How do I get a Microsoft 365 E5 developer sandbox subscription ?

Question

I'm working on the "Reimagine the employee experience with Microsoft Viva" learning path from Microsoft Learn and the course I'm now taking says I need a developer sandbox subscription. I'm signed in on my personal MS account (Learn says to sign in that way) and I'm getting a message that says I don't qualify for a sandbox subscription .... so, what's the workaround? What do I need to do to complete this learning path? Please let me know!

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Answer 1

Hi Ryan-4143,

Thank you for reaching out to us on the Microsoft Q&A platform. 

To qualify for a Microsoft 365 E5 developer sandbox subscription, you typically need to be a member of the Microsoft 365 Developer Program. This subscription includes 25 user licenses and lasts for up to 90 days, depending on your activity. Visual Studio subscribers with standard Professional or Enterprise subscriptions also qualify for this developer subscription. It's important to ensure that the email is not associated with a Microsoft 365 tenant (like those ending in *.onmicrosoft.com) and that it meets the eligibility requirements for the Microsoft 365 Developer Program. If you have an active Visual Studio Subscription, I recommend reaching out to Visual Studio Support. They specialize in addressing concerns regarding Visual Studio accounts and their associated benefits.

Otherwise, if you don't have a Visual Studio Subscription and are only joining for free, please note that as per the recent announcement on these Latest updates to the Microsoft 365 Developer Program blog, Microsoft 365 Developer program is currently restricted. This affects customers without a PAID & Active VSS. Any updates regarding when this will resume or when this feature will become available again will be announced on the Microsoft 365 Developer Program blog.

Please complete your learning objectives and proceed with other learning modules in the meanwhile.

If you have any additional questions, please let us know in the comments. We’re happy to assist further. 

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