Your university account will give you access to all services here at Royal Holloway. Whether you want to use the library, attend your classes, or book tickets to the Students' Union, you'll be using the IT credentials you were sent when you accepted your place. 

With so many services it can be hard to know where to begin, so here's your checklist for getting started.

1. Understand your login

Your username

Your username is four letters and three numbers, for example: abcd123. You will use this to log in to several key services at the University, including WiFi, timetabling, and PCs on campus.

Sometimes, you will add '@live.rhul.ac.uk' to the end of this to log in to a system, e.g. abcd123@live.rhul.ac.uk.

You can see a full list of services, and which format you need to log in with on our 'Your account' page.

Your email login

This is your username with ‘@live.rhul.ac.uk’ added to the end, for example: abcd123@live.rhul.ac.uk. This is what you will use to access your email account.

This is sometimes referred to as your 'Microsoft 365 ID', and is used to log in to many different services at the University.

Your email address

Your email address is your first name and last name, combined with the year you started studying with us. For example: firstname.lastname.2023@live.rhul.ac.uk. You will not use your email address to log in to your account - but this is the address someone uses if they want to email you.

You will have been sent your details via email when you enrolled. If you didn't receive these you should contact the Student Services Centre. 

2. Finish setting up your account

The first time you log in to your account using your Microsoft 365 ID you will be prompted to provide some additional details to keep your account secure.

You'll be asked to set two methods of verification. We use multi-factor authentication at Royal Holloway, which means that you will need to approve any attempts to log in to your account. This stops anyone who isn't you being able to access your account.

You can set up these methods of verification:

• Authenticator app
• Text message
• Phone call
• Email
• Security questions

We recommend you use the Microsoft Authenticator app as it's the easiest and most convenient to use. 

3. Change your password

It is important that you regularly change your password to keep your details safe. You can change your password by visiting royalholloway.ac.uk/myaccount and selecting the 'Change Password' option.

Your password should:

• have more than eight characters
• have a mix of capital and lower-case letters
• have at least one number
• have at least one special character (like an exclamation or question mark)

4. Check your emails

Visit mail.live.rhul.ac.uk to log in to your emails. 

You can add your email account to your phone or computer using the Outlook app or an email client of your choice. Find out more on our email page, or in our email FAQs.

5. Download Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Office

There is a variety of free software available to you while you study, but Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Office are key programs.

They're available for Windows, Mac, and mobile. You can install Office on up to five different devices. Visit royalholloway.ac.uk/myaccount to download and install them.

 

Bonus!

Take a look at the rest of the IT intranet. We've got information about more of our services including printing, remote access, and cyber security. Start on our homepage.