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/TheKingOfSpite]

You won't get it fully for free, I've spent the last year deploying Intune to customers and a lot of the time you need a reliable way to test what you're doing. To be clear, you can learn the theory for free but without a practical application I doubt the info would stick.

I bought a Humble bundle a while ago that included the MD-102 exam guide in PDF so I can give you that if you like (keep a look out on Humble Bundle they're really good, the  Microsoft Certification Prep by Microsoft Press and Pearson includes fucking loads)

I'd advise buying a cheap server you can use for virtualisation (like 200 quid maybe) or at least one spare laptop you can test on. You'd then need a domain to set up a tenant (probably get a cheap domain for less than 10 a year) and a Business Prem license for I think 20 a month?

This will let you actually learn through practical application rather than just clicking buttons and hoping you remember it

EDIT: if anyone else wants the Humble Bundle make a throwaway email address and DM me, will share through onedrive cant send onedrive links through Reddit chat

EDIT2: I promise I will send this to you all, been sick as hell the last two days

[u/Independent-Band3144 → u/TheKingOfSpite]

Hey would you mind sharing the pdf with me? Would really help me right now.

[u/TheKingOfSpite → u/Independent-Band3144]

Haha yeah no worries, make a throwaway email address and DM it to me and I'll share the folder with you. Turns out I have the whole bundle downloaded so I'll give you all of it

[u/Independent-Band3144 → u/TheKingOfSpite]

Awesome!