What Is Purdue Box?

Summary

Box is a cloud-based file storage and collaboration service. It provides users with the ability to upload files, securely share them with others, and collaborate effectively. Purdue Box is a Purdue-managed implementation of Box tied to your Purdue email address.

Body

Overview

Box is a cloud-based file storage and collaboration service.  It provides users with the ability to upload files, securely share them with others, and collaborate effectively. Purdue Box is a Purdue-managed implementation of Box tied to your Purdue email address.

Frequently Asked Questions 

Who is eligible to use Purdue Box?

Purdue Box licenses are available to current faculty, staff, and students of Purdue University for research purposes.

Do I automatically have a Purdue Box account?

No. Box accounts are not created in advance.  Unless your previously-existing individual account using a Purdue email address was moved to Purdue Box, you will only have a Purdue account if someone shares a file with your Purdue email address or you access Box as part of Purdue University. Box accounts are currently focused on those who need to collaborate with other researchers by way of REED folders (L1, L2, L3-labeled folders). 

Why was my individual account converted to a Purdue Box account?

Purdue is implementing enterprise Box services, and accounts using a Purdue.edu address are being converted as part of that process.  This is to help ensure Purdue is able to manage policy and procedure requirements correctly across the University.

How do Purdue policies and procedures apply to my data in my Purdue Box account?

All files saved in an account using your Purdue email address will be subject to Purdue policies and procedures, including Federal and State law where applicable.  This includes any files you consider personal. Storage of restricted data in Box requires prior review by Purdue’s IT Security and Policy group. Restricted data storage in Box may also require approval from campus offices and committees responsible for contractual compliance and research regulatory affairs.

Can I store personal (non-Purdue) data in my Purdue Box account?

Storage of personal data in your Purdue Box account is not recommended. It is recommended that you store personal files in a Box account created with a personal email address, not your Purdue account. Purdue Box accounts are subject to Purdue policy as outlined above.  Purdue and Box.com administrators can access your data in certain circumstances, and may open files to perform maintenance or as required by policy or law.

How do I log in to my Purdue Box account?

In a web browser, go to https://purdue.box.com. To sign in, use your Career Account credentials or one-time access token using the Microsoft MFA app or physical token.

Can I still create a free Box account using my Purdue address?

No. If you would like a personal Box account, you will need to use a personal, non-Purdue email address.

What is the difference between my new Purdue Box account and a non-Purdue account?

Purdue Box accounts come with increased storage, larger file upload sizes, the ability to password-protect files you share, and advanced collaboration features.

Can I delete my Purdue Box account?

No.  As a Purdue IT asset, your Purdue Box account will be deleted within the normal cycle of maintenance after you leave the University.

Box user accounts are deleted after a user leaves the University.

Users cannot delete a Purdue-managed Box account

If there are files in your individual account you need to keep and you will be leaving the University, you will need to take action to maintain access to your files before you lose access to your Career Account.

To transfer your files to a new or existing personal account, sign in to your Purdue Box account and share the files with another Box account created with a non-Purdue email address, including files others have shared with you.

Then from your Purdue Box account, change the permissions of the shared account to owner (not co-owner) for the files you own.  The new non-Purdue account will then own all of your content, and files shared with you will be re-shared with the new account.  

How do I use my “vanity” or “friendly” email address instead of my Career Account address?

In most cases, your Box account will be <careeracct>@purdue.edu. To add your “friendly” Purdue email address (your alias address), add the alias as a linked email to your Box account on your Box Account Settings page.

Can I use Box on a mobile device?

Yes. Box has clients for most mobile devices. Click the Apps link in the Settings menu to see available downloads.

Why can’t I sign in on my mobile device?

Some mobile device browsers automatically capitalize the first letter of your username when logging in. This will cause your login to fail. Please make sure your username (Career Account) is entered in all lowercase.

What does it mean when Box refers to a file “owner”?

All files and folders in Box have owners. This is the account which controls the file or folder permissions.  All content in Purdue Enterprise Box will have an enterprise owner (Purdue), and may have a departmental owner (department, college, etc.) or an individual owner.  The creator/uploader of the file is the personal owner unless the file is created in a folder owned by another person or department.  In those cases, the owner of the folder owns the file.

How do I know how much storage I have? Can I increase my storage limit?

Individual users are given 100 GB of storage at account creation. You can see your current allocation and used space in your Box Account Settings.  See Manage Account Settings at Box.com for more information. If you need more, additional storage may be purchased by the TB (terabyte). Contact it@purdue.edu if more personal Box storage is required.  

What is the size limit for files I upload?

You can upload files to your account with a limit of 15GB per file.

What happens to my Box account when I leave Purdue?

Once your Career Account is no longer active, your Box account will be inaccessible. Before you leave Purdue, you will need to share any files you need to retain access to with another Box account using a non-Purdue email address. You must make that address the owner of your files using the Box web interface. This account cannot be a linked account on your Purdue account.

When the content is owned by a non-Purdue email address, it will still be accessible via that account when the Purdue account is locked or removed.

Still need help?  Click the 'Purdue IT Request' button to start a ticket.

Details

Details

Article ID: 250
Created
Mon 5/8/23 8:08 PM
Modified
Mon 8/3/26 2:55 PM

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