Microsoft 365 Business Premium vs E1 vs Nonprofit Portal Licenses Explained
Question details
Clarify the functionality and service inclusions of Microsoft 365 Business Premium, Office 365 E1, and Nonprofit Portal licenses within the admin center.
- Product
- Microsoft 365
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Reviewing active subscriptions in the Microsoft 365 admin center and determining which licenses provide access to desktop Office applications.
- Observed behavior
- Organizations see multiple license types in their admin center and are unsure if the Nonprofit portal license provides actual Microsoft 365 services like E1 or Business Premium.
Log in to your Microsoft 365 Admin Center with global or billing administrator credentials to follow along and view your organization's active licenses.
Identify and Assign the Correct Microsoft 365 Licenses
Review the specific features of each license type in the admin center to ensure users get the correct application access.
It is crucial to understand that not all items listed under your 'Licenses' tab provide software access. While Business Premium and E1 are product licenses, the Nonprofit Portal license serves a purely administrative function.
Log in to the Microsoft 365 admin center, expand the left-hand navigation menu, click on 'Billing', and select 'Licenses' to view your current inventory.
Assign this license to users who need full, installable desktop applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), advanced cloud services, device management (Intune), and premium security features.
Assign the E1 license to users who only require web-based Office applications and cloud services (like OneDrive and Teams). Note that E1 does not include permission to install desktop Office applications.
Identify the 'Nonprofit Portal' item in your list. Do not assign this expecting software access; it is simply a gateway pass that allows eligible organizations to log into the nonprofit portal to view grants, offers, and discounts. It does not provide any Microsoft 365 services.
Reduce Licensing Costs with WPS Office
If Microsoft 365 Business Premium licenses are too expensive for your entire team and Office 365 E1's lack of desktop apps limits productivity, WPS Office is an excellent alternative. It provides powerful, locally installed desktop applications for free, allowing organizations and nonprofits to reduce overhead while maintaining top-tier performance.
- 1. Download and Install WPS Office: Visit the official WPS website to download the free installation package tailored for your operating system.
- 2. Open Existing Microsoft 365 Files: Launch WPS Office and directly open any .docx, .xlsx, or .pptx files created by your team. All formatting and formulas will remain perfectly intact.
- 3. Equip Your Team with Desktop Apps: Provide users who previously relied on web-only E1 licenses with a full desktop productivity suite at no additional licensing cost.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I install desktop Office applications with an Office 365 E1 license?
No, Office 365 E1 only includes web-based Office applications and cloud services. To install desktop apps, you must upgrade to a plan like Microsoft 365 Business Standard, Business Premium, or Office 365 E3/E5.
Why does a Nonprofit Portal license show up in my Microsoft 365 admin center?
The Nonprofit Portal license is automatically provisioned for eligible non-profit organizations. It acts as an administrative entitlement allowing access to the Microsoft nonprofit portal to view specific grants and offers, rather than functioning as a standard software license.
Does the Nonprofit Portal license cost money?
No, the Nonprofit Portal access license is entirely free. It simply verifies your organization's eligibility to access discounted or donated Microsoft offers through their dedicated getting-started portal.
