At IU, what is Umail?
Indiana University has partnered with Google to launch Umail to provide email and other online communications services for IU students.
On this page:
- Eligibility and creating an account
- Quota and available services
- Accessing your mail
- Migrating your mail
- Things to consider
Eligibility and creating an account
All students are eligible to create Umail accounts by following the appropriate instructions below:
- If you're a newly admitted student, create a Umail account using
the Starter Kit; see How do I get my first computing accounts at IU?
- If you're currently a student, use the Account Management
Service (AMS) to create a Umail account; see At IU, if I already have some computing accounts, how do I get others?
Alternatively, a utility on the IU Webmail login screen offers students the chance to switch from Cyrus to Umail. If you use this method to switch from Cyrus to a Umail account, your Cyrus account will be put into read-only status for five days and then deactivated. Student employees should not use this method to create a Umail account; use AMS instead. For more, see At IU, what happens to my Cyrus (Webmail) account when I elect to switch to Imail or Umail?
IU faculty and staff are not eligible for Umail accounts, and should continue to use existing mail services (e.g., IU Webmail or Exchange).
Quota and available services
For information about available account quota and services, see the Google Apps page. Your Umail account will work only with services deployed within the IU environment. To access Google services not included in Umail, create a Gmail account with Google.
Accessing your mail
Access your Umail account from OneStart. On the
Services tab, select Email on the left, and then
click Umail. For browser requirements, see About OneStart and web browsers.
You also can access your account directly via the web:
https://umail.iu.edu/For information about supported operating systems and browsers, see the Google browser page.
You can use an email client to read your Umail; see Reading your Imail or Umail mail using a desktop email client.
IT Training & Education provides training for student email, in the form of self-study tutorials and demonstrations for both Imail and Umail.
Migrating your mail
For instructions on moving mail from a Cyrus (Webmail) account to your Umail account, see At IU, how can I move my mail from Cyrus (Webmail) to another email system?
Things to consider
If you create an Imail or Umail account:
- Your full IU email address will contain
your Network ID username and your campus domain
regardless of the system you choose, because your preferred email
address determines where you receive IU mail. Your reply-to address,
however, will reflect the mail service you have chosen (e.g.,
username@imail.iu.eduorusername@umail.iu.edu).
- You are required to establish an IU email account and read email
sent from IU faculty and administration; see official communications information.
- You will manage your mail accounts through the Account
Management Service (AMS).
- While you are an enrolled student, advertisements will not appear
in the IU-customized systems. After you graduate, you will have the
option of keeping your account, at which time ads will appear.
- Any accounts with Google Gmail or Microsoft email (e.g., Hotmail, Windows Live Mail, or Exchange Labs) that you already have or create in the future will remain separate from your Umail or Imail account.
Important: Because much of the information shared via email to conduct university business is protected by privacy laws and other institutional policies, student employees must use their Webmail (Cyrus) accounts to conduct university business. Imail and Umail accounts are hosted by vendors external to IU; therefore you cannot use them to conduct university business. IU students who are employed by the university may use their Imail or Umail accounts to send student-related mail, but must use their Webmail accounts for work-related mail. For example, associate instructors may use Imail or Umail to send mail about academic work to their professors and other students, but must use Webmail to send work-related mail to professors for whom they work and students whom they teach. If you have questions, contact your campus Support Center.
Also see:
- How private are Imail and Umail accounts?
- Reading your Imail or Umail mail using a desktop email client
- Why am I having trouble logging into Imail or Umail, and what can I do to correct this?
Last modified on October 22, 2008.






