Congratulations on retiring or considering retirement from the University of Kentucky. As you enter retirement status, there are a few things you can do to prepare for changes to your UK tech resources.
Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office products (e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook) will no longer be accessible via the desktop applications. Instead of opening Microsoft Office products from your desktop, you’ll visit m365.uky.edu to access these products.
Helpful Links
- How do I log into Microsoft 365 on the web?
- Office for the web training (Microsoft)
- Understanding the new Microsoft Office
UK Email
Retirees will continue to have access to their UK email via Outlook for the web. After November 1, any account that is inactive for one year, will be deactivated.
Things to know:
- When entering retirement status, Outlook storage capacity will be 50GB.
- UK ITS will not support mail forwarding (e.g., forwarding your UK email to a personal account).
- Effective November 1, UK Google email accounts will be deactivated after 45 days of entering retiree status. All current retiree Google accounts will also be deactivated on November 1.
Managing Files & Storage
Retirees maintain access to UK cloud storage with Microsoft. As you transition into retirement, it is important to make sure you are storing your files appropriately.
Best practices with files:
- Need to share files with your team or department? Store them in Microsoft Teams or SharePoint. You maintain access to the university’s pooled storage.
- Keeping personal work files in OneDrive? Your storage capacity is 100GB as a retiree.
Helpful Links
- Which M365 Tool Should I Use?
- OneDrive help & learning (Microsoft)
- SharePoint help & learning (Microsoft)
- Microsoft Teams help & learning (Microsoft)
Accessing Important Documents
The myDocs portal (mydocs.uky.edu) will be your go to place to get important tax and administrative documents (e.g., W-2, pay stubs).
Things to note:
- In order to use the myDocs portal, make sure you have a personal (or non-UK) email attached to your UK account.
- Accessing these documents through the myUK portal will not be available after entering retirement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why am I seeing a notification about my Microsoft account/subscription no longer being active?
When your Microsoft license changes go into effect, you may see an error message on your desktop apps. See Why am I seeing a message when opening a M365 standalone app? for more information.
Additionally, you may see a notification stating "Your school license will be deactivated soon" or "Your school account is no longer active".
These notifications are Microsoft's default notifications to alert you that your account will transition or has transitioned to an A1 license and will be impacted by the the changes detailed on this page. Please visit m365.uky.edu to have continued access Microsoft 365 products for the web.
What if I am in a post-retirement appointment or STEPS?
If you are re-hired at the University in an active employee status (e.g., STEPS, part- time post-retirement appointment), the changes outlined on this page will not apply to you.
Whenever you are no longer in an active employment status at the University, these changes will apply to your account.
For inquiries about you employment status, please contact an HR representative from your college or department.
What happens to my account if I intermittently go in and out of a post-retirement appointment or STEPS?
Your account will change every time you go in or out of an active employment status. It is best practice to prepare your account and resources as outlined on this page to ensure no disruption of the resources available to you as a retiree.
What if I have an Emeriti Faculty desigation?
Faculty Emeriti will retain access to Microsoft Office for the web products at m365.uky.edu. This allows continued access to products like Outlook, Word, Excel and more via a web browser to meet most academic and business needs.
If you are actively conducting research, business, or academic support for the benefit of the University and you require Microsoft 365 desktop apps, you may request it via the Emeritus Faculty Software Request form. Note that your respective college, department, or unit will be charged for the upgraded Microsoft license.
For more information on the request form, see How do I request software for Emeritus Faculty?
For any questions regarding Faculty Emeriti status, reach out to the Office of Faculty Advancement atFacultyadv@uky.edu.
Why do I get an error when accessing my personal Outlook account via the desktop app?
In some cases, you may see a subscription notice on our Outlook desktop app when accessing a personal Outlook email if your UK email is still associated with it. Please remove your UK email account from your Outlook desktop app and restart the app to resolve the subscription notice.
How can I get support with any of these changes?
For hands on support, please reach out to the IT contact in your college or department.
To contact UK Information technology services, see the options available in Where can I get tech help?
