An Auburn University account allows you access to a variety of Auburn resources such as Auburn email, AU Access, Canvas, Office 365, etc., depending on your account type and privileges. In order to access Auburn resources, you must first activate your Auburn account online.
The account activation process will allow you to set a password for your account for the first time. Once you have set up your password, you will use your Auburn username and password to log into various Auburn resources.
Note: Auburn account activation is a one-time process. This means that once you have activated your account at any point in time (example: you were once an Auburn student and now are returning as an Auburn employee), you will not be able to activate it a second time. If you have already activated your Auburn account, you may simply need a password change. Contact the IT Service Desk at (334) 844-4944 for assistance with password updates, or learn more in the Knowledge Base article How to Change your Auburn University Password.
If at any point during the account activation steps below you receive a message about incorrect information (such as birthday or Banner ID), or if you receive a message stating it has been over a certain number of days and you are unable to activate your account, contact the IT Service Desk for assistance at (334) 844-4944.
Steps to Activating an Auburn University Account:
1. To activate an Auburn account, you will need to have the following information available:
- Auburn Username (this is your unique 7-character username that was provided to you)
- Auburn Banner ID (this is your unique 9-digit numerical ID that was provided to you)
- Your Date of Birth
2. In a web browser, navigate to auburn.edu/activate. You will see the AU Computing Account Activation screen as shown below.
3. Enter your Auburn username and click the Next button.
4. On page 2 of 6, you will be asked to confirm your name. Click the Next button.
5. On page 3 of 6, enter your Birthday (month, day, year) and Banner ID. Click the Next button.
6. Notifications are sent to your Auburn email address when changes are made to your account. If you would like these notifications sent to an additional email address, you will be asked on page 4 of 6 to provide one. Your Auburn email is not forwarded to this alternate email address. Enter and confirm your alternate email address, and click the Next button.
7. If you forget your Auburn password in the future, questions and answers will be used to verify your identity so that you can reset your password. On page 5 of 6, select a question from each of the five drop-down lists, and provide answers in the appropriate fields. Click the Next button.
8. On the next screen, you will be able to set your Auburn password. Password rules are displayed, and when each password rule is met, it will turn from a red X to a green checkmark. More information on password rules and guidelines can be found in the Knowledge Base article Creating a Strong Password. Enter and confirm your new password, and click the Change Password button.
9. After a few seconds, you will see a brief screen stating, "Congratulations, your AU Account is now active."
10. You will then be forwarded to the TechStart page, which has valuable information for students and employees new to Auburn University.
Should you need any assistance during the account activation process, contact the IT Service Desk at (334) 844-4944.