If you’re paying for Microsoft 365 - whether it’s the Personal or Family plan - you’re probably using Word, Excel, and maybe Outlook. That’s a reasonable start, but there’s a good chance you’re not getting full value out of what you’re already paying for.

OneDrive: More Than Just Storage

OneDrive comes with 1TB of cloud storage on most Microsoft 365 plans. More importantly, it can automatically back up your Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders - so if your laptop dies tomorrow, those files are safe and accessible from any device.

A lot of people have OneDrive installed but haven’t turned on folder backup. It takes about two minutes to set up and runs quietly in the background from then on.

Microsoft 365 on All Your Devices

Most plans allow you to install Office apps on up to five devices. If you’re only using it on one computer, you may be leaving installs on the table. The apps are also available on iOS and Android, which is useful if you edit documents on a tablet or phone.

Outlook vs. the Built-In Mail App

Windows comes with a basic Mail app, but if your plan includes Outlook, it’s worth switching. Outlook handles multiple email accounts more cleanly, has better spam filtering, and integrates calendar and contacts in a way the basic Mail app doesn’t.

If you’ve been tolerating the default Mail app, installing and setting up Outlook properly makes a noticeable difference.

When Things Stop Working

Microsoft 365 is generally reliable, but a few common issues come up regularly - Outlook not syncing, OneDrive showing errors, apps asking you to activate again after a Windows update. These are almost always fixable without reinstalling anything, but they can be frustrating to diagnose if you’re not sure where to look.

If your Microsoft 365 setup has been giving you trouble, or you’ve never really configured it beyond the defaults, a single remote session is usually enough to sort it out and get everything running the way it should.