Free access to Microsoft 365

All graduate research students will have access to the full suite of Microsoft 365 applications, including access to the current version of Outlook. Here's how you can access your Microsoft 365 suite for the first time.

Graduate research students are provided with two university email accounts. Your student email (firstname.lastname@students.mq.edu.au) hosted by Gmail, and a graduate research specific email (firstname.lastname@hdr.mq.edu.au).

  • Your HDR email account is provided on a free Microsoft 365 plan that provides access to web-based Office applications. However, desktop application access is no longer included in this free plan due to a global change by Microsoft.
  • Your student email account (@students.mq.edu.au) now provides premium access to the desktop Microsoft applications.

Instructions to install the desktop versions of Microsoft 365 applications

To access your email account in Microsoft 365:

  1. Access the 'email' login here. This will take you to the Microsoft 365 portal.
  2. Log in using your Macquarie University email address (firstname.surname@hdr.mq.edu.au) and the one-time password as follows:
    • First 2 characters of first name (1st uppercase, 2nd lower) followed by the first 2 characters of your last name (1st uppercase 2nd lower) and the first 4 numbers from your student ID. For example, bonnie.nash4@hdr.mq.edu.au with student number 44556677 would have the password BoNa4455.
    • Email addresses containing abbreviated names or initials are slightly different. For example, B.A.N ash@hdr.mq.edu.au with student number 45674567 would have the password BaNa4567.
  3. Once you log in for the first time, you will need to change your password.

You will also need to set-up your self-service password reset. You must choose at least one of the following options to verify and access your account:

  • Authentication Phone
  • Authentication Email
  • Security Questions

Once you complete these steps, you should have access to your Microsoft 365 homepage. To access your emails, click on the ‘Outlook’ application.

The university offices, including the GRA, sends its official correspondence to your student email account.

Once you activate your hdr account, a copy of your @student emails will then be automatically forwarded to your @hdr account and any pre-existing forwarding requests will be cancelled. If you would like to forward your student emails to a personal email account, you will need to set up a new forwarding request in your Microsoft 365 account.

Your @hdr email address will be active until you are no longer enrolled as a graduate research student. From that point, your @student email address will continue and forwarding will stop.

Once you have received access to your graduate research email address, please check it regularly. As a result of the forwarding rule, you can use your @hdr address as your main email and still receive all your correspondence.

If you are experiencing trouble using your desktop Microsoft applications with your HDR account, follow these steps.

Your HDR account (@hdr.mq.edu.au) is still active for web applications and email access at https://office.com. The issue you're experiencing is specifically related to desktop applications.

Microsoft has recently implemented a global change in licensing terms for higher education institutions. As a result, HDR accounts no longer include licenses for Microsoft Office desktop applications. This change is not specific to Macquarie University or to your HDR account status.

Steps to activate Office using your student account:

  • Open any Office application on your desktop (e.g., Word, Excel).
  • Click on "File" in the top left corner, then click "Account" in the left sidebar.
  • Under the "Product Information" section, click "Update License".
  • In the sign-in window that appears, use your @students.mq.edu.au account to sign in and activate Office.
  • Follow any additional prompts to complete the activation process.

You may need to close and reopen the Office application for changes to take effect. You should now have full access to all desktop applications under your student account license and you will still be able to access any files associated with your hdr email account.

Contact IT Service Desk

If you have any difficulties accessing the Microsoft 365 applications during your candidature, log a ticket via OneHelp or contact the IT Service Desk at +61 (2) 9850 4357.