In Fall 2025, the Microsoft 365 environments of PFW and Purdue WL will merge to create a more robust and secure tenant. Though user impact will be minimal, there will be action items that will need to be taken by most faculty/staff users.
Live Updates (available during migration):
9/10/2025: No updates at this time.
What actions will all students/faculty/staff need to take?
- Sign out of all Microsoft apps (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, etc.) and sign back in with your “username@purdue.edu”. This includes locally installed Microsoft software and web versions (office.com).
- Sign out of all mobile email apps (Apple Mail on iOS devices, Samsung Mail, Google Mail clients, etc.) and sign back in with your “username@purdue.edu”. (Your email address will continue to be “username@pfw.edu” when you send/receive email.)
- Sign out of all macOS (Apple computers) and sign back in with your “username@purdue.edu”.
- Set up Microsoft Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) on your “@purdue.edu” account. (The first time you sign back in with your “username@purdue.edu”, you will be prompted to set up MFA. This will happen automatically.)
- If you have any files being shared from OneDrive/SharePoint, you will need to re-share those files. All existing file sharing/links, etc. to other users will be removed during the migration.
- Cancel all recurring meeting you have scheduled (or set them to end on October 16) and re-send those on October 22.
Quick Reference Questions
Will I lose my email address?
What change will I notice immediately?
- All users will need to authenticate to all Microsoft services (Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, etc.) with their “username@purdue.edu”. Your email address is NOT changing – only the way you authenticate to Microsoft services.
Is my username or password changing?
- Usernames will not change. However, the password to sign into Microsoft may not be the same as your GoPFW password. To sync those two passwords, please reset your GoPFW password here.
Does this change the way I sign into other Purdue Login apps – such as VPN, Success Factors, Ariba, Concur, etc?
- No – continue to use the same username and password you have been using with Purdue Login.
Where do I get help?
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why is this being done?
A: There are currently multiple Microsoft 365 environments at the various Purdue campuses. These have been supported by a unified team for the past several years (prior to any Purdue IT re-organization.) As the environments become more complex, it has become more difficult to support and secure. This consolidation will ultimately benefit all users across the Purdue campuses.
Note: Email addresses for PFW users are NOT changing. If you currently have an @pfw.edu email address, that will stay the same after the tenant merge.
Q: When will this happen?
A: The dates for the consolidation are October 17-21, 2025
Q: When I lose access to my e-mail, how will I get updates on what's going on with the migration?
A: This page will be used throughout the migration to update you on the current status, including completion and any potential delays.
Q: I am a student, does this affect me?
A: Yes, your email, files, calendar, etc. will all be migrated to the new MIcrosoft environment.
Q: Will I lose my @PFW.EDU e-mail address?
A: No, your "username@pfw.edu" email address will remain the same.
Q: Will my password change?
A: You will no longer sign into Microsoft services (email, office.com, Office software, etc.) with your GoPFW email address. Instead, you will use your Purdue Career Account password (what you use to sign into Purdue Login - currently used by tools such as Success Factors, DocuSign, Concur, etc.) If you do not know this password (many students may not use this account) you can reset that password by going here. This will sync your GoPFW password and Microsoft passwords so that you no longer need to remember both.
Q: I'm a retiree, how does this affect me?
A: As with all PFW retirees, they will need to sign into Microsoft tools using their Purdue Career Account username and password. If they do not know this, they can reset that password (which syncs it to their GoPFW password) here
Q: How will this affect my mobile device?
- All users of Microsoft applications on mobile devices will need to sign out of those applications, and sign back in using “username@purdue.edu”. This will continue to use your same password.
- Alternatively, users can uninstall the Microsoft apps, and reinstall – which will prompt to sign back in.
- If you use a non-Microsoft email app (Apple Mail, Samsung Mail, etc.) you will need to sign out of your @pnw.edu account and sign back in using “username@purdue.edu” and the same password.
- This will not change your email address – it will remain @pnw.edu once you have signed in.
Q: What if I use a shared mailbox?
A: If you have access to a shared mailbox, such as a departmental mailbox, your access will not change once this is done. When you sign back into Outlook (or other desktop mail client) those shared mailboxes will continue to appear
Q: What if I use an alias for my email address?
A: This will not change. When you sign into your mail client “using your username@purdue.edu”, your alias email address @pfw.edu will continue to be your default “send as” email address
Q: Will I or my department lose files stored on OneDrive or SharePoint?
A: No, all files stored with these services will be automatically transferred during the merge. If you are missing any files after the merge has been completed, please notify the CSC. No files will be lost during this merge. If they do not appear post-merge, they can most likely be recovered. Box, Google Drive, etc. are not affected by this.
Q: What do I do with Microsoft Forms I have created?
A: As Microsoft Forms will not automatically transfer, Forms creators will need to take action to duplicate their current forms and import them into the new environment. The export must be done before Sunday, November 17th. You can then log into Microsoft Forms with your username@purdue.edu as soon as today to import those Forms into the new environment. If you do not export your forms by this weekend, you will need to contact the CSC to have the Microsoft administrators retrieve your forms for you, which may take some time. Backup and restore instructions can be found here.
Q: What happens to the links to files that I have already shared with other users?
A: If you have any files being shared from OneDrive/SharePoint, you will need to re-share those files. All existing file sharing/links, etc. to other users will be removed during the migration.
Q: What do I do if I have bookmarks or other direct links to SharePoint/OneDrive files or folders?
A: Direct links to these files or folders will no longer work after the tenant migration. New links can be generated from SharePoint or OneDrive – or you can manually change the link URL to the new tenant. To manually change the link to the correct tenant, change links FROM “https://pfw0″. TO ‘https://purdue0”.
Q: What happens to my recurring meetings in Outlook?
A: All recurring meetings will need to recreated after the migration, or links and other items attached to the meeting will not work (including links to Teams Meetings.)
Q: What will happen to my Microsoft Bookings calendar?
A: After the migration, all Bookings calendars will need to be recreated. Please contact the service desk for assistance in recreating your Bookings calendar.