OIT Office of Information Technology
| Menu

Digital Offboarding & Data Preservation

  Data Deletion Notifications Begin June 16

Since May 2025, to ensure uninterrupted email and storage access while OIT expanded its automated licensing process, most departing employees/affiliates and new retirees were temporarily assigned an affiliate Microsoft license instead of having their license removed or replaced with a retiree license.

On June 16, 2026, OIT's expanded Microsoft licensing process will go into production for primary accounts. At that time, OIT will stop assigning temporary affiliate licenses. Instead, recently unaffiliated, retired or graduated users will receive an email from OIT explaining their eligibility and providing a deadline by which to preserve important data.

About Microsoft Licensing Automation

Employees & Affiliates​Retirees​Students​Alumni
 

Overview

If you're preparing to leave the university or you've received an email from OIT stating that you're scheduled to lose access to your campus-provided email, Microsoft OneDrive and/or Google Drive, then you're in the right place.

Below, you'll find concrete actions to help you prepare to lose access to campus-provided data storage and, in many cases, CU Boulder email.

 

Departing Employees & Affiliates (Not Retirees)

If your working relationship with CU Boulder is ending, please make every effort to complete the following digital offboarding tasks during your final weeks of employment.

In general, unless the circumstances of your departure justify a shorter timeline:

  • On or shortly after your last day, your department may begin removing your access to locally managed sites and folders, including departmental Microsoft SharePoint and Teams sites, and UCB Files file shares. Timelines vary by department, service and access policy; please consult with your local IT professional or supervisor as needed.
  • Three months (90 days) after your last day, you'll lose access to CU Boulder email and Microsoft services, as well as any campus services that require Microsoft MFA (including Google Workspace, effective June 3, 2026). Shortly thereafter, your email and Microsoft OneDrive will be permanently deleted.

To learn more, see Accounts & Eligibility - Employees.

File Storage & Shared Resources

Move Work-Related Files to a Department-Owned Location

Identify any files saved in your individual Microsoft OneDrive or Google Drive that your colleagues may need to access, then move them to the most appropriate department-owned location (e.g., Microsoft Team or SharePoint site, Google Shared Drive, UCB Files folder).

Note: Certain document types are classified as university records and must be retained pursuant to the Retention of University Records Administrative Policy Statement. If you aren't sure whether to move a file to departmental storage, please contact your supervisor.

Move Non-Work Files to a Personally Owned Location

If you've saved any personal files on campus-provided file storage, move them to a non-CU Boulder storage location (e.g., personal cloud storage, USB drive, external hard drive).

Refer to these tutorials for step-by-step instructions:

Note: OIT can't help you transfer files to a personal storage location or recover them after they've been deleted.

Transfer Ownership of Shared Files

If you own any shared OneDrive files that are still being used by others, be sure to transfer ownership to a current CU Boulder student or employee.

To prevent your colleagues from losing access to important files that you've shared from your individual CU Boulder account, follow the instructions below to transfer ownership.

Transfer Ownership of Shared Google Calendars

When your Microsoft license is removed, you'll also lose access to any campus services that require Microsoft MFA, which includes Google Workspace.

Before that happens, be sure to transfer ownership of any secondary Google Calendars you created that are being used or referenced by others:

  1. Identify any shared Google Calendars that you created and that others are using.
  2. Contact the calendar's other users and determine who the new owner should be.
  3. To transfer ownership:
    1. On your computer, open Google Calendar.
    2. On the left side of the page, click My calendars.
    3. Next to the calendar, click Options > Settings and sharing.
    4. Under "Shared with," locate the person that you want to transfer the calendar to, then click the drop-down menu next to their name.
    5. Select Transfer ownership.

    6. To confirm, click Transfer ownership.

      Note: As soon as the new owner accepts the transfer, your permission level for the calendar will automatically change to "Make changes and manage sharing."

To learn more, see Google's "Transfer calendars or events in Google Calendar" article.

Email Accounts

Change Your Login, MFA & Recovery Email for External Services

Before you lose email access, update your contact information for non-CU Boulder services that use the address to:

  • Log in to their website
  • Complete multi-factor authentication
  • Recover the account due to a forgotten password or suspicious activity

Many services won't change your contact information unless you enter a code or click a link sent to your previous email address. Therefore, it's important to complete this process while your CU Boulder email is still active to ensure you're not locked out.

Once your mailbox is deleted, all email sent to that address will fail. Auto-forwarding, POP and IMAP, which require your CU Boulder email account to exist and be actively receiving email, will also stop working.

Transfer Non-Work Emails to a Personally Owned Account

If you've sent personal communications through your CU Boulder email that you'd like to keep, export or transfer your personal emails to a non-CU Boulder storage location or email account.

Note: OIT can't help you transfer emails to a personal storage location or recover them after they've been deleted.

Transfer Ownership of Secondary Accounts

Secondary accounts are assigned to one primary owner, who must be a faculty or staff member.

To determine whether you own any of these accounts, follow the steps in the Activate and Manage Your Secondary Account tutorial to view the Available Secondary Accounts drop-down in IdentiKey Manager.

For each account listed:

  • Work with your supervisor to confirm whether the account is still needed and, if so, identify a new primary owner.
  • Submit a request to oithelp@colorado.edu to either deactivate the account or request an ownership change.
Update Your Contact Information for External Entities

Identify any people, businesses, organizations or services that use your CU Boulder email address as a primary or backup contact method and provide them with your personal email address.

When a user tries to change their contact information, some businesses, organizations and services will send a code or link to the previous email address to confirm that the request is legitimate. Therefore, it's best to complete this process while your CU Boulder email is still active.

Set Up an Autoreply Message

Let your colleagues know that you've left your position and provide an alternative contact email for future requests (typically a department-managed email account).

Your supervisor or HR liaison may have a template for you to use.

 

Retirees (Not Emeritus)

If you plan to retire from CU Boulder, we recommend completing the following actions during your final months of employment.

Note: If you're awarded emeritus status or become a working retiree, you'll be entitled to employee-level services. However, until an appointment is secured, we recommend taking the following actions to prevent unintended data loss in the event of a procedural delay or a change in plans.

File Storage & Shared Resources

In general, you should expect to lose access to IT services according to the following timeline:

  • On or shortly after your last day, your department may begin removing your access to locally managed sites and folders, including departmental Microsoft SharePoint and Teams sites, and UCB Files file shares. Timelines vary by department, service and access policy; please consult with your local IT professional or supervisor as needed.
  • Three months (90 days) after your last day, you'll lose access to most campus-provided Microsoft services, and your Microsoft OneDrive will be permanently deleted.

To learn more, see Accounts & Eligibility - Retirees.

Move Work-Related Files to a Department-Owned Location

Identify any files saved in your individual Microsoft OneDrive or Google Drive that your colleagues may need to access, then move them to the most appropriate department-owned location (e.g., Microsoft Team or SharePoint site, Google Shared Drive, UCB Files folder).

Note: Certain document types are classified as university records and must be retained pursuant to the Retention of University Records Administrative Policy Statement. If you aren't sure whether to move a file to departmental storage, please contact your supervisor.

Move Non-Work Files to a Personally Owned Location

If you've saved any personal files on campus-provided file storage, move them to a non-CU Boulder storage location (e.g., personal cloud storage, USB drive, external hard drive).

Refer to these tutorials for step-by-step instructions:

Note: If you need help transferring your files, OIT's Buff Techs can provide assistance either in person or remotely.

Transfer Ownership of Shared Files

To prevent your colleagues from losing access to important files that you've shared from your private Microsoft OneDrive or Google Drive accounts, follow the instructions below to transfer ownership:

Transfer Ownership of Shared Google Calendars

While your Google Workspace account won't be deleted until later (you'll receive another set of communications at that time), we encourage you to act now to transfer ownership of any secondary Google Calendars you own that are still being used or referenced by others.

To do so:

  1. Identify any shared Google Calendars that you created and that others are using.
  2. Contact the calendar's other users and determine who the new owner should be.
  3. To transfer ownership:
    1. On your computer, open Google Calendar.
    2. On the left side of the page, click My calendars.
    3. Next to the calendar, click Options > Settings and sharing.
    4. Under "Shared with," locate the person that you want to transfer the calendar to, then click the drop-down menu next to their name.
    5. Select Transfer ownership.

    6. To confirm, click Transfer ownership.

      Note: As soon as the new owner accepts the transfer, your permission level for the calendar will automatically change to "Make changes and manage sharing."

To learn more, see Google's "Transfer calendars or events in Google Calendar" article.

Email Accounts

To support a smooth transition into retirement, we recommend taking the following steps on or shortly before your last day.

Transfer Ownership of Secondary Accounts

Secondary accounts are assigned to one primary owner, who must be a faculty or staff member.

To determine whether you own any of these accounts, follow the steps in the Activate and Manage Your Secondary Account tutorial to view the Available Secondary Accounts drop-down in IdentiKey Manager.

For each account listed:

  • Work with your supervisor to confirm whether the account is still needed and, if so, identify a new primary owner.
  • Submit a request to oithelp@colorado.edu to either deactivate the account or request an ownership change.
Set Up an Autoreply Message

Let your colleagues know that you've left your position and provide an alternative contact for future requests.

Your supervisor or HR liaison may have a template for you to use.

 

Departing Students (Not Alumni)

If you stop making progress in your academic program, your student record will be flagged as inactive (a.k.a., discontinued) after a set period of time. For details, see the Office of the Registrar's Withdraw from the Semester and Leave of Absence pages.

Once your status changes from active to inactive, you'll have three months (90 days) to complete the steps below. After 90 days, you'll lose access to CU Boulder email and Microsoft services. Shortly thereafter, your email and Microsoft OneDrive will be permanently deleted.

To learn more, see Accounts & Eligibility - Students and Accounts & Eligibility - Former Students.

File Storage & Shared Resources

Move Important Files to Personal Storage

Transfer files you need to keep to a personal storage location, like an external hard drive or non-CU Boulder cloud storage.

Note: OIT can't help you transfer files to a personal storage location or recover them after they've been deleted.

Transfer Ownership of Shared Files

If you own any shared files that are still being used by others, be sure to transfer ownership to a current CU Boulder student or employee.

Transfer Ownership of Shared Google Calendars

When your Microsoft license is removed, you'll also lose access to any campus services that require Microsoft MFA, which includes Google Workspace.

Before that happens, be sure to transfer ownership of any secondary Google Calendars you created that are being used or referenced by others:

  1. Identify any shared Google Calendars that you created and that others are using.
  2. Contact the calendar's other users and determine who the new owner should be.
  3. To transfer ownership:
    1. On your computer, open Google Calendar.
    2. On the left side of the page, click My calendars.
    3. Next to the calendar, click Options > Settings and sharing.
    4. Under "Shared with," locate the person that you want to transfer the calendar to, then click the drop-down menu next to their name.
    5. Select Transfer ownership.

    6. To confirm, click Transfer ownership.

      Note: As soon as the new owner accepts the transfer, your permission level for the calendar will automatically change to "Make changes and manage sharing."

To learn more, see Google's "Transfer calendars or events in Google Calendar" article.

Email Accounts

Change Your Login, MFA & Recovery Email for External Services

Before you lose email access, update your contact information for non-CU Boulder services that use the address to:

  • Log in to their website
  • Complete multi-factor authentication
  • Recover the account due to a forgotten password or suspicious activity

Many services won't change your contact information unless you enter a code or click a link sent to your previous email address. Therefore, it's important to complete this process while your CU Boulder email is still active to ensure you're not locked out.

Once your mailbox is deleted, all email sent to that address will fail. Auto-forwarding, POP and IMAP, which require your CU Boulder email account to exist and be actively receiving email, will also stop working.

Transfer Important Emails to a Personal Account

We outline multiple methods to transfer the emails you wish to keep.

Note: OIT can't help you transfer emails to a personal storage location or recover them after they've been deleted.

Update Your Contact Information

Identify any people, businesses, organizations or services that use your CU Boulder email address as a primary or backup contact method and provide them with your personal email address.

When a user tries to change their contact information, some businesses, organizations and services will send a code or link to the previous email address to confirm that the request is legitimate. Therefore, it's best to complete this process while your CU Boulder email is still active.

 

Recent Graduates/Alumni

If you earn a degree or certificate from CU Boulder after Jan. 14, 2026, OIT will adjust your access to campus-provided email and Microsoft services according to the timelines below.

To learn more, see Accounts & Eligibility - Alumni.

File Storage & Shared Resources

After your degree or certificate posts to your transcript, you'll have approximately three months (90 days) to complete the following steps before your Microsoft OneDrive files are permanently deleted.

Note: Degrees and certificates post to transcripts approximately one month after commencement or degree conferral.

Move Important Files to Personal Storage

Transfer files you need to keep to a personal storage location, like an external hard drive or non-CU Boulder cloud storage.

Note: OIT can't help you transfer files to a personal storage location or recover them after they've been deleted.

Transfer Ownership of Shared Files

If you own any shared files that are still being used by others, be sure to transfer ownership to a current CU Boulder student or employee.

Transfer Ownership of Shared Google Calendars

While your Google Workspace account won't be deleted until later (you'll receive another set of communications at that time), we encourage you to act now to transfer ownership of any secondary Google Calendars you own that are still being used or referenced by others.

To do so:

  1. Identify any shared Google Calendars that you created and that others are using.
  2. Contact the calendar's other users and determine who the new owner should be.
  3. To transfer ownership:
    1. On your computer, open Google Calendar.
    2. On the left side of the page, click My calendars.
    3. Next to the calendar, click Options > Settings and sharing.
    4. Under "Shared with," locate the person that you want to transfer the calendar to, then click the drop-down menu next to their name.
    5. Select Transfer ownership.

    6. To confirm, click Transfer ownership.

      Note: As soon as the new owner accepts the transfer, your permission level for the calendar will automatically change to "Make changes and manage sharing."

Any shared Google Calendars that you don't transfer before you leave CU Boulder will be automatically deleted, even if they're actively being used by others.

To learn more, see Google's "Transfer calendars or events in Google Calendar" article.

Email Accounts

You'll have approximately one year (365 days) after you graduate to complete the following steps before your CU Boulder email account is permanently deleted.

Change Your Login, MFA & Recovery Email for External Services

Before you lose email access, update your contact information for non-CU Boulder services that use the address to:

  • Log in to their website
  • Complete multi-factor authentication
  • Recover the account due to a forgotten password or suspicious activity

Many services won't change your contact information unless you enter a code or click a link sent to your previous email address. Therefore, it's important to complete this process while your CU Boulder email is still active to ensure you're not locked out.

Once your mailbox is deleted, all email sent to that address will fail. Auto-forwarding, POP and IMAP, which require your CU Boulder email account to exist and be actively receiving email, will also stop working.

Transfer Important Emails to a Personal Account

We outline multiple methods to transfer the emails you wish to keep.

Note: OIT can't help you transfer emails to a personal storage location or recover them after they've been deleted.

Update Your Contact Information for External Entities

Identify any people, businesses, organizations or services that use your CU Boulder email address as a primary or backup contact method and provide them with your personal email address.

When a user tries to change their contact information, some businesses, organizations and services will send a code or link to the previous email address to confirm that the request is legitimate. Therefore, it's best to complete this process while your CU Boulder email is still active.

Provide the Alumni Association with a Personal Email Address

To stay connected with important university communications, such as alumni news, events and updates, go to the Alumni Association's Update Your Information page now to provide your personal email address.