Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

Working from home? Don’t miss this outstanding Microsoft Office 365 deal

Add as a preferred source on Google
Microsoft

With the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, sweeping the nation and employers now instructing their workforce to work from home, Amazon is looking to soften the blow for contractors (and possibly even employees) who need to provide their own equipment: It’s currently offering an annual subscription to Microsoft Office 365 Personal for just $48 — down from the usual $70.

The discount covers both Mac and PC (the activation code is universal) and includes 1TB of OneDrive Cloud Storage and access to OneDrive Personal Vault, as well as unlimited use of Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Outlook, and Microsoft Word. PC users will also be able to use Microsoft Access and Microsoft Publisher, which aren’t available for Mac.

Recommended Videos

Without a shadow of a doubt, the best thing about Microsoft Office 365 is how useful it is for editing documents on the move. If configured as Microsoft intended, documents will be stored on Microsoft OneDrive. These can then be edited using the relevant software (Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, or Microsoft Word) on Android or iOS at no added cost.

The offer is for a physical activation code, so Amazon will need to ship it to you. You can gain access right away though if you need to start hammering away at the keyboard now. Just head over to Microsoft’s website and enroll in a free one-month trial of Office 365 Personal, then all that’s left to do is punch in the activation code when it comes to an end this time next month.

Still on the fence? Let’s look at the numbers. Office 365 Personal can be subscribed to through Microsoft for $7 per month, totaling $84 over the course of a year, or for $70 for an annual membership — a difference of $14. Amazon is offering that same 12-month subscription for $48, which is $22 cheaper than the regular annual fee and $36 cheaper than the monthly plan.

Looking for more equipment for your newly-formed home office? We’ve rounded up all the best iPad deals, MacBook deals, Surface Pro deals, Chromebook deals, laptop deals, and Bluetooth speaker deals available right now. We’ve also found some incredible Keurig deals because coffee is the secret to increasing productivity in any office — home or not.

Josh Levenson
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Josh served as Director of Commerce and SEO for Digital Trends Media Group, helping our Editorial teams put their quality…
Google changes its Workspace privacy promise on ads, and opting out limits Personal Intelligence
Smarter AI answers, with a side order of ads.
AI mode in Google Search

There’s no such thing as a free recommendation. Google’s latest policy tweak is a clear reminder. Google has long promised that your Gmail, Drive, and Google Photos content never helps it personalize ads. 

However, since October 16, 2026, its privacy policy adds a catch. The promise lapses if you let other ad-showing Google services use that content. That means using Personal Intelligence, an opt-in tool that lets Google’s AI search read your connected apps, does exactly that (via Google).

Read more
OpenAI is locking its most advanced AI models offline after a string of security scares
OpenAI’s fake internet is a safety fix and an admission.
openai-anthropic-logo-on-screen

Part of me is relieved that an AI lab is hitting the brakes. The other part wishes it hadn’t taken real incidents to get there.

OpenAI said Friday that its most advanced models will now train without live internet access. Instead, they’ll practice on a cached, simulated copy of the web.

Read more
Your Windows touchpad is about to make scrolling long pages way less tiring
Three touchpad tricks that make long documents feel a lot shorter.
Windows new scrolling feature

Today I learned about a touchpad tip that I think every Windows laptop user should know. Microsoft shared it as its Friday Windows tip of the day, and it’s all about scrolling.

If you read long documents, browse webpages, or write code on a Windows laptop, you know the drill. You swipe, lift your fingers, and swipe again until you reach the part you need. Microsoft has three touchpad features that cut down on all that swiping.

Read more