Migration Checklist for UW Google Email

Log in to manage your UWNetID Resources

Activate your UW Google Email App
Go to your UW Manage/Manage Google Apps page. If your Account Status is not shown as "Active", then activate your UW Google Apps by clicking "(Turn On)".

Configure Forwarding
You will need to set your forwarding so that your mail gets redirected to your UW Googlemail account. Go to your UW Manage/UW Email Forwarding page and see how your UW email is currently being forwarded. If your forwarding is configured in the usual way, then mail addressed to Your_UWNetID@uw.edu is being forwarded to your @chem email address, that is, unless you keep your UW email separate from your @chem email. In any case you will need to change your forwarding election to Forward to UW Google Apps.

  1. Click on "UW EMail Forwarding"
  2. Click "Forward to UW Google Apps".
  3. Now all mail addressed to Your_UWNetID@uw.edu or Your_UWNetID@u.washington.edu will be forwarded to you new UW Googlemail account.

    Note that later we will configure forwarding of your @chem email so that email addressed to you@chem.washington.edu will be forwarded to your UW email address, which, in turn will be re-forwarded by UW mail servers to your new UW Googlemail account.
    --Be sure that forwarding to your @chem.washington.edu email address is unset so as not to create a forwarding loop!

Log into Your New UW Google Email
You can access your new mail service from the Google Mail web app, https://mail.google.com/mail/.
The UW Googlemail app will look familiar if you also have a personal gmail account. The web user interface is practically the same.
Note: You may get confused if you attempt to log in to your UW Googlemail while you are logged into your personal gmail account. Sign out of your personal gmail account if you are signed in.
  1. Log in to your new UW Google Email
  2. Your login name is Your_UWNetID@uw.edu (that is not at typo! the '@uw.edu' is part of your login name.)
  3. Do not enter your password at the Google Sign in page. Leave the password blank and click Sign in.
  4. You will be redirected to the UW NetID web login screen, if you have not already signed in.
  5. Test: Once you are logged into your UW googlemail account, compose a message and send it to yourself at Your_UWNetID@uw.edu.
  6. It should arrive in your UW Google Inbox within a minute or two (assuming you have set your uw mail forwarding to your UW Googlemail)

Enable and Configure IMAP
You will need to enable and configure IMAP in your UW Google mail account, in order to copy your email from your account on the chemistry email server to your new account. IMAP is a widely supported, open-standard email protocol. IMAP will provide the channel for moving your mail folders from your old email acccount to your new account. IMAP will handle password authentication on both ends.

To enable IMAP in your Google Mail,
  1. Log in to your UW Google mail account
  2. Go to "settings"
  3. Click "Forwarding and POP/IMAP".
  4. Click "Enable IMAP" and click "Save Changes"
If you have not already, you will need to create a password for IMAP logins.
Note that you are creating a separate password.
This is not your UW NetID password that you use to log into your UW Google Apps in your web browser.
  1. Return to UW Manage: Google Apps
  2. Near the page bottom, find and click "Set separate password"
  3. Create a new password for IMAP authentication to your UW Google account.

Configure Your UW Google Email Account to Show Your @chem Sender Address (optional)
By default, your UW Google email will put your UW email address, Your_UWNetID@uw.edu, in the "From:" address when you compose mail using the Gmail web app. This is the email address to which your email correspondents will reply when they click "Reply", and the address you will be known by in to their address books. If, however, you prefer, you may continue using your existing @chem.washington.edu email address, with a little bit of additional configuration:
  1. From your UW Google account, click on the gear icon and click "settings" in the dropdown menu.
  2. Click on "Accounts" tab
  3. Click on "Add another email address you own".
  4. In the popup window, enter your chem email address (your_name@chem.washington.edu).
  5. Uncheck the box "Treat as an alias." and click "Next Step.
  6. In the next dialog box, you will find your smtp server is pre-configured as 'smtp.chem.washington.edu'. Replace that, filling in the text boxes as follows:
    • SMTP Server: smtp.gmail.com
    • Username: your_uwnetid@uw.edu
    • Password: your_uw-googlemail_IMAP_password
    • Port: 465 (select from dropdown box)
    • 'SSL' (check radio button)
      • click to enlarge
  7. Click "Add Account" to continue.
  8. In the next dialog box, click "Send Verification". An email will be sent to your existing chem email address. (you need to prove to google that you really are the owner of this email address)
  9. When you receive the verification email in your chem email you can
    • click on the verification URL in the message.
    • or, you can copy and paste the code in the email into the previous web page (easier, because you can continue in the dialog box where you left off).
  10. After you are successfully verified, click on "make default" next to your chem email address on the Google Mail Settings Accounts page.
Now email you send from your UW Google Mail account will show "From: your_name@chem.washington.edu", and the recipient will reply to your @chem email address. Regardless of whether you identify yourself as Your_UWNetID@uw.edu, or by your established @chem email address, your incoming email will be redirected to your UW Google mail account.

Congratulations!

UW Google Mail is activated
IMAP is enabled and configured
You are ready to migrate!

IMAP Client Configuration (Optional)
You can access your email using the Google web app, or you can add your UW Googlemail account to your favorite IMAP capable mail client (Thunderbird, Outlook, Apple mail, etc) and you can also configure a mail app on your smart phone.

More Information

UW Google Apps FAQs