Shared Accounts in U-M Google

U-M Google Shared Accounts allow teams to use a Google account for shared email and calendar access. The account is owned by the team instead of an individual. Individuals log in to and manage the Shared Account through their own U-M Google accounts and can transfer access to it as needed. Designated people can send and receive emails, post events, and share calendars, all acting as the Shared Account. This document provides an overview of Shared Accounts in U-M Google.

Related: Shared Accounts are created with a special type of MCommunity group. Refer to Managing MCommunity Groups and UMICH Passwords for Shared Accounts for more information.

Overview

Important: Students, sponsored affiliates, temporary staff, alumni, retirees, MCommunity groups, Shared Accounts, friend accounts, and external (non-UM) users cannot request or own Shared Accounts. If you are a student requesting a Shared Account for a student organization, this request must be made by your faculty/staff advisor.

• Shared Accounts have a 15GB storage limit, separate from your individual account limit.
• Shared Accounts function as a normal Google account and can be used with all U-M Google apps (core and non-core, including YouTube).
• All email messages can be kept together in one mailbox, and individuals can send emails as the Shared Account from their individual U-M Google accounts using aliases.
• Group events can be scheduled by a Shared Account instead of an individual to prevent issues when someone on your team leaves the university.

Ownership, Maintenance, and Annual Renewal

The individual who creates a Shared Account is automatically assigned as an account owner. However, you are required to provide at least one additional individual as an owner when you fill out the request form to share responsibility for managing and renewing this account.

You can add up to 50 owners to your account (including yourself), with a minimum of two required. The account requires two owners to ensure redundancy if the account loses an eligible owner due to affiliation changes. If you do not have another owner, add a trusted faculty or staff member (such as a supervisor, HR staff, or department head) as the second owner. There are no exceptions to this policy.

The additional owner(s) must be eligible to create and own Shared Accounts (i.e., faculty or regular staff). If an owner is not eligible, you cannot submit the form and must provide a different uniqname for someone eligible.

Shared Account owners are responsible for the maintenance and annual renewal of their account and its associated MCommunity group.

• The annual renewal process requires one owner to complete once a year and should only take a few minutes. Refer to Renew a Shared Account for instructions.
• All Shared Account owners will be notified by email 30 days before the account expires and asked to use the ITS Shared Account Manager tool to renew both the account and its associated group.
• If no action is taken to renew the account and its MCommunity group before its expiration, the account will be deactivated and scheduled for deletion.

Note: Shared Accounts created before September 10, 2024, have until December 6, 2024, to initiate the new renewal process using the ITS Shared Account Manager tool. However, we recommend that you do so sooner rather than later. The process requires one eligible owner to complete and should only take a few minutes. All Shared Accounts with an associated MCommunity group that is not expired/deleted should have received at least one ITS communication detailing how they’re affected and the steps they need to take. (If your Shared Account has an expired/deleted MCommunity group, contact the ITS Service Center for assistance.)

Log in to the Shared Account

Using a Google Chrome Incognito window (or a different browser's private window), log in with the Shared Account's email address and UMICH password.

It is only necessary to log in as the Shared Account to:

• Delegate a Google mailbox.
• Send email from the Shared Account (i.e., not through email delegation/“Send-as”).
• Read emails sent to the Shared Account (unless Gmail filters are set up to forward mail).
• Assign, make changes to, and manage sharing for Google Calendar permissions. Once someone has these permissions, they can assign them to others from their individual account.
• Create additional Google Calendars associated with the account and share them.
• Configure the Shared Account’s settings.
• Tip: Learn how to change the Google display name for your Shared Account.

Note: To reset the password for a Shared Account, you must be an account owner and have an eligible university role (i.e., faculty or regular staff). If you are an eligible account owner, refer to Google: Reset a Shared Account Password for instructions.

Gmail

Emails sent to the Shared Account are also delivered to the members of the associated MCommunity group.

Send email as the Shared Account

1. Add the Shared Account as an alias to your U-M Google Mail account:
   1. Click the gear icon and click See all settings.
   2. Click the Accounts tab at the top.
   3. Click Add another email address beside Send mail as.
   4. Enter the Shared Account's display name and email address in the corresponding fields.
   5. Check the Treat as an alias box and click Next step.
   6. Click Send Verification.
      Note: A verification code is sent to all members of the MCommunity group.
   7. Click the link provided in the email (from your individual account) and click Confirm on the new page that opens. You can now send as the Shared Account.
2. Compose a message and use the drop-down list in the From: field to select the Shared Account.

   Important: The message is not stored in the Shared Account’s Sent mail folder.

Access the Shared Account’s email as a delegate

1. Log in to the Shared Account.
2. Once delegation is set up, the Shared Account will appear as an alternate account under your account image in the upper-right corner. Click on the Shared Account to access.

Delegates can read, send, and delete messages on behalf of the account and access the account’s contacts. All activity within the Shared Account window is attributed to the Shared Account.

• Sent mail is stored in the Shared Account’s Sent mail folder when logged into the account.
• Google vacation responder and auto-reply settings in Gmail do not work with Shared Accounts. However, you can use the MCommunity Away Message.

Google Calendar

Important: Out-of-office features do not work with Shared Accounts.

While logged in to the Shared Account, create a calendar to be assigned to it. You can then share that calendar with individuals or MCommunity groups so they can manage it from within their individual accounts.

Available permission settings are:

• See only free/busy (hide details)
• See all event details
• Make changes to events
• Make changes and manage sharing

With the Make changes and manage sharing permission:

• The calendar appears under My Calendars in the left sidebar.
• The calendar is available from the Calendar drop-down list when creating events.
• You can copy an event from another calendar when you click Options (three-dot icon).

Add the calendar via the link in the "[email protected] has shared a calendar with you" notification email.

Note: New members of the associated MCommunity group do not receive a notification email.

Important:

• When selected, events on shared calendars appear with those on individual calendars. When updating or deleting events, ensure you are on the correct calendar.
• Because Shared Account MCommunity groups do not sync to U-M Google, inviting a Shared Account to a calendar event does not invite the members of its associated group.