Essex IT Accounts
Username format
Your username format is ab12345, made up of:
- two letters related to your names
- two digits for the year in which the account is created
- three numerical digit
Your username is also your Essex email address. For example, for username re16495 the email address is re16495@essex.ac.uk
You can't change your username, but you can create an email alias if you want something like firstname.lastname@essex.ac.uk
Forgotten your username?
Your Essex IT Account details are sent to your personal email address when you set up your account.
Search for an email with the subject Your University of Essex account details - this email contains your username.
If you can't find this email please contact the IT Helpdesk for assistance.
MFA (multifactor authentication)
MFA provides an extra layer of security when logging in to some University IT services. MFA is mandatory for all University students and staff.
Login problems
Check your password and username format
To log into most Essex services, append your username with:
@essex.ac.uk
For example, for username re16495 you would enter re16495@essex.ac.uk
If that doesn't work try these formats:
- re16495
- campus\re16495
If your account is locked
Your account might be temporarily locked because:
- your password expired
- of a security reason
To check if your account is locked:
- try to sign in to your Microsoft 365 account at outlook.office.com/essex.ac.uk
- if your account is locked you'll see a locked account message.
To unlock your account, change or reset your password.
If you still can't sign in after changing your password please contact the IT Helpdesk for assistance.
Other possible causes of login problems
- If you just changed your password, please wait a few minutes and try again, as it can take up to 30 minutes for all of our systems to update.
- Check IT service status to find out if the service is temporarily unavailable
- Your password might have expired - change your password to reactivate your account
If none of the above works, contact the IT Helpdesk explaining the steps you've tried.
Getting your account
New staff: getting your account
You get an email telling you when to get your Essex IT Account, containing your employee number (Personal Record Identifier or PRID for short).
- Not got the email? If your start date is less than a week away, tell your line manager.
- Please activate your account from home before your first day.
Leaving Essex
The closing date for your account is emailed to you.
When you leave your account closes and you can no longer access most University services, files and resources. It's important you follow our staff leaver’s process to prepare for your account closure.
If your leaving date is wrong or if your account has been closed incorrectly, please contact staffing@essex.ac.uk.
Regulations
By using your account, you are agreeing to abide by our IT Acceptable Use Policy.
