In 2007, when Harding switched to Google for our email service, Google offered “email for life” and “unlimited storage”. You didn’t need to worry about how many emails you had or how much storage you used in drive files and photos. It was “unlimited” and “free”.
All of that has changed. Google recently announced the end of unlimited storage in Google Workspace (GMail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Google Drive, Photos) for all its customers. As a result, the university needs to make significant changes in how it administers Google Workspace accounts. Google is changing its storage scheme to a limited, shared “pooled” storage amount for the entire university. All educational institutions using Google have been given a specific amount of storage based on the size of their university. If Harding goes over our allotted storage, we will not be able to save anything else (drive files or photos) until we are under our quota.
Even after deleting thousands of unused accounts, Harding is still using almost twice the amount of our allotted storage. Because of this, Harding had to make the difficult decision to delete all accounts that are not current students, employees or retirees of the University. You will be able to move your email and drive data from your @harding.edu account to another non-Harding account.
Please see the information below (provided by Google) on how to move your data out of your Harding account. Whether you move content out of your Harding account before the content is deleted is your decision. The University is not liable for any cost, loss of data, or damage you may incur in moving content from your Harding account. Harding will not be able to provide support for moving your data away from your @harding.edu account.
Google Takeout Transfer -- This option "transfers" or "copies" your drive and email data from your @harding.edu account to a personal @gmail.com account. Things to know about this option:
- You can only transfer email and drive files. This does NOT include photos, contacts, chats or tasks
- This option transfers ALL email and/or ALL drive files -- you cannot choose which ones to transfer
- You must transfer your data to a @gmail.com account only
- A personal @gmail.com account has a storage limit of 15 GB for all applications. If your @harding.edu data is more than 15 GB, you will need to buy more storage on your @gmail.com account
- To see how much storage you are currently using, just go to https://drive.google.com/drive/quota while logged into your @harding.edu account. You will see your total storage used as well as the breakdown for Drive, GMail and Photos
- See this link for instructions on how to use Google Takeout Transfer
- Be sure to review the information in the "My Drive files that aren't copied" section in this help section
- It is best to use an Incognito window in your browser before beginning the transfer
- It can help to empty the trash for Google Drive and GMail before the transfer
Google Takeout -- This option allows you to "takeout" all of your data from your @harding.edu account to a personal account (does not have to be a @gmail.com account). Things to know about this option:
- You can choose which content to move. You can move some or all of your data
- Your data will be uploaded into different formats, depending on the data
- While this option provides more flexibility, it creates a "zipped archive" of your data and you will need to "unzip" your data, upload it and process it, depending on the application. It will be in different formats
- See this link for instructions on how to use Google Takeout
- There are check boxes in Google Takeout for each service -- it is recommended that you click "Deselect all" and then only check one service to "takeout" at a time -- large files can sometimes cause problems when the data is moved
- Sharing permissions do not migrate
- This process will make a copy of your data, not move it, so there is no risk of data loss in the process
Moving Photos
If you need to move photos from your @harding.edu account to a personal GMail account, there are a few different ways to do this.
- Partner Sharing -- follow these instructions provided by Google to set up partner sharing between your @harding.edu account and your personal GMail account. A few things to note:
- Remember to "Save your partner's photos" to permanently add your photos to your personal GMail account so you will not lose them when they are deleted from your @harding.edu account
- When the process has fully completed (it could take some time), remove the partner sharing from your @harding.edu account and make sure that your photos have been saved in your personal GMail account before deleting them from your @harding.edu account
- This method does not allow you to move photos in albums you may have already set up. They are transferred by date
- Download/Upload Photos from Computer -- you can download your photos from your @harding.edu account and save them locally on your computer. You can then upload them into your photos in your personal GMail account.
- This method does allow you to move photo albums you may have already set up
- Google Takeout -- you can use Google Takeout to download your photos from your @harding.edu account. It will give you a .zip file that you will then need to "unzip" and then upload the photos into your personal GMail account.
Third-Party Tools
DISCLAIMER: Harding is aware of the following third parties’ tools that could help you move content out of the Harding account. We are not recommending these tools, other tools may be available, and whether you move content out of the Harding account before the content is deleted is your decision. Also, there may be a cost associated with these third parties’ tools. Use at your discretion. The University is not liable for any cost, loss of data, or damage you may incur in moving content from the Harding account.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep my @harding.edu account if I'm a former employee?
We are unfortunately unable to offer the option to keep an email address on the basis of former employment status, as the discontinuation of alumni and former employee email accounts is part of a broader change in Google policy driven by external factors beyond our control.
Can I pay to keep my @harding.edu account?
We are unfortunately unable to offer the option to keep an email address on the basis of payment, as the discontinuation of alumni and former employee email accounts is part of a broader change in Google policy driven by external factors beyond our control.
Can you forward emails from my @harding.edu account to a personal email of mine if I provide it?
As the major factors for this discontinuation are storage and security, we cannot forward @harding.edu account emails to another personal email, as the security issue would remain.
How do I move my Google contacts from my @harding.edu account to a personal Gmail account?
Please use these instructions provided by Google.
What do I need to do about the websites, apps, etc. connected to my @harding.edu account?
If you have used your @harding.edu email to access other websites and apps (like Facebook, Instagram, your bank, etc.), you will need to transfer the login to another address or Gmail account as your @harding.edu account will be deleted and no longer available.
If I retired from Harding, do I get to keep my @harding.edu account?
If the Office of Human Resources considers you an official retiree of the University, you will keep your account.
If I am adjuncting at Harding, do I get to keep my @harding.edu account?
If you are adjuncting, you will keep your account until otherwise determined by the provost.