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What to Expect for IT Help This Winter Closure

Important availability details to note for winter closure 2025-2026

This year, Stanford's winter closure will take place from Dec. 22, 2025, through Jan. 2, 2026.

That means University IT (UIT) will offer limited IT support to the Stanford community starting at 6 p.m. PST on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, until 7 a.m. PST on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026.

Working Winter Closure? We've Got You Covered. Dec - Jan Calendar. Normal Support: Dec. 19 & Jan 5. Limited Support: Dec 22-23, 26, 29-31 & Jan. 2. Closed: Dec. 24, 25, & Jan. 1. Snowman Holding Laptop.

During winter closure, limited UIT support will be available for offices and labs that remain open on the main campus and the Redwood City campus, for Stanford healthcare organizations, and for those who might be working at home.

What support will stay available and when?

The UIT Service Desk will have support available during the break, with noted exceptions and priorities below, and urgent after-hours calls will be handled by the 24x7 IT Operations Center (ITOC). This ensures support is provided for our Stanford community.

Review these details to be prepared for how to request help:

  • By phone at 650-725-4357 (5-HELP): The UIT Service Desk staff will be available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST Monday through Friday by phone during the break, with the exception of the holidays on Dec. 24, Dec. 25, and Jan. 1. After hours, widespread, or operationally-impacting issues will be handled by the ITOC, which will be open 24x7 during the break, monitoring all critical UIT systems and services.
  • Online requests at services.stanford.edu: Online requests will be monitored throughout the winter closure during the hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST, with the exception of weekends, Dec. 24, Dec. 25, and Jan. 1; priority response will be given to urgent requests related to full service outages.

Non-emergency requests that require the support of UIT or distributed support groups, which are not staffed during winter closure, will be addressed when UIT teams return to full staffing levels on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026.

To report an emergency or a critical need at any time during the break, call the UIT Service Desk at 650-725-4357 (5-HELP).

Where can I learn more?

For the full list of UIT department support during the winter closure, visit itwinterclosure.stanford.edu.

Bonus! Tips you can use this holiday season

Remember to stay safe this holiday season with these 12 IT safety tips.

And if you think you might be getting a new phone over the holidays (lucky you!), be sure to prepare for getting a new smartphone.

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DISCLAIMER: UIT News is accurate on the publication date. We do not update information in past news items. We do make every effort to keep our service information pages up-to-date. Please search our service pages at uit.stanford.edu/search.