At IU, what is Imail?

Indiana University has partnered with Microsoft to launch Imail to provide email and other online communications services for IU students.

On this page:

• Eligibility and creating an account
• Storage and available services
• Accessing your mail
• Migrating your mail
• Things to consider

Eligibility and creating an account

All students are eligible to create Imail accounts by following the appropriate instructions below:

• If you're a newly admitted student, create an Imail account using the Starter Kit; see How do I get my first computing accounts at IU?
  
  
• If you're currently a student, create an Imail account by using the Account Management Service (AMS); see At IU, if I already have some computing accounts, how do I get others?
  

IU faculty and staff are not eligible for Imail accounts, and should continue to use existing mail services (e.g., IU Webmail or IU Exchange).

Email storage and collaboration services

An Imail account has storage of about 10 GB and allows attachments up to 20 MB per message. Additional storage and tools for collaborating are available through Office Live Workspace and Windows Live SkyDrive. For more, see the Microsoft Office Live page.

Accessing your mail

Note: When logging into Imail for the first time, you will be prompted to provide your vendor password (Windows Live ID password). This is not your Network ID passphrase; instead, your Imail vendor password is initially set to your 10-digit University ID (UID). If you cannot log in using your UID, you can reset your vendor password. For instructions, see How can I reset my Imail vendor password?

You have several options for accessing your Imail account:

• Access your Imail account from OneStart. On the Services tab, select Email on the left, and then click Imail. For browser requirements, see About OneStart and web browsers.
  
  
• You also can access your account directly via the web: https://imail.iu.edu/

  Note: To use the complete set of Imail web client features, including access to mail forwarding and storage, you must use Internet Explorer 7 or later.

• Additionally, you can access your account through the vendor site: https://www.outlook.com/owa/

  At the vendor site, you must log in as username@imail.iu.edu and you must use your vendor password instead of your IU passphrase.

• You can use an email client to read your Imail; see Configuring an email client for Imail or Umail.

Learn how to use Imail and Umail with free self-study tutorials and demonstrations from IT Training.

Migrating your mail

For instructions on moving mail from a Cyrus (Webmail) account to your Imail 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.edu  or  username@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 account settings, such as your preferred email address, 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 Outlook Live) that you already have or create in the future will remain separate from your Umail or Imail account.

Important: Many students are employed in some capacity by Indiana University and use email in their employment, either to communicate with their co-workers and supervisors or to carry out their job responsibilities. Because Imail and Umail accounts are hosted by vendors external to IU, student employees may use these accounts to conduct university business only if they do not receive or transmit any sensitive data via these accounts. See Student use of email for work-related purposes.