Our current estimate is that migrations to Microsoft 365 will occur during the summer of 2027.

From a technical standpoint, the migration process will occur in the background during the course of the Spring semester, and when all migrations are complete, we’ll reach out with a final cutover date for when you’ll start using Microsoft 365 for NAU email and file storage.

Until then, you’ll continue using Gmail and Google Workspace.

Yes.

Once migrated into Microsoft 365, all emails in your NAU Gmail inbox will be transferred into a new Microsoft Outlook inbox.

Your Google Drive files will be transferred from Google Drive into Microsoft OneDrive.

However, it’s important to note that only your individual files that you own will be migrated. This means that any files or folders shared with you but owned by somebody else (including Drive shortcuts) won’t be migrated.

Our recommendation is that students review files and sharing permissions in Microsoft OneDrive once migrations are complete.

Yes. While migrations are occurring during the spring semester, content will be continuously synced into Microsoft, so you won’t need to worry about any newer files created in Google not transferring over to Microsoft.

Yes. After the migration, Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides will be converted into Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. Some formatting and features may not transfer exactly 1:1, and items such as Google Doc comments or version history may not transfer.

You can view our feature transfer chart, which shows parity between Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 apps. If you’re curious about a specific feature or product in Google and how it may carry over or be matched by an equivalent application, contact us and we’ll help find a solution.

Unfortunately, some proprietary Google features and items won’t transfer fully. Some of these include:

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

We encourage all students to review personal content stored across Google platforms on their NAU account and plan accordingly. You can contact us to learn more about alternative platforms that provide feature parity, such as Qualtrics, SharePoint sites, and more.

Fortunately, your NAU email address won’t change. You’ll continue to use your uid@nau.edu address when migrations are complete.

If you’ve signed up for a third-party service with your NAU email, you will retain access. However, if the service is Google-specific, such as Chrome add-ons, you may lose access to these services, and will need to update your account email address with any third-party services before migrations are complete.

No. The automatic migrations outlined on this page apply only to student Google accounts.

For faculty and staff members, NAU Gmail and Google Drive data will not be automatically migrated by default. However, we’ll be providing you with an opt-in tool that allows you to have your Google Data migrated into your current NAU Microsoft Exchange Account.

We’re currently developing the opt-in request portal, and we’ll be reaching out once it’s ready for use. Be sure to keep an eye on your inbox for more information in the coming months.

If you choose not to opt in for a migration, your Google data will not automatically be transferred to Microsoft 365 and will eventually be deleted once all migrations are complete by the Fall of 2027. We’ll be providing additional guidance in the months to come with resources on exporting your Google Data for personal archival.

Microsoft 365 provides an increased selection of tools and features available to instructors when collaborating with students.

• 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.

While existing Google resources can continue to be used during this transition, faculty and staff should avoid creating new long-term dependencies in Google platforms.

For new content and workflows that will continue beyond the migration, use Microsoft 365 or another university-supported platform. Additionally, we recommend that you begin identifying any existing Google content that will need to be migrated out of Google.

Only Google Drive files that you own are included in your individual opt-in migration. Files that are shared with you but owned by someone else will not be migrated.

For any university content that needs to remain available after students, employees, or other collaborators leave NAU, you may need to download a copy and move it to an alternative university location, such as Microsoft Teams or SharePoint.

Yes. Faculty, staff, and students will be able to continue using their NAU email address to access Google Meet, Gemini, and other Google files or resources shared by external collaborators, including previously shared content that remains owned outside NAU.

It’s important to note that NAU Google accounts will not be able to provide storage, so users cannot store new files or retain NAU-owned content in Google.

Access and sharing details are still being finalized, and existing sharing permissions may need to be updated during the transition.

Google Shared Drives will be retired as part of this migration. Our recommendation is to plan on migrating content to an alternative university platform, such as Microsoft Teams or SharePoint.

If you manage a Google Shared Drive, begin preparing it for migration as soon as possible. Review the stored data with other members, remove files that are no longer needed, and organize any content that needs to be retained.

Our recommendation is to store any files that support an ongoing department, program, course, or research group in a university-managed shared platform so access does not depend on one person’s account.

You can review our NAU File Sharing and Storage guide to compare available options and select the best platform for your needs.

Fortunately, you’ll retain access to your uid@nau.edu NAU email address. This means that logins to services that you signed up for using your uid@nau.edu email won’t be affected by this change.

However, if the service is Google-specific, such as Chrome add-ons, you may lose access to these services, and will need to update your account email address with any third-party services before migrations are complete.

Faculty and staff will continue to use Outlook for their NAU email. Any email sent to your First.Last@nau.edu will still deliver to Outlook.

Your uid@nau.edu address is set to be migrated into Microsoft Exchange as an additional email address, so messages sent to that address will be delivered to Outlook. The change is currently planned for Summer 2027, and we’ll provide more before the transition.

Yes. Faculty and staff will be able to continue using their uid@nau.edu email address.

A key part of this project includes uid@nau.edu addresses. For NAU employees, your uid@nau.edu email will no longer be associated with Google and will be migrated to Microsoft Exchange as an email alias.

This means that any email sent to either your first.last@nau.edu address or your uid@nau.edu address will be delivered to the same Exchange mailbox.

Our current goal is to continue providing access to Gemini and GeminiNotebook, with included Enterprise Data Protections.

Learn more ›

Unfortunately, Google Forms and form responses cannot be migrated to Microsoft 365.

Departments will need to plan on rebuilding any active forms using Microsoft Forms or Qualtrics. Our recommendation is to export any Google Form responses that you need to retain, and contact the ITS Service Desk for assistance in planning your transition to an alternative platform.