Safely Access the WVU Portal on a Shared Computer
- Jessica Steele
If you regularly access the WVU Portal on a shared personal computer (for example, if you share a computer with your roommate), we recommend setting up a separate user account for each individual that uses the computer. Because the WVU Portal is designed to remember your credentials, closing the browser tab or even the browser window will not necessarily log you out. Accessing the WVU Portal through your own user account on the shared computer will ensure that others will not be able to view your information in the WVU Portal.
Alternatively, you can set your browser to automatically delete your browser cache every time you close your browser.
If you are using a public computer, be sure to always completely log out of the computer before leaving.
Why are others able to see my Portal data?
Browsers purposely hold your Login information for the WVU Portal so you can log into other applications without having to reenter your credentials. When you log out of the WVU Portal, or any application that is using the shared credentials, your credentials purposely stay active so you can easily be logged into the next application. Therefore, if you only log out of the WVU Portal and not your user account, the next person that uses the same computer may be able to view your information.
How to create a new user account for a Windows computer:
How to create a new user account for a Mac computer:
What if I only need to use the shared computer once?
If you need to log into the WVU Portal on a shared computer once, you can use your browser's private browsing option to access the WVU Portal. For example, if you are a faculty member meeting with your students to discuss Degree Works, it will be quicker and more practical to have each student log into Degree Works in a private browsing window than setting up a user account for each student.