Prepare university cloud files before your account closes

Find the actual closure dates

Read your university's leaving or account-expiry guidance. Record the dates for email, cloud storage, licensed software and any separate departmental systems. They may not all follow the same schedule. If a research role or further course changes your access, obtain confirmation rather than relying on an informal assumption.

Identify which services you still need for results, references or ongoing administration. Find the permitted contact route after your student account ends. Keep this administrative list separate from private credentials. A clear list of dates and contacts helps you sequence the work without copying sensitive account information into a general checklist.

Classify what the files are for

Separate your own coursework and personal material from group files, society records, research data and placement information. Ask who owns each continuing project and what you may retain. Do not assume that creating a file makes it appropriate to take away, particularly when it contains information about other people or an external organisation.

For each group of files, choose one intended action: retain personally if permitted, hand over to an authorised owner, archive institutionally or remove under the applicable policy. Record unresolved cases for the supervisor or service team. Classification is useful because it turns a large folder into a set of decisions with different responsible people.

Transfer continuing work properly

List shared documents and folders that other people still need. Arrange the supported ownership or location change before your account closes. Ask the new owner to open the files from the destination and confirm the necessary access. Sending a link does not prove that the underlying file has left your account.

Include supporting material that makes the handover usable: a short index, file meanings, outstanding tasks and relevant permissions. Keep private recovery codes or personal account information out of that handover. A society or research group should receive its working records, not continuing dependence on a former student's login.

Check permitted personal copies

Export or copy the work you are allowed to keep into an appropriate location. Open representative files after transfer, including complex projects and documents with linked media. Check that a download includes the usable content rather than merely a shortcut to a service that will become unavailable.

Consider software access as well as storage. A specialised file can remain intact while the application needed to open it expires. Where appropriate and permitted, retain an accessible export alongside the editable original. Keep the context needed to interpret the work, such as the project title, date and any restrictions on later use.

Finish with a verified record

Confirm the handover with the responsible people and retain appropriate evidence of what was transferred. Follow the university's instructions for removing material from personal devices or returning managed equipment. Do not delete the only continuing project copy before its new location is checked.

Review personal services that use the university email address and update them through their own supported settings where necessary. Choose extra storage only after the retained material and permitted destination are clear. The useful result is a set of files you can legitimately open later, with continuing university work left under the right ownership.

Your next steps

• Record each service’s actual closure date.
• Separate personal files from continuing institutional work.
• Verify ownership and access after handover.
• Open permitted retained copies before account expiry.

Keep planning

• Change phones without losing access to university accounts
• Check an urgent university email before acting on it
• Prepare an account recovery plan before deadline week
• Prepare a presentation PDF that works as a coursework handout