How do I make my personal computer or laptop ready for NWTC?

Use the following steps to customize your computer/laptop for NWTC coursework.

Save NWTC Websites to Bookmarks/Favorites

Go to your browser's Settings and activate the Bookmark/Favorites Bar

• In Edge – Go to Settings, Appearance, Customize Toolbar, Show Favorites Bar, Always. To add a site to favorites, click the "Add this page to favorites" button in the address bar.
• In Chrome – Go to Settings. Click Appearance. Make sure the Show bookmarks bar button is turned on. To add websites to bookmarks, click the star on the right side of the address bar.

The following websites are used most frequently by NWTC students. Be sure to add these to your Favorites/Bookmarks for quick, easy access.

• NWTC Student Login page
• Canvas
• Student Portal
• Student Email
• Off-Campus Software Access
• Web Print
• NWTC Library
• Microsoft 365

Secure Your Account

Set up Multi-Factor Authentication to secure your account. Multi-Factor Authentication allows NWTC to periodically verify your identity when you are logging in to Canvas, the Student Portal, Microsoft 365, and Student Email. (Watch a short video about how to log in and secure your account.) 

Install Microsoft 365

Download and install Microsoft 365 for free from NWTC by following these steps. This includes access to Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Teams, and more. Be sure to uninstall any previous versions of Microsoft Office first.

Check Your Audio and Video Accessories

If you have an online class that meets virtually in Microsoft Teams, make sure you have a headset with a microphone.

Check that you have a working web camera by typing camera in the search box to open the Camera app.

Open Microsoft Teams to test the equipment. (You may need to install Microsoft 365 first if you do not have Microsoft Teams.) In the search bar at the top of Team, type /testcall. This allows you to check how the video looks and hear how your audio would sound to others.

Connect to Your OneDrive

Add NWTC OneDrive to your computer for 24/7 access to your NWTC files.

Connect to NWTC Printers Off-Campus

You may send documents to the NWTC printers when you are off-campus by connecting to the NWTC network via the Virtual Desktop or by sending files through PaperCut's Web Print option.