IT and Library Services

Microsoft 365 FAQs

Answers to your frequently asked questions about Microsoft 365 and applications like OneDrive for Business.

Microsoft 365 (M365) provides us with a large number of applications and functionality. To make it easier to find the answers you are looking for, we will break them down into subject areas if needed.

Answers to your M365, Office and Outlook questions can be found below, or you can visit our Microsoft Teams FAQ page.

If you have a question about M365 which isn't shown here, then please get in touch with us via the IT Service Desk.

What is Microsoft 365 (M365)?

M365 gives you access to Microsoft applications in the cloud, including the Office suite applications, such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint, which help you create and share your work. M365 also offers collaboration and communication tools such as Teams and OneDrive, as well as Yammer, the social networking platform.

Why do we use it at the university?

M365 is a key component in delivering the university's Digital Strategy to help the university deliver its mission, vision and strategy.

The Digital Strategy is aligned to the University Strategic Plan through four parallel themes, all of which focus on people and experiences. Some of its driving principles are simplifying processes, providing a consistent look and feel across all platforms, considering Information Security at all times, and working as part of One University to ensure the delivery of consistent and efficient services supporting all areas of university life.

How do I access M365 training and support?

Up to date training videos and support documents are available from Microsoft Support including:

  • Microsoft 365 "Basics"
  • Training Centre
  • Remote Teaching and Learning tools
  • Tips, Quick Starts and Cheat Sheets
  • Templates and Infographics


There are a range of Microsoft Training resources available to help you familiarise yourself with Teams and steadily build your knowledge. To get started you can see the key features by walking through an interactive demo of Teams or by reviewing the Teams Quick Start guide.

To make the most of the functionality they give us, it is crucial that you take time for regular development of the skills to use the systems we provide. It's suggested that that once a week you develop your skills further by visiting the Microsoft Teams help & learning page, or by signing up for Instructor Led Training for Microsoft Teams.

Is there any university specific support for M365?

The university Microsoft 365 webpages include dedicated support pages for our key collaboration and communication applications, as well as installation guidance and a link to these FAQs.

If you can't find what you're looking for there, our IT & Library Services, Greenwich Learning and Teaching and Human Resources teams provide support, guidance and training to help you make the most of M365 and related applications.

Can I store university data in M365?

Following additional infrastructure and system changes made by ILS to make university governed cloud storage even more stable and secure, the Data Storage under Data Classification table has been updated, and university data may now be stored in M365, including Teams and OneDrive for Business.

Please read the updated policy and guidelines.

Non-university storage such as Google Drive or DropBox must not be used to store university data.

Data security is important to us all at Greenwich, and IT system security improvements have reduced the risk of data security breaches. However, data security is everyone's responsibility, see our Information Security pages for steps you can take to protect yourself, your devices and your data.

I'm a group owner, how does that fit in M365?

If you manage a group or distribution list, where you are the group owner and regularly add and remove members, you may wish to set this up as a Team so that you can manage and communicate more effectively with your group and to take advantage of the range of collaboration opportunities within Teams.

Why do I have to use the Outlook app on my mobile device?

The native mail clients built into Android and iOS devices do not support one of the key security technologies used to protect you and the University from a large various of malicious attacks, Multi Factor Authentication (MFA). Therefore the university does not support the use of these applications and Outlook should be used instead.

Can I add my personal calendar(s) in to my Outlook Calendar?

If would like to view your personal and work calendars in the same place, you can import your personal calendar(s) from Apple iCal, Google Calendar, or Mozilla Lightning to Outlook so that they display alongside your work calendar. Follow these instructions to add your personal calendar(s) to Outlook.

How large is my M365 Mailbox, and how do I request more mail storage?

Microsoft 365 mailboxes for individuals are automatically provided with 100 GB of storage, which should be more than sufficient for your mail storage needs. You will receive alerts if your mailbox is approaching this limit.

Microsoft 365 shared mailboxes are automatically provided with 50 GB of storage. If your shared mailbox is approaching this limit, please contact IT Service Desk for advice.

Please note that email should not be used as a permanent document storage or archiving facility. Our guidelines for the use of email and guidance on keeping and processing information are designed to help us all adopt good email and information management practice.

What is Cortana, and who can see this information?

Cortana is a daily briefing email included with our Microsoft 365 licence which shows you upcoming meetings to prepare for and recent tasks you may have missed so that you can make the most of each day. You can find out more about the Cortana briefing email here.

This email is not controlled with the Cortana app and is unrelated to any Cortana on Windows settings. Only you can access your information and the only way it can be shared is if you choose to forward the information to someone voluntarily. Further information about Cortana including how to opt-out, is available here.

What is Microsoft Viva, and is it private?

Your daily Cortana briefing will soon become part of Microsoft Viva - the integrated employee experience platform that brings together communications, knowledge, learning, resources, and insights. You’ll continue to receive important reminders from Cortana along with new personalized insights to balance productivity and wellbeing in an email addressed from Microsoft Viva.

The insights for individuals that this app presents are completely personal and private. Personal insights in the app are for your eyes only; neither your manager nor the system administration can see your insights. For more information, see the Privacy guide.

What is MyAnalytics, and who can see this information?

MyAnalytics is a tool provided with our Microsoft 365 licence which gives you new insights into how to increase focus, achieve work-life balance, improve your work relationships and team collaboration. You can find out more about MyAnalytics here, and you can take a look at your dashboard via MyAnalytics at login.gre.ac.uk.

Your wellbeing is important to us, and so is your privacy. Only you can access your information and the only way it can be shared is if you choose to forward the information to someone voluntarily. Read further information about MyAnalytics and your privacy, including how to opt-out.