Microsoft 365 - FAQ

Microsoft 365 provides access to online versions of products including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. You don't need to download anything to use these services.

Eligible CU Boulder faculty, staff and students can download the latest versions of Microsoft 365 software at no cost for a personal computer through Microsoft 365 Apps. Learn more about eligibility requirements on the Microsoft 365 Apps FAQ page.

Most modern web browsers are supported in Microsoft 365 including Windows Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari and Google Chrome. This website has more information about the browser version you must use.

Yes. There are mobile versions of Microsoft 365 services available for Windows, iPhone and Android. The Microsoft Products page has more information about mobile versions of Microsoft 365.

Everyone using CU Boulder's Microsoft 365 instance is required to use multi-factor authentication (MFA). MFA is a simple way to increase account security by requiring multiple forms of verification to prove your identity when signing into an application. This is generally something you know, like a password, and something you have, like a personal phone.

Learn more about MFA and find instructions for signing up and troubleshooting on OIT's Multi-factor Authentication page.

Microsoft has not announced Higher Ed. pricing or availability for Microsoft 365 Copilot. We anticipate additional data loss prevention measures, as well as data security features will be required before Microsoft 365 Copilot can be made available to faculty and staff on the CU Boulder campus. In addition, licensing costs may limit initial availability.

In the meantime, Copilot for Bing Chat Enterprise is currently available to faculty and staff and will roll out to students accounts later in 2024. 

No. The Microsoft 365 deployment does not impact any current use of Microsoft Office software installed on your computer. Office Online and your local version of Office are seamlessly integrated and complementary. Using Office Online may enhance your Office software experience, with the new web storage and editing tools, but you may choose to continue using Microsoft Office no differently than you always have in the past.

With the implementation of Microsoft 365 Microsoft Exchange email and calendaring solution, faculty and staff are encouraged to utilize the campus service for all university-related work instead of other third-party providers such as Hotmail, Yahoo or Gmail. However, if faculty or staff members determine that use of the CU Boulder email service interferes with their ability to pursue their academic or research activities, they can request an exception.

Arrangements have been made to accommodate those who work with organizations with whom the university has made arrangements to use these organizations' domain as one's email delivery location. The accepted domains currently include:

Campuses


• colorado.edu (variations that include colorado.edu are acceptable)

• cu.edu

• 
cusys.edu

• email.ucdenver.edu
• 
jove.uchsc.edu
• 
ludell.uccs.edu

• math.cudenver.edu

• ucdenver.edu
• 
uchsc.edu

• wizard.cusys.edu

National Labs

• boulder.nist.gov

• cdc.gov
• 
nist.gov
• 
noaa.gov
• 
nrel.gov
• 
ucar.edu

Other Organizations (institutes)

• 
cuchbe.org

• cumcen.org
• cufund.org

• uccs.edu
• 
nsidc.org

• centerwest.org
• 
espacecenter.org

If you are associated with one of these organizations or national labs and wish to have your CU email delivered there, you will need to update your email delivery location in the CU Boulder IdentiKey Manager. Instructions for updating your email delivery location are available at IdentiKey Manager - Manage Email & Calendar Service.

If an individual from an institute or national lab is seeking an exception, the individual should first contact their director or department chair to seek their approval. Then, the director or department chair should contact CU Boulder Legal Counsel, who will review the request.

If you feel that using any CU email account is unacceptable in fulfilling your teaching, research, or administrative duties, please contact your director or department chair. If after discussing the problem with your director or department chair you both feel that using a CU email account is unacceptable, complete the certificate of receipt with signatures from you and your director or department chair, and send, via campus mail to the Office of Information Security (OIS), 455 UCB, faxed to 303-735-5036, or emailed to security@colorado.edu. OIS will work with OIT Operations to have any email that is sent to your @colorado.edu account sent to the third-party address you specify.