Is your organization using Azure AD but Microsoft Teams is not used yet?
Microsoft Teams Exploratory license could help you to test Microsoft Teams for 12 months.
Microsoft Teams in times of hybrid work is a must-have app for every organization. Teams Exploratory license could help share with users in the organization possibility to organize remote meetings, organize work on files, or just call the colleague.
A trial run with Microsoft Teams could help your organization execute remote work using Microsoft solutions.
Learn how to execute Microsoft Teams Exploratory trial license for 12 months.
What is Microsoft Teams Exploratory license?
This is a special exploratory program offered by Microsoft for users in the organization available in Azure Active Directory, but without subscription in the Microsoft 365 tenant. The goal of the program gives organizations the possibility to share access to Office 365 for some users for a limited time to play or verify usage of Microsoft 365 for up to 100 users.
Licenses included in Microsoft Teams Exploratory
Apps and services available as a part of Teams Exploratory experience:
- Exchange Online (Plan 1)
- Power Automate
- Insights by MyAnalytics
- Microsoft Forms (Plan E1)
- Microsoft Planner
- Microsoft Search
- Microsoft StaffHub
- Microsoft Teams
- Mobile Device Management for Microsoft 365 or Office 365
- Office Mobile Apps for Office 365
- Office Online
- Power Apps for Microsoft 365 or Office 365
- SharePoint Online (Plan 1)
- Sway
- To-Do (Plan 1)
- Whiteboard (Plan 1)
- Yammer Enterprise
Microsoft Teams Exploratory vs commercial cloud vs Microsoft Teams
From the perspective of the available apps, Microsoft Teams Exploratory license is not that different from the commercial cloud or Microsoft Teams itself. This is just a specific set of available apps limited to 12 month trial run. From the perspective of the available features, there’s no difference between Teams Exploratory and Commercial subscriptions.
Is Microsoft Teams Exploratory license free?
Yes. Microsoft Teams Exploratory license is free but available for a trial run of 12 months after user sign-up.
Requirements to give users access to Microsoft Teams Exploratory license:
- Have a managed Azure AD domain email address.
- Belong to a tenant with a paid subscription.
- Don’t have an active Teams license.
- Aren’t in a tenant where a license assignment policy was created.
- Currently does not have Teams from a paid license or trial license, or previously had no trial license.
- The organization tenant did not used/received any special COVID license offer.
How to get access to the Microsoft Teams Exploratory license?
Microsoft 365 administrator can manage the possibility of using Microsoft Teams Exploratory license.
Teams Exploratory cannot be activated for users in an automated way. Every user needs to initiate Teams Exploratory experience individually
How to turn on / turn off Microsoft Teams Exploratory?
If you want to turn on the Teams Exploratory option open Microsoft 365 admin center: https://admin.microsoft.com/, go to Settings (1), Org settings (2), Services (3) and select option Let users start trials on behalf of your organization.
Now users will have the possibility to initiate Microsoft Teams Exploratory.
How to initiate Microsoft Teams Exploratory?
Users need to initiate the Teams Exploratory license individually by visiting https://teams.microsoft.com/ using a computer (mobile is not supported).
End user will be asked to log in using Azure Active Directory credentials. Automatically after authentication, Microsoft Teams will be executed and an additional note will be presented. If this feature is turned on user could execute usage of Teams Exploratory without having idea about it.
Thankfully, Microsoft 365 administrators will receive information about the start of the program.
Initiated users will have the access to Office 365 apps for 12 months.
By design, a Teams Eploratory license will be assigned, but Exchange Online (Plan 1) app will not be assigned to the user. If you would like to create an email account for such a user you will need to assign it manually.
What happens after Microsoft Teams Exploratory license expires?
When the Microsoft Teams Exploratory trial subscription will expire users will lose access to office 365 apps after a 30-day grace period. After another 30 days after the end date of the Microsoft Teams Exploratory trial user data will be deleted.
What’s next?
Super! You learned what the Microsoft Teams Exploratory license is and how to use it. Learn how to organize a webinar in Teams, do the escalation using Teams or how set out the office message in Teams.
Do you want more?
I prepared more articles around main Office 365 apps, like Planner, Microsoft Outlook, Power Automate and SharePoint Online.
Conclusion
Learn what Microsoft Teams Exploratory free license is and how to use it in your organization. Use trial, free Teams license in the commercial environment.
