News

Historical Email Migration from Webmail to MUNmail

Information for users who have transitioned from the Webmail platform to MUNmail (Google Workspace)

OCIO has begun migrating historical email for users who previously used the Webmail platform and have since transitioned to MUNmail (Google Workspace).

Please note that historical email may take several days to appear in MUNmail after migration begins. During this time, messages may gradually populate as they are processed and imported into Google Workspace.

As historical messages are imported, you may notice some differences in how email is organized or displayed. These changes are expected and result from how Google Workspace and email applications process migrated email.

You may notice the following:

Folders become labels. Email folders from Webmail are converted to Gmail labels during the migration process.
Some unread messages may appear as read. In some cases, read/unread status may not transfer exactly as it appeared in Webmail.
Message dates and times may appear differently. Depending on the email application you use, some messages may display the date and time they were received by Google Workspace during migration rather than the original date and time they were received in Webmail.
Display may vary by email application. Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, and mobile mail applications may present migrated messages differently based on their own design and settings.

Please note: These behaviours are expected when historical email is migrated from Webmail to MUNmail. They do not indicate a problem with your migration and are the result of how Google Workspace and email applications handle migrated email. As such, these behaviours generally do not require corrective action by OCIO.

If you experience issues beyond those described above, please contact the OCIO Service Desk.

Important Information for Memorial Webmail Users

Memorial's Webmail (webmail.mun.ca) service remains unavailable externally as a precaution following the disclosure of a new cybersecurity vulnerability.

Retirees, students, and alumni who currently use webmail.mun.ca can request migration to MUNmail (Gmail).

Current Memorial employees who use webmail.mun.ca should follow the migration path to Microsoft Outlook (Exchange Online). A request can be made through help.mun.ca.

Requesting Migration to MUNmail
If you wish to move to MUNmail, please submit a request through help.mun.ca.

Please copy and paste the acknowledgements below into the Description section of the request ticket and indicate your response where required:

☐ Do you require access to your historical email? Yes / No

☐ If yes, I understand that historical email messages and folders may take up to 10 business days to appear in MUNmail following migration.

☐ I have included a contact number or alternate email address in the Description section so that I can be reached if necessary during the migration process.

☐ I have changed my Memorial password. My password can be changed by logging in to MUN Login and selecting "Change Password."

*When you change your password, you will need to update it on all of your devices to avoid locking your account. If you have configured your @memorial Wi‑Fi and/or email on a laptop, tablet, smartphone, or in an email client such as Outlook or Apple Mail, your previous password may be stored and will need to be updated on each device and application.

Once your migration has been completed, you will be able to access your email through munmail.mun.ca using your username@mun.ca and your Memorial password.

Email Access Prior to Migration
You can continue to send and receive email messages in webmail.mun.ca while connected to the Memorial network, as well as access email messages in your inbox and folders. Historical email messages may take some time to populate in MUNmail following migration. During this period, your historical email remains available through webmail.mun.ca when connected to the Memorial University campus wired network. Faculty and Staff may also access historical email through webmail.mun.ca while connected via Memorial Wi‑Fi, wired MUNnet, or VPN.

Historical Email Migration

Webmail Currently Not Available

Memorial’s Webmail service is temporarily unavailable as a precaution following the disclosure of a new cybersecurity vulnerability. IT is assessing the situation and will share an update when more information is available.

For assistance, please contact OCIO’s Service Desk.

Overview

Microsoft is retiring its native SMS and voice authentication services in Microsoft Entra ID and is transitioning users toward more secure, phishing-resistant authentication methods such as Passkey in Microsoft Authenticator, Passkey using FIDO2 security keys, and Microsoft Authenticator Number Matching. Starting September 1, 2026, eligible users may begin receiving Microsoft-managed prompts encouraging passkey registration. Beginning February 1, 2027, Microsoft-provided SMS and voice authentication services will be retired. Users who rely solely on SMS or voice authentication will need to register an alternative supported authentication method to continue signing in.

What is Changing?

Microsoft is making passkeys the default authentication experience in Microsoft Entra ID. As part of this change:

September 1, 2026
Users enabled for SMS or voice authentication may begin receiving prompts encouraging them to register a passkey during sign in. According to Microsoft's current documentation, these prompts are intended to encourage registration and are not expected to block access.

February 1, 2027
Microsoft-provided SMS and voice authentication services will be retired. Users whose only authentication methods are SMS or voice will be required to register a supported alternative authentication method in order to continue accessing their accounts.