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How much does Microsoft Office Live Workspace cost?

It’s free file sharing and online storage. No purchase or credit card information is required. Microsoft Office Live Workspace beta may eventually include advertising, but we’re still testing different designs. At some point, we may also offer additional features or services at a charge.

What is a workspace?

A workspace is a free online storage place where you can save, access, and share documents (such as Office Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) and files. Use it to group related information for work, school, or personal projects. Online collaboration and sharing is easy – all you need is a person’s email address and you can invite them to your workspace. You decide if they can edit or simply review. You can access your workspace from any computer with an Internet connection and a Web browser.

Who is it for?

Anyone who uses Microsoft Office can benefit from this online service. If you answer ‘yes’ to any of the following questions, this service is for you:

  • Do you save information on a flash drive or send yourself documents via email to work on later?
  • Do you need to access work files when away from your office?
  • Do you need to access school documents when away from your desk (at the library, home on break, etc.)?
  • Do you share documents via email for collaboration and then manually merge all the comments later?
  • Do you use email to coordinate and share information with your sports clubs, PTA, study group, etc.?
  • Are you planning an event and coordinating with multiple people or vendors?


Click here to see examples of how you can use Microsoft Office Live Workspace.

Is my information protected?

Your files have the benefit of virus protection from Microsoft Forefront Security for SharePoint, and they can only be accessed with a Windows Live ID and password. You control who can view, comment on, and edit your documents for collaboration. You manage permissions and decide whether someone has access to a single document or an entire workspace.

How many files can I store on my workspace?

Your workspace comes with 5 GB of storage, which means you can save thousands of average sized Microsoft Office documents. Individual documents can be as large as 25 MB.

What are the system requirements?

You only need an Internet connection, a Web browser, and a Windows Live ID with a valid email inbox. Office Live Workspace works with the most commonly used browsers, including:

  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 6, 7, and 8 on Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and Windows Vista.
  • Mozilla Firefox on Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and Windows Vista, or Mac OS X 10.2.x and later.
  • Safari 3 and 4 on Mac OS X 10.2.x and later.


Some features may require a browser that supports ActiveX.

Do I have to download anything?

No downloads are required. There’s nothing to install, so just sign up and go. All you need is an Internet connection and a Web browser (see requirements above). For a better experience with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, an Office Live Update is available for the Microsoft Office suite, enabling you to create, open, and save documents directly to your workspace from these three Office applications. The Office Live Update is currently available for Windows only. A version for Office 2008 for Mac will be available in the summer of 2009.

What types of files can I upload to my workspace?

You can upload many file types, from Microsoft Office documents to pictures and PDFs. In fact, you can save thousands of Office documents in your online workspace, based on the average file size and use of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint by student, work, and home users. For your protection, we don’t allow the uploading of files that could cause security issues such as .exe files.

Is Office Live Workspace available in other languages?

Currently, it’s available in Brazilian Portuguese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian (Latin), Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Traditional Chinese, Turkish, and Ukrainian. We plan to roll out additional languages over time.

What is a 'beta'?

The term ‘beta’ means this is the first version of the service that we release to the public. We are still refining the service to ensure it meets your needs. You should feel confident using the service, and know that it will continue to improve over time.

Can I put work documents on Office Live Workspace?

Our goal is to deliver a service that offers easier access to your documents and better collaboration, whether at work or at home. However, we do encourage you to confirm your company’s corporate security policies before saving work documents on Office Live Workspace. All files will have virus protection from Microsoft Forefront Security for SharePoint, and they can only be accessed with a Windows Live ID and password. For collaboration purposes, you control who can view, comment on, and edit your documents.

How many people can I share my work or projects with?

You can share individual documents or workspaces with up to 100 people for online collaboration.

What's the difference between Office Live Workspace and Office Live Small Business?

Office Live Workspace and Office Live Small Business are complementary services. Office Live Workspace is for all Office users—it’s your place for online collaboration, to save and share documents and files for work, school, or home projects. Office Live Small Business, available in select countries, provides everything a small business needs to take its business online, including a professional website, domain name, company-branded emails, and online tools for managing customers and projects.

What are the Office Web Apps?

The Office Web Apps are online companions to the world’s leading Office productivity software, delivered through your browser. Learn more >
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