Google Docs (Drive) FAQs

Why do I need to use my UTmail account?

The university's agreement with Google for the the utexas.edu Google Apps for Education domain includes hard-fought provisions governing the confidentiality of the data belonging to the university and our users (including FERPA protected data) that are not found in the standard Google terms of use and privacy policy.  Without these provisions, university data and the privacy of our users could be put at additional risk and we would have no recourse.

How do I sign up for a UTmail account?

Signing up for UTmail is quick and easy. Just visit http://utmail.utexas.edu/ Links to an external site. to get started.

How can I switch the Google account I signed up with?

Go to your personal Settings panel (in the upper right corner of the Canvas interface), hover over the Google Docs icon under "Registered Services" and click the red delete icon on the right side of the icon. Make sure you are NOT logged in to any gmail account and reactivate the Google Docs Plug-in.

Will I lose my documents if I switch my Google account?

No. Google docs will always be available in your Google Drive outside of Canvas.

What if I have a student who can't use Google Drive because of a disability?

Please visit our work around page with more information on supported accommodations.

Known Issues & Workarounds

We have been made aware of an issue with Google docs where you cannot authenticate them to Canvas if you have never accessed the Google drive before. To add Google docs, please log in to your Google accounts and click on the "drive" link at the top before trying to add them to your Canvas account.