What is a UW NetID?

Your UW NetID is your personal identification for using UW online resources. A UW NetID is required of everyone associated with the University of Washington who plans on using online central administrative programs and computing services.

With your UW NetID, you are eligible for various computing services depending on your association with the UW (i.e, student, faculty, staff, alumni, or other affiliate).

For more information, visit About UW NetIDs.

MyUW

One service that you can use with your UW NetID is MyUW, your personal portal to University of Washington information. It is an easy-to-use tool for finding the resources you need to fulfill your goals at the UW. In one place you can find access to registration and class scheduling tools, email, course reserves, account management tools, campus assocations, and many other resources.

You can even "personalize" MyUW to fit your needs by including or excluding the services you see listed, adding bookmarks to your favorite links, or choosing the background and accent colors you prefer.

Library Resources

The University of Washington Libraries' Information Gateway provides another way to access course reserves. It is also a gateway for all of your research needs. Your UW NetID grants you access to resources like the Libraries' databases, catalogs, reference tools, and E-Journals, while the Browse Subjects and Ask a Librarian pages can help you to choose the resources that will work best for you.

UWICK

The UW Internet Connectivity Kit (UWICK) is a CD that contains software that gives University of Washington students, faculty, and staff access to networked communication and information services. With the UWICK, using your home computer and a modem or a campus computer with a direct network connection, you can do the following and more:

• Connect to the Internet for free
• Access library resources from home
• Transfer files using Secure FTP
• Communicate with others using UW email
• Search the World Wide Web
• Protect your computer from viruses

You can find the UWICK at the main University Bookstore and its campus branches, or online here.

Email

As a UW student, you have many email options available to you. These options can be divided into three categories:

• Webpine, accessed with a Web browser
• Pine email, accessed through Dante (for students) or Homer (for staff), using a secure terminal session
• Desktop email programs run on your local computer, such as Outlook Express

There are advantages and disadvantages to each method of accessing email. Look over the table here and consider what email features are important to you.

Secure FTP (Windows) or Secure Fetch (Mac)

The UW offers space on UW servers for students to save files in personal accounts. This resource is the most reliable form of storage on campus, and allows you to move from computer to computer without carrying your files with you on a disk. You can access these files on your home or dorm computer by using the UWICK software. You can also create a personal UW Web site instantly by putting HTML or other Web files into your account's public_html folder.

Here is how to save files into your account from our labs:

1. Save your document somewhere that you can easily find it. Our suggestion is on the desktop.
2. Use the mouse to double-click on the Save to your account on the desktop. The following window will appear.
   
3. Enter your UW NetID as the User Name. Click Connect.
   
4. Transfer files:
   • To transfer files to your account:
     Drag files from your desktop to the right pane of the window.
   • To transfer files from your account:
     Drag files from the right pane to the desktop.
     Warning: Do not double-click on or try to open files directly from Secure FTP. You could lose data.