Microsoft 365 on your phone
How to set up and use Microsoft 365 apps on your iPhone, iPad, or Android phone — including Outlook, OneDrive, Teams, and Word.
- Difficulty
- Beginner
You don't need to be at your desk to stay on top of work. Every major Microsoft 365 app has a mobile version for iPhone, iPad, and Android — and they all connect to the same files and email as your computer. The apps are free to download; signing in with your work account is what connects them to your business email and files.
Quick summary
Download the Microsoft 365 apps from the App Store or Google Play. The key apps are Outlook (email and calendar), OneDrive (files), Teams (chat and meetings), and the Microsoft Copilot app, which combines Word, Excel, and PowerPoint in one. Sign in with your work email address and you're set up.
Which apps should you install?
You don't need to install everything. Start with what you actually use:
| App | What it does | Download |
|---|---|---|
| Outlook | Email and calendar | App Store / Google Play |
| Microsoft Teams | Chat, calls, meetings | App Store / Google Play |
| OneDrive | Access and save files | App Store / Google Play |
| Microsoft Copilot | Word, Excel, PowerPoint in one app | App Store / Google Play |
| Microsoft Authenticator | Multi-factor authentication approvals | App Store / Google Play |
The Microsoft 365 app was renamed
If someone tells you to install "the Microsoft 365 app" or "the Office app", they mean what is now the Microsoft Copilot app. Microsoft renamed it — the icon and name started rolling out in January 2025 — and it is the same combined Word, Excel and PowerPoint app it always was. Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote also still exist as separate apps if you'd rather install them individually.
Setting up Outlook on your phone
Open the App Store and search for "Microsoft Outlook." Download and open it.
Tap Add Account. (The other button, Create New Account, is for making a brand new Microsoft account — not what you want here.)
Enter your work email address (for example, sarah@yourcompany.com) and follow the prompts. Outlook sometimes detects an account already on the phone and pre-selects it — tap Continue to use it, or Skip to type a different address.
Enter your password and approve the multi-factor authentication prompt if it appears.
Your email syncs. You'll start seeing your inbox, calendar, and contacts shortly after.
Your admin may have added extra steps
Work and school accounts sometimes have extra requirements — a company-managed device, or an app-protection policy. If that applies to you, Outlook will send you to install extra apps first: usually the Microsoft Authenticator app, plus the Intune Company Portal app if your device has to be enrolled. Once you start that enrolment, finish it in one sitting: Microsoft warns that pausing for more than a few minutes usually stops your progress and means starting over.
Setting up OneDrive on your phone
Download the OneDrive app from the App Store or Google Play.
Open the OneDrive app and sign in with your work email address and password.
Browse your files. All your OneDrive files are accessible immediately.
Optional: turn on camera upload. OneDrive can back your phone's camera roll up automatically. On iPhone or iPad, tap your account image, then Settings → Camera Upload, and switch it on for the account you want. It's a one-way upload, not a sync, so deleting a photo from your phone later doesn't remove the copy in OneDrive.
Camera upload only works for one account at a time
If you're signed in to both a personal and a work OneDrive, pick carefully — Microsoft only lets your camera roll upload to one account. Think about whether your family photos belong in your company's OneDrive before you point it there.
Using Teams on your phone
Teams on mobile gives you access to chat, channels, meetings, and calls. Download Microsoft Teams from the App Store or Google Play, sign in with your work account, and you're ready.
On mobile, you can:
- Send and receive chat messages
- Join video meetings
- Make and receive calls (if enabled)
- View files shared in channels
Check your notification settings for Teams
If you're missing meeting reminders or call alerts, the first thing to check is that notifications are enabled for the Teams app in your phone's settings, and that the app isn't being force-closed or battery-restricted.
Using Word, Excel & PowerPoint on your phone
The Microsoft Copilot app combines Word, Excel and PowerPoint into a single app, so you can view, edit and share files without switching between three. Download it from the App Store or Google Play and sign in with your work account. If you'd rather have them separately, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote are all still available as individual apps.
On a phone, these are best for reviewing documents and making small edits. For longer writing or complex spreadsheets, a laptop or tablet is more comfortable. Some of the more advanced editing features are only unlocked by a qualifying Microsoft 365 subscription, and screen size matters too: on some plans, Microsoft 365 Business Basic among them, editing in the Copilot app stops above 10.9 inches.
Tips for mobile use
- Turn on notifications for Outlook and Teams so you don't miss important messages.
- Use biometric sign-in (Face ID or fingerprint) — it's faster than typing a password every time.
- Use Wi-Fi when possible — downloading large files over mobile data can be slow and costly.
- Lock your phone with a PIN or biometrics — Microsoft 365 apps on your phone hold access to your work email and files.
Common questions
Do I need a separate app for each Microsoft 365 tool?
Not necessarily. The Microsoft Copilot app combines Word, Excel, and PowerPoint in one download. For email and calendar, use Outlook. For chat and meetings, use Teams. For files, use OneDrive. That's four apps for everything.
My company requires device enrollment. What is that?
Some organizations require you to enroll your phone with Microsoft Intune (a device management tool) before it can reach work email. This lets IT apply security policies, such as requiring a passcode. Microsoft is explicit that your organization can't see your personal information when you enrol a device: not your calling or web browsing history, not your email or text messages, and not your pictures, including your camera roll. What they can see is device information such as model and serial number, and the work apps they manage. If prompted, follow the enrollment steps or ask your admin.
Can I use the apps on a tablet?
Yes. The apps work on both iPhone/iPad and Android tablets, and on a larger screen you get a more desktop-like experience. One licensing catch: editing is capped by screen size on some plans — Microsoft 365 Business Basic stops at 10.9 inches. Microsoft's own example is a 12.9-inch iPad Pro: to edit files on one of those, you need a plan that includes the desktop apps, such as Business Standard or Business Premium.
Related guides
- Signing in to Microsoft 365
- Outlook basics for business
- OneDrive basics
- Microsoft Teams basics
- Turning on multi-factor authentication
Need a hand?
Learn more
- Set up Office apps and email on a mobile device — Microsoft Support
- Outlook for iOS and Android Help — Microsoft Support
- Set up the Outlook app for iOS — Microsoft Support
- Set up email in the Outlook for Android app — Microsoft Support
- What info can your organization see when you enroll your device? — Microsoft Learn
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