9/30/2026

Dear Faculty, Staff, and Students

Welcome back to campus for the fall semester! We're writing about two related changes to your university technology accounts: a new free benefit, and an important deadline for saving your files.

Action Required: Save your OneDrive files by Jan. 4, 2027

OneDrive access will be removed from university accounts on this date. Any files still stored there will be permanently lost. Please move anything you want to keep to Google Drive before then. View this knowledge article for step-by-step instructions: Move data from OneDrive to Google Drive.

New benefit: Free Microsoft Office 365 Desktop Applications 

All active students, faculty, and staff now have the option to download the Microsoft Office 365 applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) at no cost. Puget Sound remains a Google Workspace campus; Google's tools (Gmail, Drive, Docs) remain our official, supported platform for email and collaboration. 

Why this matters:

  • No cost to you — no need to buy your own copy of Office
  • Install on up to 5 personal devices (Windows or Mac)
  • Available to everyone with an active university login

How to Get Started

  • Visit the Office 365 installation guide.
  • Log in using your Puget Sound username and password.
  • Follow the on-screen steps to download and install Office on your device(s).

If you used Office 365 before: your login has changed — use your Puget Sound password going forward.

Please note:

  • Microsoft Outlook may appear available, but is not supported. Gmail remains our official email platform.
  • Microsoft Copilot may appear available, but is not supported. Google Gemini is our institutionally approved general-purpose AI tool for Unrestricted and Controlled data, offering enterprise-grade data protections through our university Google account. You can view our AI Tool Use & Confidentiality webpage for more information. 
  • Office 365 access is tied to your active account and ends automatically when your account is deactivated (graduation, separation, etc.). Alumni and emeritus faculty are not eligible.

If you have any questions, please reach out to the Service Desk. We hope these updates serve you well throughout the year.

TS Service Desk