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Purpose
This article explains the difference between your CWU email address, alias, and log in username. It also outlines how email aliases work and how they impact log in behavior.
Content
What is an Email Alias
Your FirstName.LastName@cwu.edu email address is an alias that masks your actual CWU username (e.g., UserName@cwu.edu). Its purpose is to hide your log in credentials, adding a layer of privacy in case someone tries to compromise your account.
Your original email alias (e.g., username@cwu.edu) will still work exactly as before. The system is simply adding a new alias (e.g., FirstName.LastName@cwu.edu) which will now appear as your display address when sending emails.
What you need to know:
- This does not change how you log into email or any other CWU system. That is still done using your CWU username.
- This does not replace your current email address; it masks it. All other alias addresses will continue to work.
- All email you send will now display your FirstName.LastName format address, and direct email responses to your FirstName.LastName address.
- These are auto generated off your official name and must be unique (so there may be a number in there if you have a common name) but can be edited as noted below.
- This will not affect alternate email systems like geology.cwu.edu
Example
Below is an example showing the difference between your CWU log in credentials and your email alias, as it appears in your MyCWU profile. For instructions on how to locate, please review the following article - Finding Your Email Alias in MyCWU.
Overview of log in credentials and email alias on MyCWU profile.
Find Your Email Alias in Outlook (For Faculty and Staff)
Please note: This step applies to faculty and staff only.
You can find your email alias by checking the Global Address Book in Outlook.
- In Outlook, click on the Address Book.
- In the Address Book window, make sure Global Address List is selected. Then, type in your name in the Search field.
- When you find your name, double click on the entry to open the details.
- Go to the E-mail Addresses tab to view the alias. It will appear in the format
FirstName.LastName@cwu.edu, as shown in the example below.
Log in Tips and Reminders
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When logging in, be sure to include @cwu.edu at the end of your username.
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Do not use the following format to log in: FirstName.LastName@cwu.edu will not work.
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Do not include any part of your username when creating your password.
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If you aren’t sure what your username is, you can contact the service desk for help at (509) 963-2001
Additional Resources
How to Change Your Alias
If you'd like to change your alias, please submit a service request here.
References
Finding Your Email Alias in MyCWU.