Use the transfer tool to migrate unmanaged users

Use the Transfer tool for unmanaged users to see if you have any unmanaged personal Google accounts.

No unmanaged accounts? Go to Add new users or email addresses.

If you have unmanaged accounts, ask the users to convert them to Google Workspace accounts. You can view the status of requests sent and cancel them as necessary.

If a user accepts your request to transfer their account, you can manage that account. If the user declines, they are asked to rename their account with a different email address. They retain control of that account.

Note: You can't transfer unmanaged user accounts to a managed Google Workspace account if those users are members of a family group.

See if you have unmanaged accounts

You must be signed in as a super administrator for this task.

1. Sign in to your Google Admin console.

   Sign in using an account with super administrator privileges (does not end in @gmail.com).

2. In the Admin console, go to Menu  DirectoryUsers.
3. At the top, click More optionsTransfer tool for unmanaged users.
   The Unmanaged users page displays a list of all users that are currently unmanaged.

You can also open the list of unmanaged users from the Admin console Home page:

1. At the top, click Open .
2. Under Tools, click Transfer tool for unmanaged users.

Why can't I find a user that I know exists?

• A synchronization hasn't updated the data if you recently verified your domain or an unmanaged account was created. It can take up to 24 hours for accounts to appear.
• The user is on an alias domain. These accounts can't be transferred. The domain in the email address must be a primary or secondary domain.
• You can only transfer accounts if the primary email address of the user is an organization email address, not an alternate email address. When you create this user, their organization's email address is removed as an alternate from their existing account.
• The user has unsupported special characters in their email address. The user must remove the special characters before their account can be transferred.

If you have unmanaged accounts

To avoid conflicting accounts when adding unmanaged user accounts to Google Workspace, you have these two options:

• Option 1—Use the transfer tool to invite users to transfer their unmanaged account.
• Option 2—Require users to rename their unmanaged account and keep it separate from Google Workspace.

Changes can take up to 24 hours but typically happen more quickly. Learn more

Option 1: Invite users to transfer their unmanaged account 

Users you have not invited have Not yet invited in the Request status column.

See only Not yet invited users

1. Click Add a filterRequest status.
2. Select Not sent and click Apply. 
   The list displays users not yet invited.

Send a transfer request

1. Choose an option:
   • For a single user, point to the user's email address.
   • For multiple users, check the User email box at the top of the list of uninvited users.
2. Click Email transfer request.
   After the transfer request is sent, you get a confirmation message. The users' status changes to Invited.

Note: You can also send a bulk request using a CSV file. For details, see Use CSV to migrate unmanaged users.

Learn more about How users accept transfer requests.

Manage requests to transfer an account

When you ask users to transfer their account to your organization's managed Google account, you see Sent in the Request status column. On the left, select Sent and click Apply to see all users with pending requests.

After you send a transfer request, you can resend or cancel the request.

Resend a transfer request

1. Choose an option:
   • For a single user, point to the user's email address.
   • For multiple users, check the User email box at the top of the list of uninvited users.
2. Click Resend transfer request or Resend transfer requests.
   After the transfer request is sent, you receive a confirmation message. Each user's Request sent count is increased by 1.

Cancel a transfer request

1. Choose an option:
   • For a single user, point to the user's email address.
   • For multiple users, check the User email box at the top of the list of uninvited users.
2. Click Cancel transfer request or Resend transfer requests.
   After the cancellation request is sent, you receive a confirmation message. The user's email is removed from the Sent list and their Request status changes to Not yet invited.

Cancel automatic invitations

1. Point to the user's email address. 
2. Click Cancel automatic invitations.
   After you cancel the invitation, you get a confirmation message. The user's Request status changes to Invited or Not yet invited depending on whether they have already received any of the invitations.

When you cancel automatic invitations for a user, their account will be replaced with a managed account or not replaced depending on the setting under Conflicting accounts management. If the account is replaced, the replacement will happen at the time of the next account creation request.

For more details about what happens when an account is transferred, see Before using the transfer tool.

Option 2: Require users to rename their account

Important: If you require users to rename their account, the unmanaged account will remain as a separate Google Account and will not be part of Google Workspace.

Two accounts can’t have the same email address, so if a user with a conflicting account doesn't transfer their unmanaged account, they’ll need to rename it. Users have full control over renaming their personal accounts—administrators don't participate in this process.

To require users to rename their account:

1. Add the user to your managed Google Workspace account using the email address that they used for their personal account. For details, go to Options for adding users.
2. Tell the user to sign in to their personal account and change the email address associated with that account using one of the following options:
   • Create an account with a new Gmail address.
   • Rename their unmanaged account with a non-Gmail address that they already own.
   • Sign in to Google Workspace with a temporary username that Google provides (for example, [e-mail]).
3. If the user renames their unmanaged account with a non-Gmail address that they already own and you choose to keep the user's current email address:
   1. Delete the user’s Gmail address and set up a new Gmail address.
   2. Tell the user to validate their email at the new address.
   3. Rename the account to the user's primary email address.
   4. Invite the user to Google Workspace using the Transfer tool for unmanaged users.
4. If the user signs in to Google Workspace with a temporary username that Google provides, they’re prompted to rename the account every time they sign in until they select one of the other options.

See what users decide to do

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How users accept transfer requests

Users get an email when you send them a transfer request. In the email, they can click Transfer my account. If they do, they’re prompted to sign in to their personal Google account, if they are not already signed in. 

The user must agree to certain terms to start the transfer. To read details about the agreement, go to What happens to the user’s data.

If they transfer, the user’s status changes to Accepted. To see only these users, on the left, select Accepted.

What happens if a user declines to transfer?

If the user clicks Decline request in the email, their status changes to Declined. After you create their managed Google account, they're prompted to rename their personal account the next time they sign in.

To see all users who declined a request, on the left, select Declined. You can send a new transfer request if the user declined by mistake.

What happens if a user ignores the request?

You can create an account in your organization's managed Google account with the same email address as the user. After you create their managed Google Account, they're prompted to rename their personal account the next time they sign in.

What happens to the user's data?

If the user accepts the transfer request, you can:

• Manage the account.

  Note: The new Google account can't manage any Sites or secondary calendars created by the user before the transfer. 

• Access and delete data in the account.
• Restrict access to Google services.

When a user renames their personal account, the data in their personal account:

• Stays in their personal account.
• Is safe and accessible only to them.