Google Workspace FAQ for New Alumni

How do I create an @alum account? 

You can create a new @alum account by going to to  https://our.northwestern.edu/ascendportal/s/alumni-registration and follow the prompts. 

What actions do I need to take? 

Export your data: If you want to keep Gmail, Drive, Photos, or other content, export it to a non-NU account before deletion.

Current students misidentified as alumni: Contact naainfo@northwestern.edu immediately to retain access.

Shared storage for student organizations: Transfer ownership to an active account before the deadline or email alumniemail@northwestern.edu for assistance. Files owned by organizational accounts are not impacted, but if you've shared data with an organizational account or current student/faculty/staff, that data will be permanently deleted.

Timeline for account deletion

The timeline for account deletions has not yet been finalized. Official dates and next steps will be communicated in advance through future updates.

I have a large amount of data in my account, what should I do?

Users with large amounts of data may need to purchase a Google One subscription if they choose to transfer their data to another Google account using Google Takeout. Please note that it will take longer to export data based on the amount of data you have (ranging from hours to days). In some cases it may take multiple attempts, so please allow for a lot of time to export.

How do I export/move my data?

Here are the steps to export your Google Workspace data from your Google Workspace account to non-NU related Gmail account using Google Takeout. Always verify ALL data has been transferred / downloaded after performing these steps.

Google Takeout Directions:

1. Go to Google Takeout: Visit Google Takeout.
2. Select Data to Include: Click “Deselect all” and then scroll down to check all content you wish to move.
3. Choose Export Settings: Click “Next step”.
4. Select Delivery Method: Choose how you want to receive your data (e.g., via email link, add to Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, or Box).
5. Create Export: Click “Create export”. This may take some time depending on the amount of data.
6. Download Data: Once the export is ready, download the file from the link provided.
7. Upload to New Account: Log in to your new Google account and upload the downloaded files to Google Drive.

For Google Photos using Partner Sharing:

To move your photos/videos to a different personal Google account you can share your photo library with that account using Partner Sharing.

Note: Unfortunately, your photo album structures will not be transferred. You will have to manually recreate and sort each album in your personal Photos account afterward.

1. Go to Google Photos.
2. Click the gear icon in the top right.
3. Click Partner Sharing.
4. Select All photos under "Choose photos to include," and click Next.
5. Enter your personal Google account’s email address in the field provided and click Next. (You can only transfer to another Google account.)
6. Confirm everything looks correct and click Send invitation.
7. Open an incognito window and log into your Northwestern Gmail account using a private incognito browser
8. Go to Google Photos with your personal account. It may take a few minutes to register the invitation.
9. Click the gear icon in the top right.
10. Click the drop-down arrow beside Partner Sharing.
11. Click Pending invitation under "Photos from [NU account]."
12. Click Accept. (You may be asked to "Share back with [NU account]" - if so, click Not now.)
13. You will be taken to an album with all of your photos/videos from your U-M Google account. Click Turn on auto save in the top left corner.
14. Select Save all photos under "Choose what to auto-save," and click Done. (The top left corner should now say "Saving automatically.")

15. Depending on how many photos and videos you currently have in your NU Google Photos library, it may take a while for Google to auto-save your photos/videos to your personal account (especially videos). To be safe, we recommend waiting at least 24 hours, maybe more, before disconnecting Partner Sharing and deleting your photos/videos from NU Google.

    To disconnect Partner Sharing after Google has automatically saved all of your NU Google account photos/videos:

16. Go to Google Photos with your personal account.
17. Click the gear icon in the top right.
18. Click the drop-down arrow beside Partner Sharing.
19. Click Remove partner and then click Remove.
20. Repeat these steps to disconnect Partner Sharing from your NU account, too.

21. If all of the photos/videos that you saved to your personal account from your NU account are still there after removing Partner Sharing, you should be safe to delete them from your NU account. 

    Important: There is a known bug with transferring Google Photos using Partner Sharing. After completing the steps, you'll notice that your photos do not take up storage space within your personal Google account. This is a bug, and Google is aware of it. There is currently no ETA on when it will be addressed and fixed by Google. Please be aware that Google could fix this bug at any time, which could cause you to exceed your storage limit in your personal Google account.

These steps should help you transfer your data smoothly. If you have any questions or run into issues, feel free to ask.

You can also download all the files in your drive to an external media drive. Go to your browser settings to change your file download location to an external media drive, select all your files in your drive, and select “download.”

Why am I getting a Takeout tool error?

This error is expected if you logged into your personal Gmail account instead of your @u.northwestern.edu account. To remedy this, it is suggested that you open an incognito/private browser and log in using your @u.northwestern.edu credentials, then attempt to use the Takeout tool again.

How do I access my account?

To access your Google Workspace email account, you can log in with your username and your Google Workspace account password at http://www.gmail.com. Your username is your full email address (e.g. WillieWildcat2020@u.northwestern.edu), not an account nickname.

If you have a @u.northwestern.edu account and forgot your password, please call the NU Service Desk at 847-491-4357 (1-HELP). 

For any other accounts (e.g. @alum.northwestern.edu), you can use your security questions to reset your password by going to https://our.northwestern.edu/ascendportal/s/login/ForgotPassword.

How to move files shared with me?

To move "Shared with Me" files in Google Drive, you can't directly move them from the "Shared with Me" area to "My Drive" or any folder within "My Drive" directly. However, you can make a copy of the files and then move the copies to your desired location. Here's the steps to do so:

1. Navigate to the "Shared with Me" section in Google Drive.
2. Right-click on the file you want to move and select "Make a copy." This will create a copy of the file in your "My Drive" that you now own.
3. You can then organize the copy by moving it to any folder within your "My Drive."

For files you own that are in shared folders and you want to ensure they are moved properly, especially in the context of using Google Takeout for data migration, note that Google Takeout will export/transfer files you own, but will not retain the folder structure.

This method ensures that you retain a copy of the shared files in your own drive space, which can then be included in Google Takeout exports or moved to another service if needed.

I cannot upload documents to my Drive.

Due to Google storage policy changes, access to Google Drive and Photos has been disabled for the majority of pre-2024 alumni accounts. 

I have more questions not answered here 

Please contact alumniemail@northwestern.edu for more information.