Public preview is typically open to any customer with valid qualifying subscriptions. Depending on the product, you may need to sign up for or accept certain licensing terms. For example, Office 365 Group-Based licensing was in public preview for several months before it was moved to the next stage (general availability). However, customers who had a valid Azure Active Directory Premium subscription were able to use the service immediately without signing up for additional services or features.

Products and services in public preview typically have some documentation, though it is not complete. Customers can frequently use products in public preview for little or no cost, and will then be offered a chance to purchase the service at standard pricing once the product is fully released.

Products in public preview may or may not have regulatory compliance capabilities, such as eDiscovery or litigation hold. It is important to verify what controls, capabilities, and protections are available to enable your organization to comply with any necessary regulations. While services in public preview typically work without major issues, like private previews they should not be considered production-ready.

Previews (both private and private) typically have their own terms of use and may be discontinued at any time without prior notification. Preview products, services, or features are not guaranteed to be brought forward into general availability. Previews are made available AS-IS and WITH ALL FAULTS, in line with the Microsoft's supplemental terms. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, this means preview products have no guarantees or warranties. Additionally, products in public or private preview may be subject to reduced or different security capabilities, compliance, or privacy commitments.