When an employee leaves your company, it's important to remove their access to your Google Workspace account to maintain security and free up a license. However, simply hitting "delete" can cause irreversible data loss. This guide will walk you through the safe way to offboard a user.
Crucial Steps BEFORE You Delete a User
Warning: Once you delete a user, you have only 20 days to restore their account before their data is permanently erased. It is highly recommended to complete these steps first.
1. Suspend the User Immediately
Instead of deleting them right away, suspend their account first. This immediately blocks their access to email, Drive, and all other services, securing your data while giving you time to safely transfer it.
- Go to the Google Admin console (admin.google.com).
- Go to Directory > Users.
- Hover over the user and click More options (three dots) > Suspend user.
2. Transfer Their Drive and Calendar Data
If the user owns important company files or manages team calendars, you must transfer ownership to another active user (like a manager or a dedicated admin account).
- In the Admin console, go to Apps > Google Workspace > Drive and Docs.
- Select Transfer ownership.
- Enter the email of the user you are deleting (From) and the user who will receive the files (To).
- Click Transfer Files.
3. Manage Their Email
Decide what needs to happen with their old emails and any new emails sent to their address.
- Export Data: Use the Data Export tool in the Admin console if you need to keep a legal archive of their mailbox.
- Set up an Alias or Forwarding: Once deleted, you can add their old email address as an alias to another user (e.g., their manager) to ensure no important client emails are missed.
How to Delete the User Account
Once you are 100% sure all data has been secured and transferred, you can proceed with deletion.
- Go back to Directory > Users in the Admin console.
- Check the box next to the user(s) you want to remove.
- Click More options > Delete user.
- You may be prompted one last time to transfer data. If you have already done this, you can proceed.
- Click Delete User to confirm.
The user is now deleted, and their licence has been freed up for you to assign to someone else.
