Removing a user safely
How to remove a Google Workspace user when someone leaves your organization — what to do before you delete, how to transfer their files, and how to recover if you make a mistake.
When someone leaves your organization, you need to remove their Google Workspace account. But deleting an account right away can mean losing their emails and files forever. This guide walks you through the safe way to do it.
Quick summary
Before deleting, transfer their files and emails to someone else. Then suspend the account to cut off access immediately. Take a few days to make sure nothing was missed, then delete the account. You have 20 days after deletion to recover a deleted user.
What you'll need
Admin access required 15–30 minutes- Admin access to the Google Admin console
- Somewhere to transfer the leaving user's files (usually a manager or replacement)
Step 1 — Suspend the account immediately
Suspending an account cuts off the user's access right away — they can't sign in, read email, or access files. Their data is preserved. This is the first thing to do when someone leaves.
Go to admin.google.com and sign in.
Click Users, then find and click the leaving user's name.
Click More options (the three-dot menu near the top), then click Suspend user.
Confirm the suspension. The user is locked out immediately.
Step 2 — Transfer their files and email
Before deleting an account, transfer its data to someone else. This ensures nothing is lost.
In the Admin console, click Users, then click the suspended user's name.
Click More options, then click Transfer data (or look for a "Transfer ownership" option on their account page).
Choose what to transfer. You can transfer Drive files, Docs, and Calendar data. Select everything unless you have a specific reason not to.
Enter the destination account. This is usually the manager or the person taking over their responsibilities. Type their email address.
Click Transfer. The transfer runs in the background and may take a few minutes to hours depending on how much data there is.
Email isn't transferred the same way
Drive files transfer to the new owner easily. Gmail messages can't be transferred in the same way. To retain their email history, you can use Google Vault (if your plan includes it) or set up email forwarding before deleting the account. See Transferring files when someone leaves for more detail.
Step 3 — Set up email forwarding (optional but recommended)
If people may still send email to the leaving user's address, set up forwarding so those messages go to the right person.
Go to the Admin console and open Apps → Google Workspace → Gmail → User settings.
Alternatively, while the account is still active (or suspended), you can set up a routing rule from Apps → Google Workspace → Gmail → Routing.
A simpler option: keep the account suspended for 30 days, then create a group or alias at their old email address that forwards to the right person.
Step 4 — Delete the account
Once you're sure all data has been transferred and any important email is saved:
In the Admin console, find the user in the Users list.
Click the user's name, then click More options → Delete user.
Follow the prompts. Google may ask you again about data transfer — double-check the destination account.
Confirm deletion. The account is deleted and the seat is freed from your subscription.
You have 20 days to undo a deletion
After you delete a user, you can recover the account for up to 20 days. After that, the data is gone permanently. See Recovering a deleted user or files if you need to undo a deletion.
Checklist before deleting
- Account is suspended (user can't log in)
- Drive files transferred to the right person
- Email forwarding set up if needed
- Shared drives they owned have had ownership reassigned
- They've been removed from any groups or aliases
- Any third-party apps that used their account have been updated
Common questions
Related guides
- Transferring files when someone leaves
- Recovering a deleted user or files
- Groups & email aliases
- Shared drives explained
- The Google Admin console, explained
Need a hand?
Learn more
Adding a user in Google Workspace
Step-by-step instructions for adding a new team member to your Google Workspace organization from the Admin console.
Resetting a user's password
How to reset a Google Workspace user's password from the Admin console — quick steps for admins when a team member is locked out.