FAQs for Retired Faculty Members and Librarians - Microsoft Office (Transitioning Access)


Eligibility

As a retiree who is no longer engaged in teaching, research, supervising graduate students, or a special project, what will the University provide to me?

The University will provide you with your @utoronto.ca email address and inbox, as well as calendar accessible through the web via https://mail.utoronto.ca.

I am still involved in teaching, research, supervising graduate students, and/or a special project with a faculty or division. Who can I contact to review my University Activities?

If you feel the assessment of your activities is not correct, please contact the retiree mailbox (retiree.email@utoronto.ca) to request reassessment by your academic unit.

What is currently included with University of Toronto provided Microsoft Office?

The University provides actively involved faculty members and librarians with the desktop and web versions of Microsoft Office applications including Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Word, and OneDrive. OneDrive is an internet-based file storage space. In order to keep these services active after the June 30, 2023, deadline, you will need to purchase your own license (see “Obtaining Your Own License”).

 

OneDrive

How do I know if I have files on OneDrive?

The University of Toronto began to use OneDrive in 2017, after which period you could create and migrate files to OneDrive. Files are only created in OneDrive by the owner of the file so if you do not know if you have files in OneDrive, you probably do not have any OneDrive files.

To view a list of files in your OneDrive, sign into OneDrive as below. If there are no files listed, you are not storing any files in your U of T OneDrive space and no action is required.

How do I sign into OneDrive?

  1. Go to the OneDrive homepage at https://onedrive.com and enter your @utoronto.ca email address.
  2. You will be prompted to enter your UTORid and its associated password.
  3. The website will show you a list of all the files you have stored in your U of T OneDrive space.

If you have forgotten your UTORid and/or its password, contact the Information Commons Help Desk at 416-978-HELP (4357) to book a password reset appointment in person or over a video call. The hours of operation for the Information Commons are posted online at: https://help.ic.utoronto.ca.

How long do I have to save/download my OneDrive files?

You have until June 30, 2023, to save OneDrive files to your personal computer. You can do this in a few steps by following the steps below.

How do I save files on OneDrive to my personal computer?

  1. Sign into OneDrive at https://onedrive.com using your @utoronto.ca email address, followed by your UTORid and its associated password.
  2. Select the files or folders you wish to download, using the round checkboxes that appear when you move your mouse over the filenames.
  3. Click the Download button at the top of the webpage to download the selected files to your computer. Your computer may ask you where to save your content, or it may automatically start downloading to your computer’s Downloads folder. If you download multiple files at once, they will download as a zipped (.zip) file. Zip files can be opened by double-clicking on them.

For a more detailed version of these instructions, Microsoft provides the following article: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/download-files-and-folders-from-onedrive-or-sharepoint-5c7397b7-19c7-4893-84fe-d02e8fa5df05

I couldn’t save my OneDrive files before June 30, 2023. What can I do?

Please email Digital Workplace Client Support at retiree.email@utoronto.ca for assistance retrieving files after June 30, 2023. Files will be available for retrieval for a limited time after this date.

If I don’t have files on OneDrive, is there anything I need to do?

No – you may purchase a personal Microsoft Office license as detailed below if you wish to continue using Microsoft Office applications.

 

Obtaining Your Own License

I want to keep using Microsoft Office for myself. How do I purchase a personal license for these applications?

You can purchase your own subscription for Microsoft Office applications either from a retailer selling computer products (such as Best Buy, Staples, or Walmart), or directly from the Microsoft online store.

You will need to use a personal email address to manage your subscription. Do not use your @utoronto.ca address for your Microsoft customer account when you purchase this subscription, as you will not be able to attach your subscription to it. When you activate your subscription, Microsoft will provide the option to open a free @outlook.com email address if needed.

For purchasing from a retailer 

The retailer will sell you a product key, typically for one year of access (you can choose from an array of options). On your computer, go to https://setup.office.com and follow the prompts to apply your product key to your Microsoft customer account and then download and install Office.

Be wary of retailers offering steeply discounted versions of Office; ensure you are buying a genuine subscription by only purchasing Office from a source you trust.

For purchasing directly from Microsoft

Go to https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/microsoft-365/buy/microsoft-365 and select the subscription package you wish to purchase. Follow the prompts to set up a Microsoft account, complete the payment, and install Office on your computer.

Assistance with personal Microsoft Office subscriptions

For help with your personal subscription to Microsoft Office, view the Microsoft documentation at https://office.com/support, or contact Microsoft’s customer support team at https://support.microsoft.com/contactus .

Can I get a discount code for purchasing personal Office?

Regrettably, there is no U of T alumni discount or other institutional discount for purchasing a personal copy/subscription of Microsoft Office.