new model where your subscription can be renewed perpetually every 90 days if you're actively using it for development. We believe that this model ensures that developers who are actively developing solutions have a subscription for as long as they need one. If you're developing frequently, your subscription never expires; it is automatically extended. If you're developing for a short time, and your subscription expires and is deleted, you can sign up for a new one.
If you prefer to have a subscription that is available for a longer time, we recommend that you get the Visual Studio Professional or Visual Studio Enterprise subscription. These programs include a free Microsoft 365 developer subscription that is good for the life of your Visual Studio subscription. To access this, go to Visual Studio | My Benefits. For more information, contact Visual Studio customer service.
How do you determine whether a subscription can be renewed?
We use a set of algorithms and telemetry that we get from your activity in the Microsoft 365 Developer Program and on your Office 365 E3 or Microsoft 365 E5 developer subscription to determine whether you are actively developing. We check these regularly to update your status and determine whether your subscription should be extended.
If you think we somehow missed tracking your development activity accurately, you can let us know via your dashboard. To submit a form that tells us how you are using your subscription for development, in the dashboard warning, choose the Let us know link, as shown in the following image. We will review your request and let you know if you qualify for an extension.
How do you define development activity?
Your activity in the Developer Program and on your developer subscription determine whether you are actively developing and whether your subscription should be extended.
For more information about the types of activities that we track, see the terms of use.
When my subscription is about to expire, can I extend it?
Office 365 Msdn Subscription Activation
The only way that you can extend your subscription is to do valid developer activity. If you're using your subscription to develop custom solutions, your subscription will expire and will eventually be deleted.
For more information, see Subscription expiration and renewal.
If my subscription is going to expire, how much time do I have before it is deleted?
You have 30 days after your subscription expires to migrate any data. For the next 30 days, only the admin will have access to the subscription, and on day 60, the subscription and all data will be deleted.
How can I migrate from an Office 365 E3 subscription to a Microsoft 365 E5 subscription?
Currently, only new Microsoft 365 Developer Program members will get a Microsoft 365 E5 Developer subscription automatically. Existing users will be offered a way to migrate to a Microsoft 365 E5 subscription in the future. Rest assured, we are working to enable all Office 365 Developer Program members to migrate to Microsoft 365 E5.
Can I choose whether to have an Office 365 E3 or a Microsoft 365 E5 subscription?
Currently, only new Developer Program members are offered a Microsoft 365 E5 subscription. Existing members with an Office 365 E3 subscription will have the option to keep their current subscription and continue to renew it if they don't need the new capibilities offered in Microsoft 365 E5. Developer program members can only have one subscription.
When we have a migration option for existing Developer Program members, we’ll provide more information about how to migrate.
As a Microsoft Partner, can I receive a subscription?
Yes, you can follow these instructions to join the Microsoft 365 Developer Program and set up a Microsoft 365 developer subscription. However, if you already have a Visual Studio Enterprise or Visual Studio Professional (MSDN) subscription, you can get a Microsoft 365 developer subscription as a benefit. To access this, go to Visual Studio | My Benefits. For more information, contact Visual Studio customer service.
As a full-time Microsoft employee, can I receive a subscription?
Microsoft employees cannot sign up for this offer. All Microsoft full-time employees have access to a free Visual Studio (MSDN) subscription that includes access to a Microsoft 365 E5 developer subscription. You can access this benefit at Visual Studio | My Benefits.
As a vendor working at Microsoft, do I qualify for a subscription?
Yes, you can follow these instructions to join the Microsoft 365 Developer Program and set up a Microsoft 365 developer subscription. But even for vendors, this subscription is designed to be used for application development only. If you are not doing valid development activity, your subscription will not be renewed.
Is the Microsoft 365 Developer Program available in my language?
In addition to English, the Microsoft 365 Developer Program is available in the following languages: Chinese (Simplified), French, German, Japanese, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, and Spanish.
Is the Microsoft 365 developer subscription available in my language?
The Microsoft 365 developer subscription is only offered in English.
How do I leave the Microsoft 365 Developer Program?
If you decide that you no longer want to participate in the Microsoft 365 Developer Program, you can end your subscription and leave the program.
Warning
The following steps will erase all of your profile information. You will lose any data stored in your developer subscription that is not backed up elsewhere.
Sign in to the Microsoft 365 Developer Program.
Choose Delete Profile.
In the Delete Profile confirmation box, choose Delete.
Support
If you have issues setting up your subscription, see the following support resources: