How to archive suspended users with GAM

Google publishes its own GAM command for archiving every suspended account in an Education domain. Here it is, the preview to run first, and what archiving changes: the license it frees, and what it takes to bring an account back.

For years a suspended account was where a departed student or teacher ended up and stayed, still holding a license, because deleting it felt too final. Education domains now have a step in between. Google's words: "From March 2025, Google Workspace for Education editions support Archived User licenses." (Archive users in Education editions)

The short answer

See what you are about to archive first:

gam print users issuspended

Then Google's own command, exactly as Google publishes it:

gam print users query "isSuspended=True" | gam csv - gam update user ~primaryEmail archived on

Google introduces it carefully, and so should you: "The following GAM command is an example which should be tested prior to execution. This command will archive all suspended users". The same page is clear about support, too: "Google Cloud Support doesn't support Google Apps Manager (GAM) or other third-party solutions."

For a single account:

gam update user alice@example.org archived on

Archive a reviewed list, not the whole query

Google's command selects every suspended account, and "every" is rarely what you mean. A staff member on leave and an account suspended while something is looked into are both suspended, and neither is finished. Review the preview, keep the accounts you are sure about in a CSV file with a column named email, and archive from that instead:

gam csv reviewed.csv gam update user "~email" archived on

To work by age instead, find the accounts suspended for more than 90 days first.

What archiving changes

The license. "Archiving a user account changes their status to archived and assigns them an Archived User license, freeing up their former license." And: "When you archive a user account, their active Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals license becomes available to reassign to another user within 24 hours."

Suspended accounts are fine to archive. "You can archive both active and suspended users."

Mail. An archived account "Can't receive new email and calendar invitations as they are blocked when sent to the archived user's account."

The data. "If the user has an Archived User license, the user's data is protected according to Vault retention rules and you can search and export the data."

What you can do next. An archived account "Can be deleted or unarchived, but not suspended in the Admin console."

All of these are from Google's Archive users in Education editions page.

How many, and what it costs

"New accounts automatically receive 2,500 Archived User licenses. For existing institutions, the number of Archived User licenses received will match the quantity of Education Fundamentals licenses your domain is assigned when the transition takes place." And the line that settles most conversations: "This license type is free of charge."

Archiving depends on that transition: "When your institution transitions to the new Education Fundamentals licensing model, you can then archive a user individually or multiple users in bulk".

Getting one back

"To unarchive a user, you need an available Education Fundamentals or Gmail Only license." Archiving frees a license, and bringing the account back needs one again. Archive the accounts you are finished with, not the ones you are unsure about.

Sources

In ORINEX Workspace, offboarding suspends leavers and files them into your suspended OU, and the Users page lists every suspended account in one click: the list to work through before you archive. What ORINEX Workspace does.