Important Notice Regarding Campus Email
Buffalo State is transitioning student email services from Gmail to Outlook email as part of a Microsoft 365 upgrade. This legacy article is intended for students accepted BEFORE Fall 2023 who still have Google accounts. Students accepted for the Fall 2023 semester (or later) will not receive Google accounts, and will access email through Outlook via Microsoft 365 using their Network credentials.
Students who currently have Google accounts will be moved to Outlook email during the summer of 2023. These students will maintain access to their Google account for one full year after the switch (until the summer of 2024). New email, however, will only be accessible from Outlook. The campus will also begin enforcing storage limits on all campus Google accounts starting in January 2023 (due to Google's new licensing model).
For more information on this project, please visit the Student Email Project page and the Frequently Asked Questions page.
After enrolling your Gmail account in 2-Step Verification, you may want to consider using an authenticator app as your verification method. An authenticator app, like Microsoft Authenticator, is more secure than receiving a verification code sent via text or call. Follow these steps to set up Microsoft Authenticator:
Start from your phone
- Install the Microsoft Authenticator app from the Google Play Store or the App Store.
Please Note: There are several authenticator apps that can be used (including Google Authenticator). Our support staff is most familiar with Microsoft Authenticator which is why it is recommended for use on campus.
Go to your computer
- Open up a web browser and go to your Google Account.
- Select Security from the left navigation pane.
- In the Signing in to Google section, click 2-Step Verification. You might need to sign in.
- In the Add more second steps to verify it’s you section, find Authenticator app and tap Set up.
- Select the type of phone you have (Android or iPhone) and click Next.
- You're given a QR code that you can use to automatically associate your account with the Microsoft Authenticator app. Do not close this window!
Back to your phone
- Grab your phone and open the Microsoft Authenticator.
- Tap the three dots in the upper right and choose Add account.
- Tap Other account (Google, Facebook, etc.) and then tap Scan a QR code.
- Aim your phone at the QR code on the screen (from step 6 above).
- Select Next on the Set up Authenticator page on your computer, enter the verification code provided in the app for your Google account, and then select Verify.
Note regarding default verification method:
If you're school email account is configured in the Gmail app on your phone, Google Prompts will automatically be set as the default 2-Step verification method when signing into Gmail from an unknown device. You can still use Microsoft Authenticator by choosing Try another way and selecting Get a verification code from the Google Authenticator app.