Google Workspace admin: add staff and offboard someone who leaves

This guide shows how to add a staff member, reset a password or a lost phone, and remove someone who leaves, using the Google Admin console. It is written for owners and office managers of small businesses on Google Workspace.

Before you start

Everything below happens in the Google Admin console at admin.google.com.

1. Open a private window (Incognito in Chrome: Ctrl+Shift+N) so your admin account stays separate from your everyday account.
2. Sign in with your admin account. Your IT provider can tell you which account that is.
3. Click Directory > Users in the left menu. This list is the starting point for everything in this guide.

Add someone new

1. In Users, click Add new user.
2. Enter their first and last name and choose their email address.
3. Choose the right organizational unit if your office uses them (they control which settings and apps apply).
4. Copy the temporary password or have Google email the sign-in details, then click Add new user.
5. Add them to the right groups (such as a shared office@ or team address): open the user > Groups > Add user to groups.
6. Make sure they turn on 2-step verification on their first day. See Turn on 2-step verification in Google Workspace.

Reset a password or a lost phone

• Forgotten password: in Users, point at the person and click Reset password. Tick Ask for a password change at the next sign-in.
• Lost or stolen phone: reset their password, then go to Devices > Mobile & endpoints > Devices, find the phone and choose Wipe account (removes only the work account and its data) or, if the office manages the whole device, Wipe device.

Offboarding someone who leaves, in order

1. Reset their password and sign them out. Reset the password (as above), then open the user > Security > Sign-in cookies > Reset to sign them out everywhere.
2. Remove access from other apps and devices. On the same Security page, revoke app passwords and any connected applications, then wipe the work account from their phone (as above).
3. Transfer their Google Drive files to a manager. Go to Apps > Google Workspace > Drive and Docs > Transfer ownership, enter the departing person and the new owner, and click Transfer files. (You’ll also be offered a transfer when you delete the user.)
4. Keep their email. Decide what happens to it before you delete anything: export it first, or keep the account suspended for a while. After the account is deleted, you can add their address as an alternate email (alias) on a manager’s account so new messages still arrive.
5. Remove them from groups, then suspend or delete the account. Suspending blocks sign-in but keeps everything, and you still pay for the license. Deleting frees the license. Some plans offer an Archived User license that keeps their data at a lower cost.

Don’t delete first

A deleted user can only be restored for 20 days, and their email and files go with them unless you transferred or exported them. Work through the steps above in order, and suspend first if you’re not sure.

Related

• Google Workspace consulting
• Microsoft 365 admin: add staff, reset passwords and offboard someone who leaves
• Turn on 2-step verification in Google Workspace

More guides

• Is this email safe? The 60-second check (Outlook and Gmail)
• Microsoft 365 admin: add staff, reset passwords and offboard someone who leaves
• Microsoft 365 Copilot: what it does, where to find it, and how to use it safely
• Set up Microsoft Authenticator and Outlook on your phone (iPhone and Android)
• How to check your email's SPF, DKIM and DMARC records (and what the results mean)
• How to send an encrypted email in Outlook (Microsoft 365)
• How to open an encrypted email sent from Microsoft 365 (Outlook)
• What goes in a WISP: a checklist for small tax offices
• Share files with clients securely from OneDrive (expiring links, no attachments)
• Hand over HOA or office email when a board member or manager changes
• How to spot and report a phishing email in Outlook
• Get back a deleted email or file (Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace)
• Turn on 2-step verification in Google Workspace (and keep your backup codes)
• Share files with clients securely from Google Drive

Microsoft and Google change their menus from time to time, so a button may have moved. These guides are general information for small businesses; check with your IT provider before changing settings that affect everyone.