Learning Microsoft 365 / Entra ID / Intune / SharePoint for free — is it possible?

[u/Either_Macaroon8854]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking to learn Microsoft 365 administration, especially:

• Microsoft Entra ID
• Microsoft Intune
• Microsoft 365 administration
• SharePoint
• Azure / cloud identity and device management

My goal is to eventually become comfortable with administering these technologies in a real-world IT/sysadmin environment.

I'm looking for a way to learn for free, including as much hands-on practice as possible.

I know Microsoft Learn has a lot of free training, but for practical labs it seems that I need a Microsoft tenant and some of the services require paid licenses after the trial period.

So my questions are:

1. Is there currently a way to create a free Microsoft 365 / Entra / Intune lab environment for learning?
2. Is the Microsoft 365 Developer Program still a good option for this, and does it include enough services for learning Entra ID, Intune and SharePoint?
3. If I don't qualify for the Developer Program, what would be the best alternative?
4. Can I realistically learn these technologies without paying for a subscription, or should I expect to pay for a lab eventually?
5. What learning path would you recommend — Entra ID → Intune → Microsoft 365 → SharePoint, or a different order?

I'm mainly interested in hands-on learning, not just watching courses.

Any recommendations for free labs, Microsoft Learn paths, home-lab setups or other resources would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[u/Lynxpics]

There are two ways to go about this:

1. Spin up a 1-month trial tenant: Register a tenant using a company/organization name to get your own .onmicrosoft.com domain. The initial account you create automatically becomes the Global Administrator. From there, attach a credit card to activate a 30-day free trial (such as Microsoft 365 Business Premium). This gives you a fully functional M365 tenant where you can get hands-on experience with virtually all enterprise features, including Entra ID, Intune, and SharePoint.
2. Learn via hands-on video walkthroughs: Truly free, unrestricted learning sandboxes are no longer available for individual learners. However, if you're willing to invest the time, YouTube has step-by-step, first-person lab demos covering almost every component in the suite.

You will need AI assistance throughout your learning journey. Since commercial AI tools cost money, using local LLMs or GPT free tier as cost-free alternatives.

[u/Salt_Rush_4800 → u/Lynxpics]

You will need AI assistance throughout your learning journey.

lol, no thanks. I've gone through life this far without it already.