Resolve conflicts between Google at IU and personal Google accounts

• Overview
• Personal Google account separate from IU email
• Personal Google account with an IU email address as the main account address (for example, primary user login to Google is username@iu.edu/@indiana.edu/@iupui.edu/etc.)

Overview

Google at IU accounts, available to Indiana University students, faculty, and staff, are administered by IU. Unlike free, personal Google accounts, Google at IU accounts are suitable for storing institutional data classified as Restricted (see working with institutional data at IU). Any other Google account you have, no matter what email address you used to create it, is a personal account that is not appropriate for storing institutional data of any kind.

If you created a Google account that was associated with an IU email address prior to May 2016, and you have not yet resolved the conflict between that account and your Google at IU account, you should follow the instructions in the appropriate section below. In addition, everyone should make sure to manage personal Google accounts and Google at IU accounts separately on an ongoing basis; see Manage multiple Google accounts at IU.

Personal Google account separate from IU email

If your personal Google account uses a Gmail address (username@gmail.com), and you have not added your IU email address as an alias or alternate address, you will have no conflict between your accounts. To use your Google at IU account, go to google.iu.edu and log in using your University account. To use your personal Google account, log into Google with your Google username and password.

Personal Google account with an IU email address as the main account address (for example, primary user login to Google is username@iu.edu/@indiana.edu/@iupui.edu/etc.)

If you created your personal Google account some time ago, you may have had the option of creating a Google account using an IU email address, without creating a corresponding @gmail.com address. (Google has since stopped allowing use of addresses without @gmail.com.)

To access the data in your personal Google account, you must resolve the conflict between your two accounts. This will involve creating a new personal Google account, which can either be a new Gmail account, or be associated with another non-Google email address you own. You cannot move your data into an account with an existing Gmail address.

To resolve the conflict:

1. Go to google.com.
2. Click Sign in.
3. Enter your IU email address, and click Next.
   Note:

   If you receive an error stating that Google doesn't recognize your email address, try instead entering your address in the format username%domain.edu@gtempaccount.com (replacing "username" and "domain" with your username and domain, for example, jdoe%indiana.edu@gtempaccount.com). If this address is accepted, continue to step 5 to rename your account.

4. You'll see an account selection prompt with a message like this:

   There are two existing Google Accounts for username@iu.edu. Which account do you want to use?

   If you select Organizational Google apps Account, you'll be redirected to the IU Login to log in with your University account. You can now use Google at IU, but the conflict with your personal account still exists. None of the data associated with your personal Google account will be available from your Google at IU account at this point; if you want to access it, you must resolve the conflict.

   To do so, at the account selection prompt, select Individual Google Account, and enter your personal Google account password. You'll see a message beginning "An update to your account is required".

5. To resolve the conflict between your accounts, click Get started >>. (If you instead select Do this later, you'll be logged in to your personal Google account with a temporary address, for example, username%iu.edu@gtempaccount.com. You can log in this way over and over, but Google will prompt you every time to resolve the conflict.)
6. Click Next >>.
   Note:

   You'll see the option to Move data to your organization's account >>; however, UITS does not recommend following it. The data moving tool is available only for data in certain apps (see Account merge and data move options); it is not available for data in Google Drive. Also, even for the listed apps, the data move may not work. Instead, move data manually after you complete the account creation process; see below.
7. You should create a new personal Google account. Choose either An account with Gmail and a new gmail.com address, or An account that uses a non-Google email address you already own. Click Continue >>.
8. Enter the username you'd like to use for your new Gmail account or the separate email address you want to use, and click Submit. You'll be taken to your new Google account. Your password will be the same one you set for your personal account before the transition.