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How to Export Microsoft 365 Apps Activation Report

Managing workspace resources efficiently is a challenge, especially for large departments with fluctuating needs. To avoid unnecessary costs in Microsoft 365, it’s crucial to allocate licenses only to actively used products. That's why Office 365 app activations report is essential for identifying users with active subscriptions who haven’t activated their products. This guide will show you how to retrieve user’s Office app activation summary in your Microsoft 365 environment.

Native Solution

Microsoft 365 Permission Required

High
Least Privilege

Reports Reader

Most Privilege

Global Admin

Option 1 Using Microsoft 365 Admin Center

  • Login to the Microsoft 365 admin center.
  • Go to Reports»Usage»Microsoft 365 apps and select 'Activations'.
  • This report provides the activation status of Microsoft products for each user, detailing which products are activated, the platforms they are activated on, and whether they are used on shared computers.
Using Microsoft 365 Admin Center
Utilize the Export option available in the report to download the report as a CSV file.

Option 2 Using Windows PowerShell

  • Connect to the Microsoft Graph PowerShell with the report reading permission.
  • Windows PowerShell Windows PowerShell 
     Connect-MgGraph -Scopes Reports.Read.All
  • To check the Office 365 activation report using PowerShell, execute the following command.
  • Windows PowerShell Windows PowerShell 
     Get-MgReportOffice365ActivationUserDetail -OutFile "<Output CSV File with Path>"
Using Windows PowerShell
The CSV file, saved at the specified path, contains a detailed Microsoft 365 activation report for your tenant's users.
AdminDroid Solution
More than 150 reports are under the free edition.

AdminDroid Permission Required

Delegated

Any user with report access assigned by Super Admin.

StepsUsing AdminDroid

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  • Sign-in to the AdminDroid Microsoft 365 reporter.
  • Navigate to the Office Activations report under Reports»General»Software Installs.
Using AdminDroid

This report provides a summary of your organization’s Office suite activations, including user UPN, ProPlus license details, activation dates, and information on the platforms where the licenses are activated.

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  • Utilize the built-in heatmap chart to visualize daily Office 365 apps activations, helping you easily spot patterns and trends.
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Explore a full range of reporting options

Optimize license usage by analyzing the Office activations report!

Leverage the Office 365 activations report offered by AdminDroid to identify users who haven’t activated Office apps, and subsequently revoke their license subscriptions to save costs.

Witness the report in action using the

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Important Tips

Configure platform-based CA policies to restrict the activation and usage of Microsoft 365 product apps from unsupported device platforms.

Beyond Office 365 activations report, explore other M365 admin center reports to track user activities, mailbox storage consumption, MS Teams activities and more.

Deploy organizational messages that send hints via Office desktop apps, guiding users to efficiently use M365 services and boost the Microsoft Adoption Score.

Azure ADStreamline Microsoft Office Installation for Your Organization's Users!

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How can users in the organization install Microsoft Office apps on their devices? How to manage Office app installation options for Microsoft 365 users? How to analyze the usage patterns of Office 365 apps across the organization? How to deactivate Office installation on a specific device? How to revoke Office 365 activations from specific users?

How can users in the organization install Microsoft Office apps on their devices?

Users with the appropriate licenses can use Microsoft Office on their devices. To install and activate MS Office, users should follow the steps outlined below. Admins can assist with these steps to ensure a smooth setup process.

How to install Microsoft Office 365 apps on your device?

  • Login to your Microsoft 365 account via any browser or go to the Microsoft 365 (Office) portal installed on your desktop.
  • Select the 'Install and more' option, then choose the Install Microsoft 365 apps option.
  • On the Apps & devices page, select the 'Language and Version (32-bit or 64-bit)' of the Office app you need.
  • Click Install next to your chosen version to download the installer file.
  • Once downloaded, open the installer file and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.
  • After the installation, open any installed Microsoft 365 app, such as Word, Excel, or PowerPoint.
  • Sign in with your organization account credentials to activate all the programs and access their features.
install-m365-apps
download-office-apps

Points to remember

  • Efficient local deployment: Instead of advising users to install the apps individually, admins with the right permissions can use the Office Deployment Tool (ODT). This tool enables them to deploy Microsoft 365 apps from a local source directly to user devices. This method ensures consistent installations, reduces bandwidth usage, enhances security, and accelerates the setup process.
  • License restrictions: If a user without a license attempts to use Microsoft 365 apps on an installed computer, the apps will operate in reduced functionality mode. Additionally, the user will be prompted to sign in and activate each time they open an app, such as Word or Excel.
  • Guided installation: Admins can email users a download link and installation instructions for Microsoft 365 apps by clicking the 'Send invitation email' button under Microsoft 365 admin center»Respective user»View Microsoft 365 activations.

How to manage Office app installation options for Microsoft 365 users?

Managing installation options for Microsoft 365 apps ensures that your organization controls where these apps can be installed and how often they receive updates. Configuring update channels and blocking installations on unsupported platforms is particularly useful for maintaining a seamless user experience and ensuring consistency across your organization.

Configuring update channels for Microsoft 365 apps

Follow these steps to configure how Microsoft Office apps updates are delivered to your organization’s users.

  • In Microsoft 365 admin center, navigate to the Settings tab and choose the Org settings.
  • Go to the 'Services' tab and select Microsoft 365 installation options.
  • In the Feature updates section, select the preferred update channel from the available options and click Save. This setting determines how frequently users receive feature updates.
    • As soon as they’re ready (Current Channel, recommended): This option allows users to receive several updates each month without any schedules, providing the newest features as soon as they are ready.
    • Once a month (Monthly Enterprise Channel): Selecting this option, makes the update available on the 2nd Tuesday of each month. This is ideal for organizations that prefer fewer updates and a more predictable update schedule.
    • Every six months (Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel): Selecting this option, delivers the update only on the 2nd Tuesday in January and July. This option is designed for organizations with devices requiring extensive IT testing before each update.
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Disable Office apps installation on specific platforms

Admins can control the Microsoft 365 apps that users can install on their own devices based on the platforms. Follow the steps described below to prevent the activation of Office apps on specific platforms using your organization account.

  • In the same ‘Microsoft 365 app installation options’ page, go to the Installation section.
  • Here, you can configure the settings to prevent users from installing Office apps on specific platforms and click the Save button.
    • Apps for Windows and mobile devices: Uncheck the appropriate available apps to prevent such apps installations on Windows and mobile devices.
    • Apps for Mac: Unchecking the appropriate checkboxes in this section will prevent Microsoft Office from activating on Mac devices.
m365-apps-installation-settings

How to analyze the usage patterns of Office 365 apps across the organization?

Understanding how users interact with Office 365 apps can help optimize resource allocation and improve productivity. The Usage tab in the Microsoft 365 admin center's Office activation report provides insights into the number of daily unique users by app and platform.

Users section

  • Here, you can see the daily count of unique users accessing various Office apps, such as Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Teams, and more.
  • This chart helps you analyze the overall usage of Office 365 ProPlus apps for the past ‘n’ days.
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Platforms section

  • The Platforms section shows daily unique users of Office ProPlus apps by platform (Windows, Mac, Mobile, Web).
  • This information can be crucial for understanding the user’s platform preferences, which aids in resource planning and allocation.
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Microsoft 365 apps usage report

  • Below the two charts, you will find a report on Microsoft 365 usage analytics detailing the user’s apps activity state on various platforms.
  • You can use the ‘Choose columns’ option to view user activity state on specific Microsoft Office apps like Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Teams, etc.
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Notes:
  • By default, all the charts and reports retrieve the Microsoft 365 app usage data for the past 30 days. Use the calendar icon (📅) in the top right corner of the page to get data for the past 7, 30, 90, or 180 days based on your preference.
  • To download each visual insight as a CSV file, use the Export option available along with each chart.

For a more sophisticated data retrieval on Microsoft apps usage, AdminDroid offers dedicated reports!

  • Review the Daily Platform Usage Summary of Office apps to find users on unsupported platforms and instruct them to switch to the organization’s preferred ones.
  • Utilize the Daily Apps Usage Summary report to identify how users are utilizing all Office apps. Encourage them to use any unused apps for extended collaboration.
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Pro Tip: Use the shortcut ‘Ctrl+Shift+F’ to search and find your required Microsoft 365 reports within AdminDroid.

How to deactivate Office installation on a specific device?

Basically, the Microsoft 365 apps license allows a user to install the Office apps on up to five desktops, five tablets, and five mobile devices. If they install Microsoft 365 apps on more than 10 devices, the apps on the device that has been inactive the longest will be automatically deactivated. On these deactivated devices, Microsoft 365 apps will enter reduced functionality mode.

What is reduced functionality mode in Microsoft 365 Office apps?
  • In reduced functionality mode, Microsoft 365 apps remain installed on the device, but users can only view and print their documents.
  • All editing and new document creation features are disabled, and the user will see a message similar to the one shown in this image.
product-deactivated-message

Microsoft 365 users or the admins can also manually deactivate Office activations. Normally, people decide to deactivate Microsoft Office activations for the following reasons:

  • Installed device lost: If a device is lost, manual deactivation is necessary to prevent unauthorized access and to free up the activation on another device.
  • No Office apps-related activity: If no Office apps-related activity has been performed from a device for an extended period, manual deactivation ensures availability for another device.

How can users deactivate their Office installation?

To deactivate the Office activation on a specific device, users can follow the below steps in any device. After deactivation, the account will be signed out from the respective device when it connects to the internet.

  • Go to the Apps & devices page in the Office portal. Select the down arrow next to 'DEVICES' to view the devices where appropriate Office apps were installed.
  • Select the Sign out option available next to the appropriate device, then confirm by choosing Sign out in the dialog box.
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How to deactivate user’s Office installation?

Admins can disable any user's Office installation on specific devices. To do this, follow the steps outlined here.

  • Navigate to the respective user in the Microsoft 365 admin center and choose the View Microsoft 365 activations button.
  • Find the device you want to deactivate, click on the cross mark (❌) next to it, and select Yes to confirm.
deactivate-user-installation

How to revoke Office 365 activations from specific users?

After identifying users who haven’t used the Office apps for a while, you can revoke their activations by removing the appropriate license. This will free up licenses for others and help manage resources more efficiently.

Deactivate Microsoft Office license using Microsoft 365 admin center

  • Navigate through Users»Active users»Respective user»License and Apps.
  • To revoke the license, uncheck the box next to the corresponding Office 365 subscription. Click Save changes to apply the updates.
  • The user will no longer have access to the Office apps covered by the removed license.
deactivate-office-license

Remove Microsoft apps activations using PowerShell

  • First, connect to the Microsoft Graph PowerShell and find the SKU ID of the licenses available in your Microsoft 365. 
    Connect-MgGraph -Scopes Directory.ReadWrite.All, User.ReadWrite.All
  • After that, execute the following cmdlet with the appropriate SKU ID and the user’s UPN. 
    Set-MgUserLicense -UserId "<User ID Or UPN>" -AddLicenses @() -RemoveLicenses @("<SKU ID>")

Note: To find the ‘SKU ID’ of a specific license along with the consumed and total units, execute the ‘Get-MgSubscribedSku’ cmdlet as shown below.

Get-MgSubscribedSku | Select-Object SkuPartNumber, SkuId, ConsumedUnits, @{N="TotalUnits";E={$_.PrepaidUnits.Enabled}} | Format-Table

To remove Office 365 activations and achieve license optimization, it is essential to first understand the products and services covered under each subscription. To help with this, we’ve crafted a guide to get a comprehensive overview of Microsoft 365 licenses.

AdminDroid Azure AD ReporterOptimize your Office app management with AdminDroid’s detailed activation reports!

AdminDroid’s Azure AD reporting tool offers a seamless and efficient way to analyze Microsoft 365 apps usage patterns across device platforms. Here’s how AdminDroid enhances the management of Microsoft 365 apps activations:

A Quick Summary

Remove Inactive Visio/Project Licenses to Cut Costs

Utilize the Visio and Project client activation summary reports to swiftly remove these licenses from users if they are not activated, as these are expensive licenses.

Improvised License Management and Optimization

Consistently checking the user's license report provides valuable insights for making informed decisions on resource acquisition that align with your organization's needs.

Deactivate Office Activations for Inactive M365 Users

Get a list of inactive users across all M365 apps and deactivate their Office app activations on their activated devices.

Enhanced Microsoft 365 Usage Analytics

For a detailed view on the Office apps usage, say goodbye to cumbersome spreadsheets or Power BI, and use AdminDroid’s Microsoft 365 usage and adoption report board.

Monitor Office Apps Admin Role Changes

Frequently monitor changes to the Office apps admin role to ensure that unauthorized users have not been granted access to Microsoft apps management.

Regular Updates on User’s Office Activations

Schedule the Microsoft Office activation summary report on a monthly or weekly basis to ensure the reports are delivered to the respective admins consistently.

Overall, AdminDroid’s Azure AD management tool not only provides detailed Microsoft 365 activation usage reports but also enables admins to manage overall Azure AD operations with finely tuned insights.

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Common Errors and Their Corresponding Troubleshooting Tips While Managing Office 365 Activation

Encountering issues with retrieving Microsoft apps activation reports or with Office 365 apps not activating? Here are the most common errors and their solutions!

Error: Information is concealed for privacy. To see identifiable information, learn about showing these details in reports.

This error appears when your organization has the 'Display concealed names in all reports' option enabled in the Microsoft 365 admin center.

Troubleshooting hint :To view user display names in the Teams user activity report, enable identifiable usernames in the Microsoft 365 admin center.

Error: Get-MgReportOffice365ActivationUserDetail: The ‘Get-MgReportOffice365ActivationUserDetail’ command was found in the module ‘Microsoft.Graph.Reports’, but the module could not be loaded. For more information, run ‘Import-Module Microsoft.Graph.Reports’.

This error occurs when you have an older version of the Microsoft Graph module.

Troubleshooting hint :Update the Microsoft Graph PowerShell module using the following cmdlet. 

Update-Module -Name Microsoft.Graph

Error: Get-MgReportOffice365ActivationUserDetail : {"error":{"code":"S2SUnauthorized","message":"Invalid permission."}}.

This error occurs when you haven’t connected to the Microsoft Graph PowerShell with the required "Reports.Read.All" scope.

Troubleshooting hint :Use the following cmdlet to connect to the Microsoft Graph PowerShell using the "Reports.Read.All" scope. 

Connect-MgGraph -Scopes Reports.Read.All

Error: We couldn't find other Office licenses associated with 'xyz@abc.com'.

This error occurs when you try to activate the Office apps with an account that has no appropriate license.

Troubleshooting hint :Ensure you have logged in with the correct account and ask your administrator to provide the appropriate licenses.

Error: There's a problem with your account or device. Let's fix it.

This error occurs when your Microsoft apps activation has been deactivated in the Office 365 portal.

Troubleshooting hint :Log in again with the Microsoft 365 account to solve the issue.