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myCSUNsoftware

A female student using a laptop.

Thanks to Campus Quality Fee funding, all enrolled students have access to myCSUNsoftware. myCSUNsoftware grants students anytime access to select software via an Internet connection from a Mac, PC, Linux, or mobile device. 

Important Change: Please note, you will only have the option to save your work on local (personal device) or removable media (USB or external drives). Please review the myCSUNsoftware user guide (.pdf) for more information. 

Apporto Pilot Version of myCSUNsoftware

To access the Apporto version of myCSUNsoftware, please use the following: Apporto Pilot Version of myCSUNsoftware.

Access myCSUNsoftware from your computer

Important Note: Any student accessing the myCSUNsoftware environment needs to be registered with Duo. Visit https://www.csun.edu/it/duo to sign up. To preview the user experience visit the Duo and myCSUNsoftware page. 

Note: myCSUNsoftware only accepts CSUN user IDs which are composed only of letters and sometimes numbers (such as dl76674). If you don't know your user ID, visit Forgot User ID.

Faculty Access

Faculty who would like to use the myCSUNsoftware for teaching purposes can contact the IT Help Center to request access. Faculty who agree to use the myCSUNsoftware in such a way as to expand CSUN student knowledge and use of this resource may also request access.

Download Microsoft Office 

The Microsoft Office Suite which includes Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is now available for download. Visit the Microsoft Get Started, website, enter your CSUN email address ( ) and follow the instructions to complete the download process. For help, please contact the IT Help Center.  

FAQs

What Software is Available?

Software available to all students:

  • Microsoft Office (can be access from myCSUNsoftware and is available for download)
  • Aleks
  • AMOS
  • ArcGIS 3D (College of S&BS)
  • LibreOffice
  • Mathematica
  • PuTTY
  • R
  • SPSS

Software available to select disciplines:

  • AutoCAD 3D (Colleges of HHD & ECS)
  • Microsoft Project
  • Microsoft Visio
  • Microsoft Visual Studio
  • Raven
  • Solidworks (College of ECS)
  • LabVIEW
  • MyITLab
  • Cadence

myCSUNsoftware 3D Enhancements

Students in certain classes have access to enhanced versions of applications to utilize 3D functionality: ArcGIS (college of S&BS), AutoCAD (colleges of HHD & ECS), and SolidWorks (college of ECS).

How do I request additional software?
To add additional software to myCSUNsoftware, visit myCSUNsoftware - Requesting Software.

General Access FAQs

How do I access myCSUNsoftware? 
Go to mycsunsoftware.csun.edu and sign in with your CSUN user ID and password.

Can I access myCSUNsoftware from home? 
Yes. myCSUNsoftware can be accessed at any time, from any location.

Can I access myCSUNsoftware from a Mac, PC or Linux?
Yes. myCSUNsoftware can be accessed from any device with an Internet connection. Download the Citrix plug-in client. The system will prompt you for the download if the computer you are using does not have it.

Can I use my iPad, iPhone, or Android device to access myCSUNsoftware?
Yes. You will need to download a Citrix Receiver app. For instructions, view the myCSUNsoftware User Guide (.pdf)

Can I access myCSUNsoftware from multiple systems at the same time?
Yes. You can run myCSUNsoftware on a Windows, Mac and Linux operating system and these can run concurrently.

Can I print within the application?
Yes. Printing within the virtual application is the same as printing in any other application locally installed on your system.

Can I access the myCSUNsoftware storage drive when I’m not in the myCSUNsoftware environment?
Yes. The myCSUNsoftware storage drive can be accessed outside of the myCSUNsoftware environment so you have access to your files. Accessing these files is done by mapping to the myCSUNsoftware storage much like you do for myCSUNbox. For instructions, view the myCSUNsoftware User Guide (.pdf).

Will my sessions time out if there is inactivity?
When using myCSUNsoftware, be aware that there are two different timeouts; one is the webpage timeout and the other is the program or application timeout. Without activity, the webpage times out after 15 minutes and will prompt you to log back in. Even if the webpage times out, the application will continue to run for up to 90 minutes without any activity, and then it will close. Within that 90 minute period, you can log in to the webpage, launch the same applications and you will still be able to save your work. If the application is inactive for 120 minutes, it will disconnect and work will be lost. Remember to save your work often.  

Is myCSUNsoftware ever unavailable?
To keep myCSUNsoftware running optimally, scheduled maintenance takes place on Saturdays from midnight to 6 a.m. and access may be intermittent during this time. 

Microsoft Office FAQs

How many copies of Microsoft Office can I download?
You can install Microsoft Office on up to 5 personal computers. 

Can I install Microsoft Office on a Mac?
Yes

What versions of Office are available?
Office 2016

Technical FAQs

What do I do when I see a white screen, java error or .ica error once I attempt to launch software after I log in?
Log in to myCSUNsoftware. From the main menu, select the Settings link located in the grey bar at top right. In the Settings window under the General heading, select the Run Client Detection link. Next, when prompted, install the Citrix client plug-in, close the browser, save all work and restart your computer. Log in to myCSUNsoftware, return to the Settings window under the General heading and confirm that it reads, The Native Client is currently selected. You should now be ready to launch software in myCSUNsoftware.

When I try to launch an application, how do I get past the prompt that tells me to save or open an .ica file, even though I am I logged in and have the Citrix client plug-in installed?
The Citrix client plug-in may have been downloaded to your computer, but not installed. Find the Downloaded file and Run the installation process. You may need to re-download the plug-in. If so, log in to myCSUNsoftware, choose settings and select native client check. Follow the prompts to re-download the client, find the file downloaded, and run through the installation process. Once complete, re-visit the log in page and you should be able to access applications.

Why can’t I print?
You may be using a printer that cannot be detected or has an outdated printer driver. 

Where do I save my work? 
myCSUNsoftware provides a high speed storage option. The recommended storage option is the network share drive: ZDrive or (Z:). The ZDrive is also identified with a short description such as \\vslfiles. You also have the ability to save to your local computer, portable flash drive or myCSUNbox.

When I’m using the virtual application, how can I see my computer drives such as C, F, etc. to locate my files?
Check the Citrix profile settings:

  • On a Mac: Select System Preferences (the Apple menu). In the Other heading, select the Citrix Online Plug-in menu. From the Citrix Online Plug-in dialog box, select the Devices tab. Under the Mapped Drives section, select the drive you are accessing and change the Read and Write columns to Always or Ask me first.
  • On a PC: With the myCSUNsoftware program running, select the Citrix iconin the bottom right corner of your Windows Task Bar. The Citrix Connection Center dialog box opens. Under the Session Security section, change the Files field and USB/Other Devices field to Always or Ask Permission.

Is there something I can do if myCSUNsoftware is running slowly?
To improve the performance, check the following:

  • Ensure you are accessing your saved file from the myCSUNsoftware high speed file storage. If your saved file resides in a place other than the myCSUNsoftware high speed file storage, try saving your file to the myCSUNsoftware storage and open it within the myCSUNsoftware environment. (Indicate that it is the Z: or it will be labeled as ‘vsfiles’) 
  • Verify the Citrix client plug-in is installed and running. 
  • Verify your Internet connection is DSL or greater. The recommended minimum speed for accessing myCSUNsoftware is 100kbps or .1mbps. To check your connection speed, go to http://www.speakeasy.net/speedtest/.