Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Any registered student can collect a printout of their username and initial network login password during standard opening hours from the IT Service Desk by presenting their student ID card.

Please note that for security reasons usernames and passwords cannot be issued/confirmed by IT Service Desk personnel via phone or email.

New Students should visit the "Getting your Computer Account and Email" section of our website for further information.

It is not possible to request that usernames be changed unless your personal details are entered incorrectly in Trinity's student records. In such case, please contact the Academic Registry. Once your student record has been updated please contact the IT Service Desk to have your username likewise updated.

In some cases your computer account can become 'locked out'. There are several reasons why this can happen:

• You enter your password incorrectly 15 times
• An application which stores your Trinity network login password tries to login multiple times unsuccessfully
• Someone tries to access your account without your knowledge

To protect against potential hacking in to an account, if there are 15 consecutive unsuccessful attempts to login to the network within any 30-minute period, the account is automatically locked for the period of 4 hours.

We will need to investigate the problem in more detail. If your account is repeatedly locked out, please contact the IT Service Desk and be prepared to provide the following information:

• The exact lockout times
• List devices you are using on the Trinity network
• List applications that are using your Trinity network login password
• Try to recall if you have revealed your password to anybody either in person or via the web

If you need to unlock your account, you can:

• Unlock your account by using the Microsoft 365 - Self-service password reset tool
• Come in person, with your your Trinity ID card, to the IT Service Desk on the ground floor of Áras an Phiarsaigh and we will unlock your account there

As you approach the completion of your time as a registered Trinity student you will be notified by email that your Trinity username, and associated computer account, will expire. You will be emailed with at least 2-week's notice prior to the date of expiry and your computer account will expire automatically after that date.

Good to know:

• Most students will retain access to records at my.tcd.ie after leaving Trinity.

Prior to your Trinity computer account expiring, you should remove any data held in your personal file storage folder, OneDrive, MyZone (Drive and Photos) or on other IT systems in Trinity as you will lose access to this data.

Once you have become a graduate of the University, your access will be limited to your MyZone account (Gmail, Calendar, and Contacts apps only). This access may be completely removed in the future; however, you will receive advance notice before its removal.

Please be aware that a storage quota of 5GB will be applied to your student email after your Trinity IT computer account expires. You should ensure that your student email does not exceed 5GB; accounts consistently over 5GB will be closed.

You will lose access to any files or photos stored in other MyZone apps, including Google Drive and Google Photos. If you wish to retain files stored in other MyZone apps, then you will need to move them to another location of your choosing (for example a personal Google account). You must ensure that you move or delete all files from your other MyZone apps; accounts with photos remaining in the Google Photos app will be closed.

After your computer account expires, please use the Alumni sign-in option to access your MyZone email.

Finally, you are advised not to use your student email as an account username for online services (e.g. online shops, airlines, and banking). Access to student email as an Alumnus / Alumna is provided at the discretion of the University and thus the terms of your student email are subject to change in the future.

You will still be able to access your student records and other information in my.tcd.ie after your IT computer account expires.

Simply click on 'Other Users' and then the ‘Forgotten your password?’ link at my.tcd.ie and fill in the form. You can then follow the steps in the ‘password reset’ email sent to your associated email.

No; you will lose access to any files or data stored in Blackboard once you receive the student computer account expiry email. It is advised that you backup any content you wish to keep as soon as possible after completing your studies.

If you don't get a chance to do so before your Trinity computer account expires, then you can always reach out to the relevant module instructor to access content you stored within Blackboard. The module instructor can provide you with the content by downloading it via Blackboard or the instructor can contact the Teaching & Learning IT team via the IT Service Desk for assistance with this.

IT Services will not be in a position to retrieve any data files subsequent to the expiry date of the account.

It is vital that you create a copy of any files you wish to keep as you will not be able to access files saved on the Trinity systems after your account has expired. Backing up of files must be done prior to the account expiry date. There is no need to backup data held at my.tcd.ie as you will still have access to this service after your account expires.

If you believe your account has been incorrectly set to expire, then you should contact the Academic Registry during the two-week notice period in order to avoid the automatic expiring of the account.

Should your computer account have already expired then it cannot be reactivated until you have been re-registered for Trinity.

Those connected to the Student Wi-Fi service should follow the instructions for removing the settings from their device.

Postgraduates connected to the wired network in Trinity offices and labs should follow the steps for removing Trinity software and settings.

Accounts are disabled for various reasons. If your account has been disabled please contact the IT Service Desk.

If you are progressing directly from undergraduate to postgraduate status then you will keep the same username and your current password.

If you are changing status from student to staff, you will not be able to retain your student username when you move to staff status. You will receive a new staff number and also a new Trinity username and email address. As a Trinity staff member you are obliged to use this new username and email address.

Students who go off books and who will not be sitting exams will have their main Trinity computer account expired. For that reason it will be necessary to backup any important data from Trinity IT systems before going off-books. Upon returning to Trinity and re-registering your computer account will be re-activated.

Have you activated your Trinity computer account via my.tcd.ie and set up your account via Microsoft 365? If not, please follow the instructions on our web page for Getting your Computer Account and Email.

See Change your password using Microsoft 365 or Change your password using a Windows computer registered for the College network.

If you have forgotten your network password, you can:

• Reset it using the Microsoft 365
• The Service Desk team can reset your password, once you know your original password, via a phone call on (01) 8962000. If you do not know your original password you will need to call to the Service Desk in person with your Trinity student ID card.

To keep your account secure the Service Desk team cannot change your password via requests received by email or via assist.tcd.ie.

On the keyboard check that CAPSLOCK isn’t turned on by mistake. Also check that NUMLOCK is on if you are using the number keypad.

Another possibility is that your account may be locked out.

To ensure your password is secure it must follow the below regulations:

• be at least 8 characters long
• have a mix of upper and lowercase characters
• include at least one numeric character OR a special character such as ! @ $ % * _ - + = ~
• not include £ € : ? | space
• not include part of your first name, last name or username
• not be the same as any of your previous 24 passwords

Secure passwords are randomised combinations of characters, don’t use dictionary words or include part of your first name, last name, or username.

Good to know: your password can only be changed once in any 24 hour period.

New students: After activating their computer account via my.tcd.ie, students receive an Intray message at my.tcd.ie containing their Trinity username and initial network login password. All students are required to change their initial network login password. Full step-by-step instructions are available on our web page for Obtaining your student computer account. Once the student has set their own password there is no password expiry policy implemented.

All other students: There is no set time limit on your network login password, but it is recommended that you change your password regularly to ensure security of your account.

There is no expiry policy implemented for MyZone passwords.

Passwords are often broken, stolen or cracked without the knowledge of the victim. For instance, this can happen as a result of a phishing email or through malware.

Very often stolen passwords are not used immediately. If you change your password regularly, even if your password is somehow stolen, the thief does not have the opportunity to use it.

See our Trinity student computer accounts webpage.

It is not possible to request that usernames be changed unless your personal details are entered incorrectly in Trinity's student records. In such case, please contact the Academic Registry. Once your student record has been updated please contact the IT Service Desk to have your username likewise updated.