Moving from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365

Our aim is to improve your student experience when collaborating with your peers and teaching staff such as lecturers, supervisors, tutors, etc.

Globally, Microsoft 365 applications are widely used for collaboration, and you already have access to them at the University – except for Microsoft Outlook. By moving your email system to Microsoft Outlook, we are streamlining your experience, so you no longer need to switch between Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 applications depending on your situation. You will be able to work solely within the Microsoft platform, just like your lecturers, supervisors and tutors.

No, your email addresses will not change. You will continue to have the same primary (e.g. username@student.unimelb.edu.au) and alias email address (typically firstname.lastname@student.unimelb.edu.au).

Please note: If you previously set up automatic email forwarding, you will need to re-enable it in Microsoft Outlook. Follow the instructions on the ‘Turn on or off automatic forwarding in Outlook.com webpage.

You have until the end of 2025 to move your files to Microsoft OneDrive.

From 2026, Google Workspace will no longer be supported, and your files will no longer be accessible from Google Drive.

What this means:

• If you are still a University of Melbourne student after 2025: you will no longer be able to access your files in Google Drive. You will only have access to Microsoft OneDrive.
• If you are no longer a University of Melbourne student after 2025: while the University provides access to some systems for up to 12 months after you complete your course, this does not apply to unsupported systems. You will only be able to access files located in your University-supported Microsoft OneDrive.

Microsoft 365 applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more, are used globally in the workplace. Since you already have access to these tools, becoming familiar with them now will make your transition into the workforce smoother after your studies.

By embracing a single unified system for both staff and students, and the potential integration with a wide range of other systems in future, we aim to further enhance collaboration across the University and improve your experience.

The user interface is the main difference between the two platforms. However, many features found in Google Workspace applications are also available in Microsoft 365.

With Microsoft 365 applications, you can:

• Save a document in real-time – when you store your Microsoft Office documents (e.g. Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc) in OneDrive, all changes are saved in real-time. This feature works in both the desktop applications and the web browser.
• Co-edit – you and your peers can collaborate on the same Microsoft Office document in real-time.
• Feature-rich – access a wider range and more powerful document formatting features.
• Automatic updates – sync your documents across multiple devices. Did you know you can download Microsoft 365 applications on up to 5 devices? For instructions, refer to the ‘Can I install Office apps on my desktop/ laptop/ mobile devices?’ section on this page: https://studentit.unimelb.edu.au/software/microsoft-365.
• Offline access – use desktop applications to access your documents offline when you don’t have internet access. While you will need to manually save your documents in this scenario, they will be automatically synced (if you store them in your OneDrive) once you are connected to the internet.

Absolutely! When you store your Microsoft Office documents (e.g. Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) in Microsoft OneDrive, you can share a link with your peers for real-time collaboration.

Please note: after moving your files from Google Drive to Microsoft OneDrive, you will need to share the file again with your peers so they can collaborate with you.

This depends on your needs. The web version is ideal for accessing documents on the go. When you need the full-feature suite, we highly recommend using the desktop version.

For further instructions on installing desktop applications, refer to the ‘Can I install Office apps on my desktop/ laptop/ mobile devices?’ section on this page: https://studentit.unimelb.edu.au/software/microsoft-365.

You can follow the steps on this page: Download or migrate Google data

We recommend deleting your files from Google Drive, once they are safely stored in Microsoft OneDrive, to avoid unnecessary duplication and management of two different versions in different locations.

To find the right storage platform for your research data, refer to this page: https://dataservices.research.unimelb.edu.au/finder/.

Follow the steps for Google Takeout on this page: https://ask.unimelb.edu.au/faq/6182/ to convert your files into a standard Microsoft Office format.

If you have used an email client to manage your student email previously (such as Outlook, Apple Mail, Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Mozilla Thunderbird, or others), you will need to remove your existing student email account from the client and reconfigure it. As an example, if you use Outlook, refer to the following Microsoft page for instructions.

If you previously set up automatic email forwarding, you will need to re-enable it in Microsoft Outlook. Follow the instructions on the ‘Turn on or off automatic forwarding in Outlook.com’ webpage.

If you are redirected to Gmail while setting up your Outlook client (PC, Mac, Android, or iOS), it means the caching or syncing with Microsoft is still in progress. This is an expected process and may take up to seven days to complete. In the meantime, we recommend accessing your email via outlook.office.com.

If you need to set up your Outlook client immediately, select the ‘Advanced’ option for manual setup and choose Microsoft 365. Please note that the wording of this option may vary across different platforms.

When migrating Gmail labels to Outlook, they are transformed into folders because Outlook uses a folder-based system. Each Gmail label is converted into a corresponding folder in Outlook. If you have nested labels in Gmail (e.g., Work > Projects), they typically convert into nested folders in Outlook, thereby preserving the hierarchy.

Emails with multiple labels in Gmail are copied into multiple folders in Outlook, with the same email in each folder. This means you may see duplicate emails as a result, including the same copy in your ‘Inbox’.

If you want to avoid these automatically created folders in Outlook, you can export them as a ‘.pst’ file as a backup and then, delete the folders. You can use the ‘Category’ feature in Outlook to group your email if you choose to do so.

The changes we are implementing only relate to University-supported Google Workspace applications when accessed via your ‘@student.unimelb.edu.au’ account. The list of these applications is listed on this page: https://studentit.unimelb.edu.au/software/google-workspace.

Please refer to the 'Access to student email account after graduation’ section on this page: https://ask.unimelb.edu.au/faq/5614/.

When all remaining student access to Google Workspace is removed in 2026, any automated Single Sign-Ons (SSO) previously linked to your University’s Google account will be decommissioned.

If you have used your University-issued account for single-sign-on to applications (for example, My eQuals platform), you will need to update your login details linked to those applications.

You can view the systems and applications you’ve signed into with your Google account and update your login details associated with these applications if needed.  

Here are the tips to what to do:

1. Log into your student Google account by visiting: https://myaccount.google.com/.
2. Go to the Security section.
3. Under See all connections, you can view your connections to third-party apps and services.
4. Visit these applications/ website individually and make any necessary updates to your login details.