OVERVIEW
Target audience: McGill students, faculty, staff, affiliates, and alumni.
Your McGill Username and Short Username are assigned when you enter McGill. You need to create your own McGill password to use with these credentials in order to access systems and websites throughout the university.
In this article:
What is my McGill Username?
Your McGill Username, along with your McGill password, is used to access most online services and IT systems at McGill.
Your McGill Username is based on your first and last name with the suffix @mcgill.ca (faculty & staff), @mail.mcgill.ca (students), or @affiliate.mcgill.ca (affiliates) appended to it.
If you did not receive a "Welcome" email containing your McGill Username when you entered McGill, you can locate your Username(s) in Minerva. You will need to sign in with your 9-digit McGill ID number and PIN; then go to Personal menu > Password for McGill Username. Your McGill Username and Short Username are displayed on the screen.
How is my McGill Username assigned?
The firstname.lastname portion of your McGill Username (everything before the @ symbol) is unique.
If the firstname.lastname that normally would have been assigned to you is already being used by someone else with the same name (Example: daniel.lewis), then one of the following will happen:
- If your name entry in Minerva or Workday contains your middle name, then you will appear as firstname.middle initial.lastname.
(Example: daniel.d.lewis) - If the same firstname.middle initial.lastname is already being used, then you will appear as firstname.full middlename.lastname.
(Example: daniel.day.lewis) - If your name entry in Minerva or Workday has no middle name, then your firstname.lastname will be appended with the next available number.
(Example: daniel.lewis4)
If you prefer not to have a number appended to your firstname.lastname, you can supply your middle name in Minerva and contact the IT Service Desk by submitting in the Preferred name change on IT systems form to request that your middle initial, middle name or preferred first name to be reflected in your McGill Username, as in the examples above. You can also create an email alias to reflect your preferred first name by following the instructions in the article Change the name (create an alias) for my McGill Email Address.
What is my Short Username?
The Short Username is usually composed of the first letter of your first name, and then first 5 letters of your last name, often followed by a number to ensure uniqueness. Example: jsmith5
The Short Username is used to sign into a few systems at McGill:
- by employees, to log into their McGill desktop computer (i.e. in the Username field, in combination with the McGill Password) and a few enterprise systems such as Banner INB (in the User Name field, but with a distinct Banner password).
- by students, printing from their laptops or home computers as part of the uPrint service.
- by faculty & staff, to configure a WebDAV connection to access network files from of campus (with the McGill Password).
How do I change or reset my McGill password?
Current students, faculty, staff, retirees, and affiliates
IMPORTANT
After changing or resetting your password, follow steps in the McGill password reset checklist - next steps to identify and update any saved passwords on your computer or mobile devices.
If you know your McGill Password, you can change it using Microsoft's MySign-Ins.
If you do not know your password you can reset your password by following the instructions below based on your Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) set up:
If you have Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) enabled |
If you do NOT have Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) enabled |
|---|---|
Important note: If you have two McGill accounts (e.g., @mcgill.ca and @mail.mcgill.ca), you will need to reset the password for each account separately. |
Important note: If you have two McGill accounts (e.g., @mcgill.ca and @mail.mcgill.ca), you will need to reset the password for each account separately. If you cannot enable 2FA: Please contact the IT Service Desk for assistance with enabling 2FA or resetting your password manually. |
Alumni
IMPORTANT
After changing or resetting your password, follow steps in the McGill password reset checklist - next steps to identify and update any saved passwords on your computer or mobile devices.
There are two options to reset your McGill password.
- If you have Two-Factor Authenticator (2FA) enabled, follow the instructions in Reset my McGill Password with Self-Service Password Reset (SSPR).
- Go to Alumni.mcgill.ca/register and clicking Reset password.
- Note: If you are an Alumni and have not been assigned a McGill username, you can go to Alumni.mcgill.ca/register to create a McGill username account by clicking Create new account.
Need help?
- Students, staff, faculty, affiliates, and retirees: If you need further assistance contact the IT Service Desk.
- Applicants, and guests (e.g. parents/guardians of students): Contact Service Point at 514-398-7878, or visit the ServicePoint Minerva Access Help page, and follow the instructions under the Other Users section.
- Alumni: Contact University Advancement at community.alumni@mcgill.ca
- Note: If you are an Alumni and have not been assigned a McGill username, you can go to Alumni.mcgill.ca/register to create a McGill username account by clicking Create new account.
ADDITIONAL REFERENCES: