Alright, the decision has been made: a Microsoft 365 tenant has to be created, be it for your company, research, NGO, or any other organization. The Microsoft documentation can be quite comprehensive, and it can be a little unclear on how to proceed.

Microsoft offers clear guides on how to create a new Azure (or Microsoft Entra ID) tenant. This is, however, not what we want, as it comes without Microsoft 365. So, before you go down this rabbit hole… it isn’t worth the trouble as it won’t provide you a Microsoft 365 tenant out of the gate.

Realistically, we are then left with two options.

Option 1: Create a Microsoft 365 tenant with the help of a Managed Service Provider (MSP). These are IT companies who can provide you with Microsoft 365 through their Microsoft Partner program. They generally also provide support and initial configuration for a certain fee. The licensing prices are usually the same as the Microsoft prices, so it could be worth checking this option out. An MSP usually receives kickback fees from Microsoft or their intermediate partners on the licenses sold.

Option 2: Create the Microsoft 365 tenant directly without third parties involved.

Step 1: Visit the Microsoft website to select the desired license you want for your Microsoft 365 tenant. To create a Microsoft 365 tenant, you will need to purchase a license or start a trial.

We will be using a Microsoft 365 Business license going forward, as the Personal license does not create a tenant, and Enterprise licenses cannot be created without contact with Microsoft.

Step 2: After selecting the desired license/plan and the payment option (yearly or monthly), we can click “Buy now” or “Try for free“.

We have chosen to proceed with the “Try for free” option for the Microsoft 365 Business Premium without Teams plan.

Step 3: Fill in the required fields and proceed to the next page. Please note: Microsoft 365 licenses are on a per-user basis and not device-based. Each user requires their own license, but that licensed user can install the Microsoft 365 applications on multiple devices (typically up to five).

Step 4: Specify an email address for which this Microsoft 365 plan/license is intended. Since we are creating a new Microsoft 365 tenant, this account or email address must not already exist in any existing Microsoft 365 tenant.

Step 5: If a valid email has been provided, the next step in the wizard should look similar to the image below. To continue, press “Set up account”.

Step 6: Fill in all the required fields and press “Next“.

Step 7: Microsoft will now ask you to provide a desired username and password for the new tenant. This account will automatically be the Global Administrator upon creation of the Microsoft 365 tenant.

Important: The domain name you specify here (the .onmicrosoft.com part) must be unique and cannot be changed after creation. This domain name is the Microsoft 365 fallback domain and will be visible in certain parts of the tenant, even if you add a custom domain name later. Make sure you choose a valid and desired name.

Step 8: Fill in the payment options and finish the wizard.

And.. thats it! Enjoy your new Microsoft 365 Tenant.