Create WorkSpaces with Microsoft 365 Apps for enterpriseMigrate your existing WorkSpaces to use Microsoft 365 Apps for enterpriseUpdate your Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise on WorkSpaces

Microsoft 365 Bring Your Own License (BYOL) in WorkSpaces Personal

Amazon WorkSpaces allows you to bring your own Microsoft 365 licenses if they meet Microsoft's licensing requirements. These licenses allow you to install and activate Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise software on WorkSpaces that are powered by the following operating systems:

  • Windows 10 (Bring Your Own License)

  • Windows 11 (Bring Your Own License)

  • Windows Server 2016

  • Windows Server 2019

  • Windows Server 2022

To use Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise on WorkSpaces, you must have subscription to Microsoft 365 E3/E5, Microsoft 365 A3/A5, Microsoft 365 G3/G5, or Microsoft 365 Business Premium.

On your Amazon WorkSpaces you can use your Microsoft 365 licenses to install and activate Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise, including the following:

  • Microsoft Word

  • Microsoft Excel

  • Microsoft PowerPoint

  • Microsoft Outlook

  • Microsoft OneDrive

For more information, see the full list of Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise.

You can also install Microsoft applications not included with Microsoft 365, such as Microsoft Project, Microsoft Visio, and Microsoft Power Automate on WorkSpaces but you need to bring in your own additional licenses.

You can install and use Microsoft 365 and other Microsoft applications on primary WorkSpaces and failover WorkSpaces using Multi-Region Resilience.

Create WorkSpaces with Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise

To create WorkSpaces with Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise, you must create a custom image with the applications installed, and use it to create a custom bundle. You can use the bundle to launch new WorkSpaces that have the applications installed. WorkSpaces does not provide public bundles with Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise.

To create WorkSpaces with Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise:

  1. Open the WorkSpaces console at https://console.aws.amazon.com/workspaces/.

  2. Launch a WorkSpace that you want to use as the image for other Microsoft application WorkSpaces. This is where you will install your Microsoft applications. For more information about launching a WorkSpace, see Launch a virtual desktop using WorkSpaces.

  3. Start the client application at https://clients.amazonworkspaces.com/, enter the registration code from your invitation email, and choose Register.

  4. When prompted to sign in, enter the user's sign-in credentials, and then choose Sign In.

  5. Install and configure your Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise.

  6. Create a custom image from the WorkSpace, and use it to create a custom bundle. For more information about creating custom images and bundles, see Create a custom WorkSpaces image and bundle.

  7. Launch WorkSpaces using the custom bundle that you created. These WorkSpaces have Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise installed.

Migrate your existing WorkSpaces to use Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise

If your WorkSpaces don't have a Microsoft Office license through AWS, you can install and configure Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise on your WorkSpaces.

If your WorkSpaces do have a Microsoft Office license through AWS, you must first deregister your Microsoft Office license before installing Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise.

Important

Uninstalling Microsoft Office applications from your WorkSpaces doesn't deregister the licenses. To avoid being charged for Microsoft Office licenses, deregister your WorkSpaces from Microsoft Office applications through AWS by doing either of the following:

  • Manage applications (recommended) – You can uninstall Microsoft Office 2016 and 2019 from your WorkSpaces. For more information, see Manage applications. After you uninstall, you can install Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise on your WorkSpaces.

  • Migrate a WorkSpace – You can migrate a WorkSpace from one bundle to another while retaining the data on the user volume.

    • Migrate your WorkSpaces to a bundle with an image that doesn’t have a Microsoft Office subscription. After the migration is complete, you can install Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise on your WorkSpaces.

    • Or, create a custom WorkSpaces image and bundle that already has Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise installed on the image, and then migrate your WorkSpaces to this new custom bundle. After migration is complete, your WorkSpaces users can start using Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise.

    • For more information on how to migrate WorkSpaces, see Migrate a WorkSpace.

Update your Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise on WorkSpaces

By default, your WorkSpaces running on the Microsoft Windows Operating System are configured to receive updates from Windows Update. However, updates for Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise aren't available using Windows Update. Set up updates to run automatically from the Office CDN, or use Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) in conjunction with Microsoft Configuration Manager to update Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise. For more information, see Manage updates to Microsoft 365 Apps with Microsoft Configuration Manager. To set the frequency of Microsoft 365 application updates, specify an update channel and set it to Current or Monthly Enterprise to comply with the Microsoft 365 on WorkSpaces licensing policy.