# Add a new staff member to Microsoft 365

> An admin adds a new staff member in the Microsoft 365 admin centre under Users > Active users > Add a user, and gives them a free licence.
>
> Source: https://docs.officeniaga.com/m365-admin-add-user/

To add a new staff member, sign in to the Microsoft 365 admin centre as an admin, go to **Users** > **Active users** and select **Add a user**. Give the new account one of your company's free licences so it gets a mailbox and the Microsoft 365 apps.

## Before you start

You need an admin account with the right role, such as User Administrator or License Administrator. Check two things first:

- **A spare licence.** Go to **Billing** > **Licenses** to see how many licences each product has and how many are assigned. Extra licences are ordered through Office Niaga, not bought in the admin centre. See [licences and renewal](/m365-licences-renewal/).
- **The details.** Have the person's first name, last name and the email address you want to give them.

## Add the user

The admin centre walks you through four short pages: **Basics**, **Product licenses**, **Optional settings** and **Finish**. Small companies often see the admin centre in **Simplified view**; the menu on the left still has **Users** > **Active users**, so these steps work in either view.

1. Sign in to [admin.microsoft.com](https://admin.microsoft.com) with your admin account.
2. In the left menu, go to **Users** > **Active users**. If you cannot see **Users**, select **Show all** first.
3. Select **Add a user**. The **Set up the basics** page opens.

   *(Screenshot: Active users page with Add a user highlighted)*

4. Type the **First name** and **Last name**. The **Display name** fills in by itself; check it. Then type the **Username** and pick your company domain in **Domains** next to it (for example `aina` @ `yourcompany.com`).
5. Leave **Automatically create a password** ticked, or untick it to type a password yourself. Keep **Require this user to change their password when they first sign in** ticked, so only the staff member knows their final password. Select **Next**.

   *(Screenshot: Set up the basics page with a sample name filled in and the Username and Domains boxes highlighted)*

6. On **Assign product licenses**, check **Select location** shows Malaysia and tick the licence this person should have. Select **Next**. If every licence is in use, Microsoft says **You don't have any licenses available** and asks you to contact your partner (Office Niaga). You can still choose **Create user without product license (not recommended)** and give the licence later.

   *(Screenshot: Assign product licenses page with no licences available and Create user without product license highlighted)*

7. On **Optional settings**, leave **Roles** as **User: no administration access** for normal staff. Only give admin roles to people who manage the account. **Profile info** is optional. Select **Next**.

   *(Screenshot: Optional settings page with Roles showing User: no administration access)*

8. Check the summary on **Review and finish**, then select **Finish adding**.

   *(Screenshot: Review and finish page with the Finish adding button highlighted)*

9. The last page confirms the user was added and shows the username with the password hidden. Select **Print** to save the username and temporary password as a PDF, then **Close**. You can skip **Save these user settings as a template?** unless you add many similar staff.

   *(Screenshot: User added page with the Print link highlighted and the password hidden)*

Give the temporary password to the staff member in person or through a secure channel, never in a group chat. Then send them our guide to [signing in to Microsoft 365 for the first time](/m365-sign-in/).

## Add several people at once

For a group of new hires, **Users** > **Active users** > **Add multiple users** lets you type up to a few rows on screen or upload a CSV file from Microsoft's template. Do not change the column headings or their order in the template, or the upload fails.

## Shared addresses like sales@

Do not use a paid licence for a shared address. A [shared mailbox](/m365-admin-shared-mailbox/) lets several staff read and reply from sales@ without a licence of its own. To send sales@ to one person only, add it as an [alias](/m365-admin-alias/) on their account.

## Still stuck

WhatsApp our support team at [+60 16-916 3324](https://wa.me/60169163324).

## Common issues

### Can I add a user when every licence is already in use?

You can create the account, but without a licence the person gets no mailbox and no apps. Ask Office Niaga for another licence, or free one up from a staff member who has left (/m365-admin-staff-leaving/), then assign it (/m365-admin-licences/).

### Why is there no option to email the password to the new user?

Microsoft removed the option to send account details and passwords by email from the admin centre in 2024. Use Print on the last page, save it as a PDF and hand it over in person or through a secure channel.

### Do I need a new user for sales@ or info@?

Usually not. A shared mailbox (/m365-admin-shared-mailbox/) needs no licence and several staff can open it. If only one person needs the address, add it as an email alias (/m365-admin-alias/).