Restore a suspended user

As an administrator for your organization's Google Workspace or Cloud Identity service, you can restore suspended user accounts that were:

• Suspended by you or another administrator to temporarily block their access.
• Automatically suspended by Google systems for being at risk.
• Temporarily restricted from using their Gmail account for exceeding account limits (Google Workspace only).
• Automatically suspended from Gmail for potential spam abuse (Google Workspace only).

Once restored, users can sign in and access all their services and data.

Restore an individual user

1. Sign in to your Google Admin console.

   Sign in using your administrator account (does not end in @gmail.com).

2. From the Admin console Home page, go to Users.
3. Above the Users list, click Add a filter and choose User status.
   
   
    
4. Check the Suspended box and click Apply.
5. In the Users list, hover over the suspended user and click MoreReactivate.

   

     You can also find this option at the top-left of the user's account page, under More .
6. Click Reactivate to confirm.

   Note: If the Reactivate option isn't available, check "More recovery options" below for possible reasons.

Restore users in bulk

You can restore suspended users in bulk using a CSV file or the Admin SDK APIs.

Use a CSV file

To restore multiple users using a CSV file, follow the directions in Add several users at once.

In the downloaded CSV template, in the New Status [Upload Only] column, enter Active.

Use the Admin SDK APIs

To restore multiple users using the Admin SDK APIs, follow the directions on the Users: update page. Set the suspended boolean variable to False for each user.

More recovery options

You can’t restore an account that was suspended for abuse or for breaching the ​Google Workspace​ or Cloud Identity Terms of Service. The reason why a user was suspended appears at the top of their account page. See the following recovery options.

Error message	Recovery options
Suspended by admin	The user was manually suspended by you or another administrator. You can restore the user by clicking the Reactivate link.
Automatically suspended The user is underage	The user signed up for an additional Google service (such as Google Wallet) and entered a birthday that didn't meet the minimum age requirements. In compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), Google will delete the user after 30 days. If the user entered their birthday incorrectly, they have 30 days to sign in at accounts.google.com and submit proof of age. Google administrators can correct the user’s age directly through the Google Admin console. Note: Education edition customers have different age requirements and should contact Google Cloud Support if a student under the age of 13 has been suspended.
Automatically suspended Unverified sign-in	There are two possible causes for the suspension: Cause 1: The user was suspended for engaging in abusive activity, such as phishing or spamming. The user can recover their account by signing in at accounts.google.com and following the on-screen instructions. Depending on the type and severity of the abuse, the user will be prompted to either clear a CAPTCHA or enter a verification code sent to their mobile phone. Cause 2: The user's account was added along with many other accounts within a short period of time, such as when you add multiple users at once using a CSV file or manually add many accounts quickly. The user can activate their account by signing in at accounts.google.com and entering a verification code sent to their mobile phone.
Automatically suspended The user might be at risk	The user was suspended after Google systems detected potentially suspicious sign-in activity. Before restoring the user, follow the steps in the Administrator security checklist. You can restore the user by clicking Reactivate.
Automatically suspended Didn't follow Google Terms of Service	The user was suspended for abuse by breaching the ​Google Workspace​ or Cloud Identity Terms of Service. Such accounts are unrecoverable—they can't be restored by a Google administrator or Google Cloud Support. Note that you also can't delete a user account that's been suspended for abuse.