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IT Service Status
IT Service Status

Before the Migration

Packing Up

Northwestern IT is committed to ensuring your move proceeds as smoothly as possible. There are steps you can take now to help make that happen:

  • Delete data in your Box that is no longer being used. Reducing the data you are storing may shorten the migration time. Learn how. 
  • If you have self-migrated your Box content to OneDrive or SharePoint, please remember to move your migrated content into the Trash folder in Box. Then, delete it from that folder making your Box account empty. Read about accessing Box storage amount details.
  • Review several situations that will cause content to not migrate properly, including locked files, a 400-character limit to file paths, and a limit on the number of documents that can be in a single folder. View steps to ensure these issues do not impact your migration. 
  • Consider using OneDrive as your home base to access documents stored in OneDrive and SharePoint. If you haven't already done so, log in to OneDrive and activate your account. Once activated, you may wish to download and install the OneDrive app on your computer. Download for Windows and Mac. To access your content from a mobile device or tablet, download the OneDrive app from the Apple App Store or Google Play.
  • Review the Frequently Asked Questions for answers to commonly asked questions.
  • Visit the Support and Education Resources page to find quick reference guides, self-help answers, and online course offerings from Microsoft and LinkedIn Learning. 

If you are unsure about what you can safely delete, you may want to check with your manager or school/unit leader. The University also has several resources that provide guidance. The University's Retention of University Records policy and its aligned Records Retention Schedule addresses questions related to retention requirements.  

During your migration, files and folders you own will be moved to OneDrive. Box Notes will also move to OneDrive. After the migration, if you do not see a folder in your OneDrive account that you expect to see, it may be because someone else at Northwestern owns the folder and has shared it with you. That shared folder in OneDrive will become visible to you when its owner is migrated. Until that time, you can continue to view its contents in Box.

Contents shared in a Box Organizational account (an account owned by a department, unit, or group) will move to SharePoint. Folders in Box Organizational accounts can be mapped to existing SharePoint sites; if no SharePoint site exists, one will be created.

Support

If you experience issues accessing your files or folders after the move to OneDrive and SharePoint, please contact your school or department IT support.

Students, faculty, staff, and affiliates not supported directly by a school or department should contact the IT Service Desk at consultant@northwestern.edu or 847-491-4357 (1-HELP).