Move Your Student Services
Your student account will expire soon after you graduate, and you'll lose access to CMU resources. Learn how to transition your cloud storage files, personal websites, email, and other work so that you have what you need to succeed in your next steps.
You can begin moving your services at any time, and we recommend that you start early. If you wait too long, you risk losing access to your student account before you finish. We cannot delay your account expiration date.
Transfer Your Mail, Files, and Other Data
During your time at CMU, you store data in a variety of digital services. Use the instructions below to download your files, email, and other data.
Begin transferring your data at least one week before your account expiration date.
Adobe Creative Cloud
Visit Asset Migration Support to transfer your Creative Cloud creations from your CMU account to a personal one. To migrate assets, you must still have access to your CMU Creative Cloud account.
Andrew File System (AFS)
Use secure FTP to move the files you want from AFS.
Box
Manually download files from your account to your computer’s hard drive or another storage solution, or use the Box Drive app to transfer files locally.
Google Workspace for Education
Use Google Takeout to export your email, Drive files, contacts, or any other data stored in your CMU Google account.
Note: Common email retrieval methods, such as IMAP and POP, are unavailable in CMU's Google Workspace for Education account. Similarly, you cannot use Google Storage Transfer to move your data.
1. Export your data
- Visit takeout.google.com/settings/takeout.
- Follow Google’s instructions to export your data.
When you open Takeout, you should see a long list of Google services. If you don’t see common services, like Mail, Calendar, and Drive, contact the Computing Services Help Center at it-help@cmu.edu or 412-268-4357 (HELP).
We recommend that you export your data in batches by Google service. For example, export your files from Drive in one batch and then all your data from Google Mail in another.
2. Access your data
Your export can take anywhere from a few minutes to several days, depending on the type and quantity of data you’re exporting. You may close your browser after you begin the export process.
You will receive an email from Google (noreply@google.com) when Takeout is finished exporting.
You can download your data from the email or view it in another storage platform, depending on what you chose during the export process.
3. Learn how to use your data
You’ll receive .ZIP files with a variety of file types depending on which service the data comes from. You can store your data locally or import it to a personal cloud storage account.
We’ve described how to use some of the more common file types below.
Common Export File Types
Google Drive
Takeout only exports data from My Drive. You cannot export data owned by other individuals or stored in Shared Drives.
You’ll receive your files in their original file type. Each file will also have an associated .JSON file with metadata, creation and modification dates. You can read .JSON files in any text editor or word processor, like Microsoft Word.
Google Mail
You’ll receive .MBOX files, a simple text format that can be read by text editors or word processors, like Microsoft Word. You can also import .MBOX files into another email tool.
Google Calendar
You’ll receive .ICS files, allowing you to import them into most other calendar applications.
Google Photos
You’ll receive your files in their original file type. Each file will also have an associated .JSON file with any captions, descriptions, or metadata. You can read .JSON files in any text editor or word processor, like Microsoft Word.
Google Contacts
You’ll receive either .VCF (best of macOS or iOS apps) or .CSV (best for Microsoft Outlook or a personal Google account), depending on which option you selected when you exported. Your download may include folders, representing different sources. Each folder will contain any contact images and a single .VCF or .CSF with the contact.
Microsoft OneDrive, SharePoint, or OneNote
You may download files from OneDrive or Sharepoint to your computer, but you cannot download OneNote files.
MyFiles
MyFiles is 2GB of central storage space that is accessible from Windows Computer Labs and our virtual Windows options.
Visit a Computer Lab or access MyFiles via Virtual Andrew and transfer your data to a personal storage solution.
UserWeb Pages
Follow these steps to save and unpublish your personal web pages.
- Use secure FTP to transfer your files to another storage location.
- Unpublish and remove your pages from the server.
Zoom
Visit My Recordings to download any recorded Zoom meetings you saved to the Zoom cloud.
- Click the More drop-down to the right of the meeting and select Download. This option is only available for meetings you have hosted. There is no bulk download option.
Remove Licensed Software
Before you leave CMU, remember to uninstall any university-licensed software you downloaded from the following services:
- Computing Services software portal
- Departmental servers
- Andrew directories
- Microsoft Azure
- VMware Campus Store
Update Your Login Email Addresses
Some students use their Andrew email address for non-university accounts, such as social media, banking, shopping, or job search websites.
Update your account email to a personal email address or your alumni email address so that you don’t lose access when your Andrew email expires.
Post-Graduation Opportunities
Remember to use a personal email address when applying to graduate school, jobs, or other post-graduation opportunities. If you use your Andrew email, you may lose contact after your account expires.
Access Your Alumni Email
Once the university confirms your graduation, the Alumni Association will send you an email with information about your new alumni account (@alumni.andrew.cmu.edu). This account allows you to send and receive email, manage your calendar, and store contacts.
Soon after, you will no longer be able to send, receive, or forward emails from your student account (@andrew.cmu.edu) and any @cmu.edu aliases. Your new alumni account will be your only email address associated with the university.
Learn more at CMU Email Addresses for Alumni.