Start Here: Email at USC

Overview
Outlook login and setup
Additional Outlook features
Changing your email address
Email auto-deletion and the 16-month retention period
Delegate access
Sending mass email
Email security and spam
Gmail option (faculty only)
Additional resources

Overview

This guide provides general information about email systems at USC and links to instructions for specific Outlook tasks.

In a hurry?

To quickly check your email in Outlook on the web:

Go to https://usc.edu/office365.
The Shibboleth page appears. Type your USC NetID and passphrase, and click Sign in.
The Duo page appears. Complete the verification.

Outlook login and setup

Email address

Your USC email address is your USC NetID followed by "@usc.edu." For example, if your USC NetID is ttrojan, your USC email address is ttrojan@usc.edu.

Installing Outlook

Outlook is already installed on all Dornsife-managed devices, including Windows PCs and Apple devices.

Not using a Dornsife-managed device? USC faculty and staff can download up to five (5) copies of Microsoft Office for free (refer to ITS's Microsoft Office page). USC affiliates (iVIPs) do not have access to free copies of Microsoft Office.

Logging in

Use your USC NetID and passphrase to log into your USC Outlook account. You can use Outlook client, which is an application on your computer, or open your browser and go to https://usc.edu/office365. For detailed instructions, refer to these guides:

Logging into Outlook on your computer
Logging into Outlook on an iPhone or iPad

Additional Outlook features

Changing your email address

Your USC email address is based on your USC NetID. To instead use your email alias (typically your first and last name separated by a period) or request an @dornsife.usc.edu email address, refer to the following guide:

Changing your primary USC email address

Email auto-deletion and the 16-month retention period

Be aware that under the University's employee email policy, emails are automatically deleted after 16 months. This means that if you want to keep an email indefinitely, you must take action in advance to prevent the email from being auto-deleted:

Retaining emails beyond USC's employee email retention period

Delegate access

If you need to manage the Outlook inbox or calendar for someone or for a shared org account (such as a general departmental mailbox), refer to the following collection of guides:

Outlook Delegation and Shared Org Accounts

Sending mass email

The maximum number of recipients you can send a single Outlook email to is 500. However, some email providers may see the high recipient number and mark your email as spam. If you are emailing a list of subscribers, we recommend using one of the following applications:

Listserv

Email distribution list service managed and supported by ITS
Intended for internal (within USC) communication
For more information, refer to ITS's Listserv guides

Emma (myEmma)

Newsletter creation and marketing campaign service managed by DTS
Features include layout and design customization, email personalization, and analytics reporting
For more information, refer to our collection of myEmma guides

Microsoft Word

You can also use Microsoft Word to set up and send personalized Outlook email:

Using mail merge in Microsoft Word to set up and send Outlook email

Email security and spam

User Digest

The User Digest is a daily summary email. It provides a list of quarantined emails (not delivered to your mailbox) and low priority emails (delivered to your mailbox). This is a feature from ITS to help filter for spam, and it also allows you to check for emails which may have been mistakenly quarantined. This summary email is on by default but can be switched off.

User Digest FAQs (ITS guide)
Using the Proofpoint portal and User Digest (DTS guide)

Phishing

Be on the alert for suspicious emails asking you to click a link or download an attachment:

Staying vigilant against phishing

To report an email to the Office of Cybersecurity, use the Report Phish button:

Using Report Phish for suspicious emails

The USC Office of Cybersecurity maintains a regularly updated blog with examples of phishing attempts, including ones that have targeted the USC community:

Catch of the Week

Gmail option (faculty only)

USC faculty, staff, and affiliates (iVIPs) receive Outlook accounts, while USC students receive Gmail accounts. USC faculty do have the ability to opt in to Gmail instead of Outlook, but be aware that resources such as shared organizational accounts and Zoom Room calendars are accessed through Outlook only. Gmail is supported by ITS, and the 16-month employee email retention period also applies to Gmail accounts.

Opting in to Gmail (faculty only)

Staff and affiliates (iVIPs) do not have the ability to opt into Gmail. Former students or faculty who leave USC but then obtain affiliate status do not have access to Gmail, either.