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Institutional Technology

Google E-Mail Troubleshooting

Google E-Mail Troubleshooting

How to Connect

There are several ways to connect to Google E-Mail:

  1. Through a web browser, can be checked from anywhere with an Internet connection. Go to mail.georgefox.edu
  2. Through the Corporate mode/Exchange server (Outlook). Provides the most features and immediate notification when a new message is delivered. Note: This is only available on the administrative network on campus.
  3. Through IMAP or POP3, allows you to send/receive at the next connection or to use a specific e-mail client (such as Mail or Eudora).


Username/Password information

  • Google E-Mail login id's are created by the following rules. If a name is already taken then the next rule will be applied until a valid username is found.
    1. Using an existing MyGFU username (if one exists).
    2. (dswanson03) first initial + last name (up to 13 characters) + academic year (2 digit)
    3. (swansond03) last name (up to 13 characters) + first initial + academic year (2 digit)
    4. (dans03) first name (up to 13 characters) + last initial + academic year (2 digit)
    5. (d1swanson03) first initial + next number (1 digit) + last name (up to 12 characters) + academic year (2 digit)
  • If you are asked for a domain, use campus in all lower-case letters.
  • If you have forgotten or never received your password, give a Call to the IT service desk at #2569 on campus or (503) 554-2569 for those off campus.

General Questions

Help! I can't login.

  1. Double check that you correctly typed in your username and password.
  2. Make sure that caps lock is not enabled. Your username and password are case sensitive.


How do I get a Google E-Mail account set up?

  • Students: Student accounts are created based upon the "confirm" flag set by the Registrar. If a student has not confirmed with the registrar, their e-mail account will not be created until they do.
  • Employees: Employee accounts are created on notification from Human Resources. If the account is not already set up upon arrival, the employee's supervisor should contact the Service Desk.


I keep getting an error saying my mailbox is full even though I have deleted items from my inbox, how can I empty it?
If you get an error saying that your mailbox is full then it probably is, try these steps to reduce your mailbox size:

  1. Empty your Deleted items folder, items here do count towards your total mailbox size
  2. Look through your inbox and other folders for any messages with attachments and check the size. Any items larger than 500KB or several MB add up very quickly and should probably be deleted.
    Note: It helps to sort the folder by Size in order to find the largest messages. To do this click on the word "Size" above the column of message sizes.
  3. Again, empty your Deleted items folder
  4. If your mailbox is still too full try looking through all other folders, especially 'Sent items' and 'Drafts'


Google E-Mail FAQ- on passwords, space quota, and more.

Additional E-mail Policy - on spam, attachments, mail expiration, broadcast messages, return addresses, and more.

If you need additional assistance or this page doesn't answer your questions please contact the IT Service Desk at (503) 554-2569 for assistance.