Microsoft 365: Accounts for People Who Leave U-M

Overview

U-M Microsoft 365 (OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams, and all Office 365 productivity apps) accounts are provided to all active faculty, staff, students, and Type-1 sponsored affiliates on the Ann Arbor, Dearborn, and Flint campuses. You will lose access immediately after your active affiliation at the university changes (i.e., after graduation, after the last day of employment, etc.). (This means alumni, retirees, and individuals who are no longer affiliated with the university do not have access to U-M Microsoft 365.) This document explains what steps to take before you leave the university and lose access to your U-M Microsoft 365 account.

Notes: 

• U-M Microsoft 365 accounts remain intact for emeriti faculty who retain all standard computing services. For details, refer to SPG 201.80 | Emeritus/Emerita Titles.
• @umich.edu and other UMICH email addresses cannot be used to create personal Microsoft 365 accounts. You must create personal M365 accounts using a non-UMICH email address.
• All files stored within U-M Microsoft 365 OneDrive and SharePoint (including Teams Meeting recordings) will be deleted. In addition, any Office 2016 software installed while actively affiliated with the university will only be able to view documents in read-only. You will not be able to edit Office documents again until you have a personal, paid license for Microsoft 365. Or, you can use Google to access and edit the documents. If you need to retain access to your account after your active affiliation ends, you may pursue a sponsorship.

Before You Leave U-M

Before your affiliation with U-M changes:

• Transfer ownership of files and folders in OneDrive so the information will remain accessible to U-M affiliates after you leave.
• Download any personal files, including Teams Meeting recordings, to a personal OneDrive account or another non-UM storage location.
  • Option 1: Download files and folders using the web app.
  • Option 2: Download files and folders using the OneDrive desktop sync client on Windows or Mac.

If you have a large number of files in OneDrive, you may want to use the OneDrive sync client. Remember to turn off, deactivate, and uninstall the OneDrive sync client after moving your files.

Uncooperative Departures

An uncooperative departure is when the affected U-M person cannot be relied on to assist with their departure.

If the departure involves an uncooperative employee, the best practice is to involve ITS User Advocate as soon as possible by emailing [email protected].

With User Advocate involvement, U-M Microsoft 365 administrators can assist in:

• Preserving the contents of an account.
• Moving U-M Microsoft Office 365 files and folders from one account to another.
• Inactivate the U-M Microsoft Office 365 account access sooner than the automated process.
• Download university data from the person’s account if time is critical.