Google Workspace setup FAQ

Below are common questions about using the Google Workspace Setup Wizard.

Manage your Google Workspace account

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What is an administrator?

Administrators manage Google Workspace settings, users, and billing. If you signed up for Google Workspace, you're an administrator. You can also assign administrator privileges to other users.

How do I sign in to Google Workspace if I'm signed in with another Google Account?

If you’re already signed in to another Google Account:

1. At the top right of the screen, click your profile image or initial and click Add another account.
2. Sign in using your Google Workspace username and password. Your username contains your domain name, such as [e-mail]. It is not your personal Gmail address.

Learn more about switching between Google accounts.

Where can I manage my Google Workspace settings?

You manage Google Workspace in the Admin console. Sign in to admin.google.com using your Google Workspace username. If you signed up for Google Workspace with a verified domain, your username is associated with your domain, for example, [e-mail]. If you signed up with a business email, your username is the email address you used to sign up.

What if I forgot my username and password?

If you signed up for Google Workspace with a verified domain, you chose your username during signup. If you forget your username, it’s included in your Google Workspace welcome email. If you signed up with a business email, your username is the email address you used to sign up.

If you forgot your password:

1. Go to admin.google.com.
2. Enter your Google Workspace email address. 
3. Click Forgot password?
4. Follow the instructions to reset your password.

If you’re still having trouble, learn more about accessing the Admin console.

How do I start using Google Workspace?

1. Go to drive.google.com to open Drive. Optionally, if you signed up with a verified domain, you can go to mail.google.com to open Gmail.
2. If you’re already signed in to another Google Account, at the top right of the screen, click your profile image or initial and click Add another account.
3. Sign in using your Google Workspace username and password.  If you signed up for Google Workspace with a verified domain, your username contains your domain name, such as [e-mail]. If you signed up with a business email, your username is the email address you used to sign up. It is not your personal Gmail address.

Learn more about switching between Google accounts.

After you sign in to Google Workspace, you can switch between services and apps:

1. At the top right of the screen, click the App Launcher .
2. Click the app you want to use.

Where can I get help?

• Contact the support team for live step-by-step help.
• Set up Google Workspace for your organization with our quick start guides.
• Get tips and tutorials for using Google Workspace products in the Google Workspace Learning Center.

Manage your users

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How do I add users, and how many can I add?

Before people on your team can sign in and access Google Workspace services, they need a user account.

During your free trial

You can create up to 10 user accounts during your trial period. If you’re using the Setup Wizard, follow the steps in the wizard to add users. If you’re not using the Setup Wizard, learn more about adding users.

After the trial or if you need more users

When the trial ends or if you want to add more than 10 users during the trial, you must start paid service by signing up for a Flexible or Annual/Fixed-Term payment plan. (Annual/Fixed-Term Plan availability depends on your subscription and how you signed up for your service.) 

If you’re using the Setup Wizard, select the Manual Setup option to open the Admin console and then click Billing to set up a payment plan.

When you set up a payment plan, you can add up to 50 users. If you need more than 50 users, you can add them in your Admin console after setup if you have a verified domain. Or, if you signed up with a business email, you can invite users to join Google Workspace. To learn more, go to Options for adding users.

If you need more than 50 users right when you sign up, contact Google Workspace support. You might need to make a prepayment in this case. For details, go to How does billing apply to added or deleted users? later on this page.

Related topics

• Flexible Plan
• Annual/Fixed-Term Plan
• Contact Google Workspace support

How do I add email addresses such as [e-mail] or [e-mail]?

Applies only if you signed up with a verified domain

You don’t need to add email addresses as user accounts. Instead, you can create email aliases and group addresses for your business communications. These types of addresses are free and don’t count towards your Google Workspace user licenses.

Email aliases (good for one person): For example, you create the address, [e-mail], for customers to contact your company. You can add the address as an alias to your business address, [e-mail]. Now, messages sent to [e-mail] also arrive in [e-mail] Gmail inbox. Learn about creating aliases.

Group addresses (good for teams): If your team needs a business address like sales@your-company or support@your-company, you can create these addresses as groups. Then everyone in your Sales team can receive messages sent to [e-mail] in their inbox. Learn about creating groups.

Which users should I add?

Applies only if you signed up with a verified domain

If you already have email set up (for example, you receive email at [e-mail]), you add everyone who has an existing email address at your domain. This ensures that they continue receiving email when you switch your email to Google Workspace. Review more information about setting up email for your team.

Advanced options: If you have any of these types of email addresses already set up for your domain:

• Mailing lists for your team (such as [e-mail])
• Email aliases
• Email for more than one domain

Then you’ll choose the Manual Setup option in the upper right of the Setup Wizard. This option takes you to the Google Admin console. In the Admin console, you’ll verify that you own your domain, and then add all of your users, email aliases, and domains before switching to Google Workspace.

Can I rename or delete a user?

Rename a user

Applies only if you signed up with a verified domain

Yes, you can change the user’s first and last name or their email address. The user can continue to receive messages sent to their old email address, or you can assign that email address to a new user.

Delete a user

If you signed up with a verified domain—You can delete a user from your Google Workspace account, which removes their access and deletes their Google Workspace data. You also have options to transfer or download the user’s account data.

You can also suspend a user, which blocks them from accessing their account, but preserves their data. You’ll continue to be billed for the user and can restore the user’s access at any time.

If you signed up with a business email address—You can remove a user from your organization’s Google Workspace account. Removing a user doesn’t delete their personal account or affect their data. If you remove a user, you can reinvite them at any time.

How does billing apply to added or deleted users?

If you contact Google Workspace support to add more than 50 users during account setup, you might need to make a payment in advance to cover the cost of the number of users you need over 50. For example, to add 100 users, you might need to make a prepayment for the cost of 50 users. After you make the payment, support can increase your user limit. This prepayment is not an extra fee. We apply it to your billing account as a credit to be used for future payments.

After account setup, billing for users depends on your payment plan:

• Flexible Plan—You can add (for domain-verified accounts), invite (for email-verified accounts), and delete users at any time. You pay only for services used each month. For details, go to Flexible Plan.
• Annual/Fixed-Term Plan—You commit to Google Workspace for a full year. You can add more licenses at any time. However, you can only reduce licenses at the end of your contract. If you delete a user, you can reassign their license to any new user you add or invite.

  Annual/Fixed-Term Plan availability depends on your subscription and how you signed up for your service. For details, go to Annual/Fixed-Term Plan.

How should I notify my team about switching to Google Workspace?

Applies only if you signed up with a verified domain (If you signed up for Google Workspace with a business email, any user you invite gets an invitation email.)

The Setup Wizard sends a welcome message to the users you add. The notification includes their username, a temporary password, and a brief message about the switch to Google Workspace. You can also add a personalized note to the welcome message.

The Setup Wizard sends the welcome message immediately. However, your users’ accounts become active only after you verify your domain ownership in the Setup Wizard. (If new users try to sign in before then, they’ll receive a message that their account doesn’t exist.)

Tips for the welcome message:

• In the personalized message section, add a note that you’ll let your team know when to sign in to their new Google Workspace account.
• When you’re adding addresses to receive the welcome message, be sure that those addresses can already receive email.

Migrate your data to Google Workspace

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Can I import or migrate my existing email and contacts to Google Workspace

Applies only if you signed up with a verified domain

Yes, when switching to Google Workspace from another application or service, like Microsoft Outlook, you can bring your existing mail, contacts, and calendar data with you. You have a variety of options for migrating data into Google Workspace, depending on the size of your organization and the system you’re migrating from. Learn more about migration options.

What if I don’t want to switch email now or just want to use Drive and Docs?

Applies only if you signed up with a verified domain

If you’re using the Setup Wizard, choose the Manual Setup option in the upper right. You’ll leave the Setup Wizard and go to the Admin console. You’ll follow steps to:

1. Verify your domain ownership
2. Add your users
3. Set up billing (optional during trial)

After that, you can use Google Workspace services, such as Drive and Meet. However, you won’t be able to use Gmail until you set up your email MX records to point to Google Workspace servers.

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