Your Williams accounts will remain open until July 1, then will close and be deleted shortly after. Google now charges for storage, so we need to clear space for the next class quickly. If you want to save your email, docs, photos, drive files or any other Google data, you need to transfer or download them before July 1. If you created a Microsoft account to get Word, Excel or to save files in OneDrive you will lose access to those as well so plan ahead.
Options for saving your personal Google data:
Google Transfer – will move ALL Drive and/or Email to a personal Google account. Make sure you have enough space on your personal account to accept it all (usually 15gb). Check how much storage you are using and how much you have available from the “Storage” link in your Google Drive . Note that Transfer can take several weeks to finish so start early.
Google Takeout – more selective than Transfer, you can choose which Drive and email folders to save. Can also do YouTube content, Google Photos, Google Play and many other services.
Download to computer – simply download your Drive folders to your computer. You can do this with Photos also.
Other things to do before July 1:
If you created accounts with LinkedIn or Facebook or any other non-Williams services using your [email protected] you will want to change the login email to a personal email.
If you’d like to save your Sites data please see: https://sites.williams.edu/information-for-graduating-students/
Set up Alumni email forwarding: https://alumni.williams.edu/articles/emf/
If you have Google Drive files which should stay with the college:
You will need to change ownership of those files or they will be permanently deleted. Remember any files you create in Google are owned by you, even if you created them in someone else’s folder. Note that Shared Drives are different, files you create in a Shared Drive are “ownerless” and will remain. What type of files might you want to change?
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- Work done for a department, like documentation.
- Work done for a professor as collaboration and they may want to keep.
- Any files or pictures you own as part of an RSO or other student organization or group.
Here are directions for changing ownership of folders and files in Drive . You can also move files and folders you own to a Shared Drive for preservation. This would be a common solution if you created and own content that should stay with an RSO or student group since you don’t want to give ownership to another student (as their account will eventually close also). Your professor or a Williams staff member can create the Shared Drive, give you Content Manager rights, then you can move your data there for them to manage. Or email [email protected] to have OIT create a Shared Drive for you.
If you are part of a student group and think you may have records of historical value, please reach out to the Records Manager who can help you digitally preserve your materials for future access. We want to make sure the diverse voices of students do not decay in the digital deluge!
If you have questions about any of this please contact the student support desk at [email protected]
NOTE:
If you are working for the college after you graduate your account will stay active and Alumni Forwarding will be disabled as long as you are employed.