We’ll be communicating your specific migration timeline when additional planning details and resources are finalized. Our current goal is to migrate all student accounts by the beginning of the Fall 2027 semester. You’ll recieve multiple notices before your account is migrated.

Yes, once migrated, all current emails in your NAU Gmail account will be transferred into your Microsoft 365 Outlook inbox.

Current students will have their files transfered from Gmail to Microsoft OneDrive. Additionally, only your individual files that you own will be migrated, meaning items shared with you but owned by somebody else (including Drive shortcuts) will not be migrated. We reccomend reviewing your files and sharing permissions once your migration is complete.

During the migration, Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides are typically converted into Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. Some formatting and features may not transfer exactly 1:1, and items like comments or version history may not transfer.

Some proprietary Google features and items may not transfer fully, including;

• Comments and suggestions in Google Docs
• Google Forms and form responses
• Google Sites
• Third-party add-ons

We reccomend reviewing your personal content stored across Google platforms on your NAU account and plan accordingly.

No. The automatic migration outlined on this page is for student Google accounts only. For faculty and staff, NAU Gmail and Google Drive data is not automatically migrated by default. Faculty and staff can request their content to be migrated by contacting the ITS Service Desk.

Similarly to individual content, departmental Google Shared Drives are not automatically migrated by default. Departments may request migration of Shared Drive data to Microsoft Sharepoint with the following conditions:

• One user must be designated as the owner for the SharePoint site.
• The designated owner is responsible for sharing and resharing access with participants.
• Departments should review structure and permissions of the SharePoint site once migrated.

Microsoft 365 provides several tools that can be used to collaborate with students, including;

• Microsoft Teams for chat, announcements, channels, meetings, and sharing class resources and documents.
• OneDrive and SharePoint to share files or folders with the right permissions like view and edit access.
• Coauthoring in Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint allows for real-time editing and feedback.
• Microsoft Forms allows for surveys, quick forms, and simple quizzes.

Google Forms and form responses are not automatically migrated. Departments should plan to rebuild active forms in Microsoft Forms for simple use cases, or in Qualtrics for more complex surveys or university research and official data collection. We reccomend exporting any Google Form responses that you need to retain, and the ITS Service Desk is available for assistance in planning your transition to an alternative platform.

After these changes go into effect, your NAU student email will be retained for one year after graduation. After one year, your email access will be removed and any data on your account will be deleted.

Your NAU email will be retained for a year from your last semester once leaving NAU as a former student without graduating.

We’ll provide you with multiple email notices about your specific account deletion date. 

Before leaving NAU, you should;

1. Download personal files using Google Takeout.
2. Move important content to a personal email or cloud account.
3. Update external services that use your NAU email address.
4. Save contacts you want to keep
5. Download a copy of your unofficial transcript from LOUIE for your records.
6. Update your personal contact information in LOUIE.

Yes, especially for any personal files you’d like to keep.

You can use Google’s tool, Google Takeout, which allows you to export your email, Drive files, photos, and more. We reccomend downloading personal or high-value content before your migration date.

Open Google Takeout ›

To create a personal Gmail account, sign up for a new Google account (a personal @gmail.com address), then set a password and add a recovery phone number or email.

Key differences between a personal Gmail account and your NAU Google account include:

• Management: Your NAU account is managed by NAU; a personal Gmail account is managed by you.
• Access after you leave: Personal Gmail accounts are not tied to your student status.
• Personal Gmail storage may require you to purchase additional space for large amounts of data.
• Support: NAU ITS supports NAU accounts; Google supports personal Gmail accounts.

If you are saving personal files, set up your personal Gmail account early and move/export your data before your account’s deletion date.

Use Google Takeout Transfer to copy your Drive files to a personal @gmail.com account.

• Make sure your personal account has 100GB+ of free storage (you may need to buy more).
• Run the transfer and wait for it to finish (large transfers can take hours to days).
• Verify your most important folders/files in the personal account.
• Re-share any files as needed—sharing permissions may not be carried over.

You should plan to move or download any files you want to keep from your NAU Google Drive before your account deletion date.

NAU will notify you in advance with your specific timeline and reminders.