UMD Email and Google Apps

Through a partnership with Google, University of Minnesota students, faculty, and staff can access a suite of Google-powered communication and collaboration tools designed to enhance our ability to work together.

The suite includes email, calendar, document sharing, instant messaging, and web site publishing tools.

Internet ID / Email Account

The University uses Google Workspace for Education Plus for email.  Each person is assigned a unique Internet ID, which is used to access email and the Google suite of applications (Drive, Calendar, etc.) as well as the MyU portal and many Enterprise applications you will need.

If you're new to UMD, you must claim your Internet ID and initiate your email account by following these instructions: Initiate Your Internet ID / Email Account.

Once you have your Internet ID, you can access your University email by going through the MyU Portal, or by visiting mail.umn.edu. If you log in from the Gmail webpage you will need to enter your full address (including the "@d.umn.edu") in the Email spot.

Departmental Accounts

Departmental email accounts (Internet ID and email) will be created for any official U of M organization (department, division, laboratory, office, committee, research project, etc.) or function (for example, the webmaster or front desk of a department). Departmental accounts should be used only for official organization business and should be monitored on a regular basis by an organizational contact person. Open the Additional Accounts menu on your Internet Account Settings Page to request a new account. To verify an account, or to change who the owners of the account are contact the Twin Cities Technology Help Service Desk.

Mail Delegation in Gmail

Mail Delegation can be useful for people who want others to have access to read or respond to mail on their behalf. For example, you can delegate email rights to up to 10 others, such as administrative and executive assistants, in your unit. This feature is recommended primarily to access a supervisor's email in order to complete correspondence on their behalf. For privacy and security reasons, it is not recommended for general use at the University.

Google Apps

Google Apps are available for University Google users, with the exception of Gmail for Health Care Component-related accounts.

See the Google For Education training site for information on the applications available.

Google for Health Care Component-Related Accounts

Due to privacy concerns, Health Care Component-related accounts have limited access to Google Apps. Please see OIT's site regarding Gmail for HCC accounts.

Google Groups

Note, in order to get your group built in to UMD mail routing, you should request a group through the University of Minnesota Web form (and not through the google groups home page).

For more information, consult UMD Google Groups.

For information on Google Course Groups, check out the Google Course Group page.

Google Drive

With Google Drive, you can create and share files and folders online and collaborate with others on group projects. Files in Google Drive can be accessed from any smartphone, tablet, or computer.

Appropriate Use

Google Workspace is intended for collaboration on actively used University files and is not intended to be an archive. Personal media files, including photos and videos should not be stored in a UMN Google Workspace Account.

Visit Using Google Drive at the University to learn more about Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides.

Leaving the University

After you graduate or retire, your access to University applications like Gmail and Google Workspace will change. Learn what to expect and how to prepare on the Leaving the University self-help guide. 

(Note: Faculty emeriti will retain access to Gmail and Google Workspace as per University policy.)

Mobile Computing

iPad Resources

Check out CEHD's "Mobile Learning" web site, part of their iPad Project.

ITSS support and service for mobile devices is limited

Due to the sheer volume of models, carriers, and services, ITSS support is limited to basic configuration assistance for email and calendar access. Additional set up or troubleshooting assistance is available as a billable service.

With the University's move to Google Apps for email and calendar, it's easier than ever to access this data from your mobile device. Following is the basic information you will need to configure access to these services. We encourage you to try these directions on your device before calling for assistance.

There are a number of ways to access Gmail on your mobile device:

Option 1 - Use your mobile web browser (recommended)

This option does not require any setup - all you need is a web browser on your mobile device.

  •  
    • Open a web browser and go to: http://www.d.umn.edu/gmail/
    • Sign in to the GMail web interface using your University Internet ID and password.

Option 2 - Use the Google Mobile App (recommended)

This option requires some setup - you will need to download the App to your phone.

  1.  
    1. Get the Mobile App for your device. Google provides Mobile Apps for most devices (including Android, iPhone, and others).
    2. Sign in to the Mobile App using your University Internet ID and password.

Option 3 - Configure your mobile device's email client

Some devices may be able to set up your account automatically. Follow the options for setting up a Google/Gmail account. When prompted, user your full email address, and university password.

If there is no automatic setup, you may need to enter UMD-specific information on your device and set a mobile password.

  1. Sign into Gmail using a desktop browser, go to Settings > IMAP > and enable IMAP.
  2. Then, use this information to configure your mobile device:
    • Username: Enter your full UMD e-mail address ([email protected]).
    • Password: Enter your UMD password.
    • E-mail Address: Enter your full University of Minnesota e-mail address again.
    • Incoming Mail Server: Enter imap.gmail.com.
    • Incoming Mail Port: Enter 993 and select Use SSL.
    • Outgoing Mail Server: Enter smtp.gmail.com.
    • Outgoing Mail Port: Enter 587 and select Use TLS.
  3. Sign in to the mobile client using your University Internet ID and password.

If you need further assistance, here are a few things to try:

  • Check your owner's manual - most have detailed instructions on setting up email.
  • Contact your phone company or manufacturer, as they will have details on your voice and/or data plan.

If the problems persist, call the ITSS Help Desk to set up an appointment for assistance. At this time, ITSS staff are providing limited free technical support for the mobile web browser (option 1) or Gmail App (option 2) only. If you would like ITSS assistance in configuring your mobile device's email or calendar client (option 3), please call the Help Desk and provide an EFS number for billing and we will queue your request.

Can I use Outlook, Mail, Thunderbird, or my favorite email client with Google Apps?

Most email clients can be pointed at the Google Apps servers and be made to work. At this time ITSS strongly encourages users to use the default, browser-based interface. We find that it is very fast and intuitive and for the vast majority of users it will be the best choice. We will provide only very limited support for any other email clients, especially as we work hard to roll out Google Apps in its default. At this time, ITSS staff are only able to provide free technical support for the Gmail web client. If you wish to use a desktop client (Thunderbird or Mail), please refer to the online instructions. You may also need to enable less secure apps.