Bulk Archive Google Workspace Users from Sheets

Transitioning departing employees to Archive User (AU) licenses offers domain administrators significant subscription cost savings while preserving user mailboxes and Google Drive assets for eDiscovery. SheetOps provides an automated spreadsheet workflow for bulk archiving and reactivating user accounts at scale.

---

Understanding User Archiving Mechanics

In SheetOps, every user row contains a Status column (status). By modifying this value to Archived, you instruct SheetOps to make an API update to archive the user. Under the hood, SheetOps sets the archived flag to true and the suspended flag to false in the Google directory payload.

Google Admin Console vs. GAM vs. SheetOps for User Archiving

While you can archive users manually in the Google Admin Console or write terminal scripts using GAM, SheetOps provides a safer, faster way to manage archiving at scale:

---

How to Bulk Archive Google Workspace Users

1. Prepare Your Spreadsheet Template

To target and update users, you have two options to bring them into the sheet:

• Fetch with Filters: Go to Extensions → SheetOps → Users, select Fetch with Filters, and choose your target criteria (such as a specific organizational unit) to bring existing users to the sheet. For a detailed guide on how to filter workspace users, refer to the filtering guide. Once imported, you can archive accounts as needed.
• Just the Sheet: Go to Extensions → SheetOps → Users, select Just the Sheet, and click Create Sheet to generate a clean template. You can then simply input the user email and change their status.

2. Modify Status to Archived

In the user sheet, locate the Status column (the third-to-last column):

• For the first user you want to archive, select Archived from the dropdown menu.
• Bulk Action Tip: Instead of manually selecting the dropdown for every single row, you can select the "Archived" value on the first row, click and hold the fill handle (the small square in the bottom-right corner of the cell), and drag it down over the other user rows. This instantly copies the Archived status across all selected rows.
• All cells with pending data or updates will highlight yellow.

3. Selecting Multiple User Accounts for Batch Archival

To process multiple account archival requests simultaneously without checking boxes one by one:

1. Click on the initial Apply Changes checkbox cell alongside your first archived user row.
2. Select the full range of target departing user rows:
   • Mouse Drag: Press and drag your cursor downward across the checkbox cells.
   • Shift + Click: Hold down Shift and click the final user row checkbox in your spreadsheet table.
3. Tap Spacebar to toggle all highlighted user checkboxes in a single action.

4. Confirming Batch User Account Archival

Pressing the Spacebar brings up the execution modal. Choose No (Update) to instruct SheetOps to convert the selected accounts to archived status, applying the archived: true flag in the Google Directory API while maintaining data retention rules.

5. Monitoring User Archival Execution Logs and License Transfer

While SheetOps processes account status transitions in the background:

• Yellow edited cell highlights disappear as API status updates complete.
• The Change log column displays execution outcomes:
  • ✓ Updated (highlighted in soft green) when license reassignment and archiving succeed.
  • ✗ error_message (in soft red) if the domain lacks available Archive User (AU) license SKUs.

---

How to Reactivate Archived Users

If you need to restore access to an archived user account, you can perform the exact same update flow but change their status back to active:

1. Locate the suspended user row in your sheet (or use Fetch with Filters and set User type to Archived to load them).
2. Change the value in the Status column to Active. You can also use the drag-to-fill handle to restore multiple users in bulk.
3. Check the Apply Changes column for those rows (using the multi-select Spacebar trick for bulk operations).
4. Click apply, and in the interactive confirmation dialog, select No (Update).
5. Once complete, the Change log will display ✓ Updated, and the user's login access will be immediately restored.

---

Troubleshooting & Best Practices

• Archive Licensing: Your Google Workspace domain must have Google Workspace Archive User licenses available. If you try to archive a user and do not have these licenses, the API call will fail.
• Service Access: Archived users cannot log in or receive new emails. Their mailbox will bounce incoming messages unless forwarding is set up prior to archiving.
• Vault Searchability: Google Vault continues to index and preserve the archived user's data. You can search, hold, and export their Google Drive files and Gmail messages for eDiscovery.
• License Cost Savings: Archiving is significantly cheaper than keeping users active or suspended. While suspended accounts continue to incur full subscription fees, converting accounts to Archive User (AU) licenses typically costs between $1.50 and $7.00 per user/month (representing a 75% to 80% cost reduction), while still preserving data securely. If you only need temporary login restrictions, refer to our bulk suspend guide. If you wish to permanently purge user data, see our bulk delete guide. For details on licensing policies and procurement, see the official Google Workspace Admin Help Center.

---

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the difference between suspending and archiving a user?

Suspended users retain their regular Workspace license, meaning your domain is billed at the full rate. If you only need temporary login restrictions and don't need to save on licensing, refer to our bulk suspend guide. Archived users are converted to Archive User (AU) licenses, which are significantly cheaper. Both states block user login and preserve data.

Can I search files owned by archived users using Google Vault?

Yes! One of the primary benefits of archiving is that Google Vault continues to index and preserve the user's data. You can search, hold, and export their Google Drive files and Gmail messages for eDiscovery.

Can an archived user receive email messages?

No. When an account is archived, Google Workspace blocks incoming mail delivery for their primary address and aliases, and senders will receive a bounce message. If you need to receive messages, set up email forwarding or a routing rule before archiving the account.

Last updated: June 18, 2026