Topics Map > Accounts and Passwords
Topics Map > Communication and Collaboration > Exchange
Topics Map > Communication and Collaboration > Office 365
Topics Map > Communication and Collaboration > Email
Office 365, Email, Exchange, Forwarding Exchange Email to Another Account
This page includes instructions, as well as warnings, about forwarding your Exchange email messages to a different email account.
Do you have an Exchange Online (Office 365) account?
The information below does not apply to those with Google Apps @ Illinois email accounts (which is many undergraduate students).
Problems that might result from forwarding your email
Technology Services does not recommend forwarding your University Exchange email to another account. If you choose to forward your email, please be aware that you may encounter the following problems:
- You may not receive all forwarded mail at the desired account. Due to how the University’s Spam Control and email relay routing systems work, messages redirected out of Exchange may incorrectly be blocked as spam. Users who decide to forward their email should check their University Exchange account frequently to avoid missing messages.
- You risk violating FERPA and other regulations. These laws protect student information or other confidential information from being disclosed to a third-party, which includes companies that provide email services.
- Your other account might be subject to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. University business records stored in a private email account may render the entire account subject to FOIA requests for searches for relevant documents.
- You may not receive voice mail. The campus Unified Communications system relies on functionality within your Exchange account to deliver voice mail.
- Technology Services cannot support problems that ensue from forwarding your email. Due to how email traffic flows into and out of the campus Exchange system, redirecting your email will result in your email being delivered to two separate locations. Official University correspondence and email from any other Exchange user will be delivered to your official University email account (Exchange) regardless of your forward setting. You are solely responsible for any consequences resulting from this change.
Exception: Current Employees and Graduate Students with Staff as Primary Classification
Exception: Graduates and retirees
Forwarding your email might be a good idea for those who graduate from the University. People that are graduating will have access to their Exchange mailbox for approximately 30 days after their affiliation from the University ends. After that, graduates will be able to use email redirection and receive email sent to their netid@illinois.edu. People that retire from the University will maintain use of their Exchange mailbox, but will need to access it via the Outlook on the Web client or on a mobile device.