FAQs
General Information
What is Google Apps for Harvard?
Google Apps for Harvard provides eligible members of the Harvard community a suite of online tools for collaboration and communication, for use in teaching, learning, and research. For more information on how to assess eligibility, please visit an article on how do I request a g.harvard account.
What applications are offered through Google Apps for Harvard?
G.harvard and College.harvard are both Google Suite for Education tenants. College.harvard provides Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Suite applications for students at Harvard College.
G.harvard provides similar functionality for FAS faculty and researchers, SEAS faculty and staff, GSAS students, DCE students, and HUIT employees.
Settings for basic and additional applications are listed below.
I am a DCE Extension or Summer School student. What do I need to know about g.harvard?
We have set up pages on this site for DCE Extension or Summer School students that include FAQ's and Getting Started information.
How are Harvard Google Services different than consumer Google Services?
Harvard’s implementation of Google Apps and SharePoint Online includes data security and disclosure restrictions that are important to the protection of University information. You may of course maintain a personal account on commercial versions of these services, but we ask that you use only a Harvard account for University-related work.
Google Apps for Harvard provides the following benefits:
Data stored within Google Apps for Harvard will be protected under the Harvard-Google contract, meaning that Google will adhere to Harvard’s compliance practices, and will not use user data for purposes other than maintaining the Google Apps for Harvard service.
You will easily be able to look up other Google Apps for Harvard users within the Google Apps directory.
You can receive IT support and advice from HUIT.
What happens to my account and content when I leave the University?
For more information describing what happens to all of your Harvard Data when you leave the University, please visit this article on how to prepare to leave Harvard University.
Creating and Accessing Your Account
How can I access my account?
You can access your account at accounts.google.com/ , where you can sign in with your full Harvard Google email address and HarvardKey password.
Help! I can’t log in to my account. What should I do?
You may need to resync your HarvardKey password. Follow these instructions to make sure you have all your apps synced with HarvardKey. Contact the HUIT Service desk if you have questions.
I created my account, and I am able to sign in, but my colleagues can’t see me in the Google Apps for Harvard directory. What’s wrong?
After your account is created, it may take up to 24 hours for your contact information to be available within the Google Apps for Harvard directory. If your name does not appear within 24 hours, contact the IT Service Desk for help. Note: Even though your colleagues can’t see you, they can still share documents with you by using your Harvard Gmail address.
Using Google Apps for Harvard
What web browser(s) are recommended for Google Apps for Harvard?
To find out more information on supported browsers for G Suite, please visit the Google Support Site article: Supported browsers for Google Workspace.
What is the quota for your Harvard Google Account?
You have unlimited storage available in your Harvard Google account which includes Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos. For information about individual file size and type limits, please visit Google's Article about Files you can store in Google Drive.
What sort of work should I be using Google Apps for Harvard for?
Google Apps for Harvard is appropriate for teaching and learning activities (such as classroom projects), for confidential work (such as organizing departmental events), or for general use related to University activities (such as organizing a club). Work involving High-Risk Confidential Information (HRCI) data should be not conducted within Google Apps for Harvard.
Will I be able to look people up within Google Apps for Harvard?
Yes. You will be able to look up other users who have created a Google Apps for Harvard account and have chosen to display their contact information in the Google directory.
What contact information will be displayed within Google Apps for Harvard?
Your first name, last name, and your Harvard Gmail address as they appear in the Harvard Directory will be displayed in the Google Apps for Harvard directory.
How can I block the display of my name in the Google Apps for Harvard directory?
If you have elected a FERPA block or do not want your name to appear in the Google Apps for Harvard directory, it should not be visible in the Google Directory. If you have a FERPA block and you are able to look up your name in the Harvard Google Directory, please contact the HUIT Service Desk.
I already have documents and data in consumer Google Apps. Is there a way to migrate documents and data into Google Apps for Harvard?
Yes, although migration involves manually exporting and importing documents. Please read Google's Article, Migrate from Gmail or webmail to Google Workspace for more information.
Is there a way to back up my Google Apps for Harvard account?
For most documents, Google maintains a history of revisions. You can always return to and restore earlier versions of your documents.
You may also manually download and/or export your data to a local device. Please read the Google Article: Migrate from Gmail or webmail to Google Workspace.
Help! I deleted a document! Can I get it back?
If your document is in the “Trash,” you can simply move it back into your normal collection of documents.
If you deleted the document from the Trash, then you will need to contact the IT Service Desk. We will make every effort to recover the document. Deleted documents and email are saved by Google for no more than 25-days. Anything hard-deleted before that time will not be recoverable.
How do I set up Office Hours in my Google Calendar?
You can set up blocks of time in your Google Calendar and invite your students to select which time works best for them. Just follow the instructions in the article: Use Google Calendar appointment slots.
Gmail and Calendaring
Can I use other software, such as Microsoft Outlook, or my mobile device to access my Gmail account?
Yes. See Set up a Gmail account in Outlook for detailed information on how to set up your Outlook client to access Gmail.
Are Microsoft Exchange and Google Calendar interoperable?
Only to a limited extent. Both calendars can import and export iCal formats, but there can be significant loss of information between the two systems. For example, a meeting exported from Microsoft Exchange may lose its list of attendees.
I already use commercial Gmail and/or Google Calendar. Will HUIT provide support for migrating data?
Yes. Information on how to move your data from one Google Account to another is provided at http://g.harvard.edu/. If you need additional assistance, please contact the IT Service Desk.
Why are G.harvard, mail.harvard, and college.harvard separate domains?
1. Utility – Unique populations have unique technical and usage needs. The different domains support different populations:
G.harvard - FAS Faculty and Staff, HUIT Employees, GSAS, DCE, and SEAS
College.harvard - FAS Undergraduate Students Only
Mail.harvard - Graduate students in The School of Divinity, The Graduate School of Education, and The Graduate School of Design
2. Security – Student data is better protected by excluding access to college.harvard and mail.harvard environments to students only.
3. Validation – Not every school uses the same systems to provision and validate their email. The different domains support the diverse technologies used within Harvard’s IT Community.
HUIT is working to consolidate these domains and to simplify collaboration among the entire Harvard community.
Security and Privacy
What information is appropriate to store in Google apps?
Google Apps for Harvard may be used for confidential teaching, research, learning or other non-HRCI data.
What is HRCI data?
High-Risk Confidential Information includes a person's name in conjunction with the person's Social Security, credit or debit card, individual financial account, driver's license, state ID, or passport number, or a name in conjunction with biometric information about the named individual. High-risk confidential information also includes human subject information and personally identifiable medical information.
What is confidential data?
Confidential data is information that is specific to the business of the University and its mission and that is confidential as a matter of law or under Harvard policy. Payroll data, student grades, or restricted-access data sets are examples of confidential data.
For further information, please refer to the Harvard University Information Security Policy.
Can I store research data within Google Apps for Harvard?
Google Apps for Harvard satisfies requirements to store public, internal confidential, and confidential data. High risk confidential information (HRCI) must not be stored on Google Apps for Harvard.
Can Google Apps for Harvard guarantee where the data is stored?
No. This means that you should not use Google Apps for Harvard for collaborations involving data that, by contract or funding agreement, must be kept within the confines of the United States.
Can I send confidential information over Gmail?
No. Email should not be used to share confidential information as it is not a secure communication method. We recommend that you share confidential files via Google Drive and not through Gmail.
Can my lab group share a Google Apps For Harvard account?
No. Each Google Apps For Harvard account must be used by one individual. That is, the sharing of account passwords and/or user names among multiple individuals is prohibited.
Can I use Google Apps for Harvard for student grades?
Yes. Student grades are confidential, but not HRCI, so course teaching staff can store student grades in a Google Spreadsheet, provided they limit access to the course teaching staff.
Google Groups
What is Google Groups?
Google Groups is a tool that allows students, teachers and administrators to discuss common interests, conduct research (non-HRCI),
With Google Groups, you can create online and email-based groups and more:
Communicate and collaborate with groups of people. For example, groups can be useful for classes, departments, project teams, office locations, special-interest groups, and more.
Manage access to your documents, sites, and calendars. Users can share their content with groups instead of entering individual addresses.
With a group, they can add or remove members once, and the changes are immediately applied to all the Google documents, sites, videos, and calendars that they shared with that group
Read group posts through email, the online interface, or both.
To get started with Google Groups as a regular participant, learn how to find and join a group. If you want to start your own group, sign into your g.harvard account and click here. For general information on how to use and manage groups, please go here.
How do I request a new Group?
Please make sure you have signed into your g.harvard account and fill out this form. As the Group Owner, once your request is processed and the group is created, additional features and permissions will be available for you to update via the Group's administrative interface.
Can I share content with a Group?
Yes, Google Groups makes it easy to share your Google documents, sites, videos, and calendars with multiple people. As you add new members to your groups, group members will automatically gain access to content you previously shared with the group. For example, if you create a group with the address "department@g.harvard.edu" and add five members, you can instantly share a Google document with them, just by sharing the document with the group's address. If you later add another member, that member automatically inherits permission to access the document or any other content you shared with the group. Similarly, if you remove a member from a group, that individual no longer has access to any content you shared with the group.