IntermediateLesson 3 of 39 min
What happens when someone leaves
Suspend, transfer or delete. See what each choice does to the files.
The most painful file loss in Google Workspace is avoidable. It happens when an account is deleted before anyone moves the files that person owned in My Drive.
Choose what the admin does and see what happens to each kind of file.
Try it
Someone just left the company
Sam from Sales has left. Sam has 120 files in My Drive, belongs to 3 shared drives, and shared 14 files with clients.
The admin decides to
The right way. Everything the team needs survives.
Their My Drive files Fine
Moved to the person you choose, inside a folder named after the leaver.
Files they shared with coworkers Fine
Still open. The new owner now controls them.
Files they shared outside the company Needs attention
Still shared. Ask the new owner to review them.
Shared drive files Fine
No change. The company owns them.
Their license Fine
Freed once the account is deleted.
The safe offboarding order
- Step 1. Remove the person from their groups. Their access to shared drives ends.
- Step 2. Transfer their My Drive files to a manager or teammate. In the Admin console this is under Apps, Google Workspace, Drive and Docs, Transfer ownership.
- Step 3. Suspend or delete the account.
Finished this lesson?
Facts checked November 12, 2026