Reference
The Archived User licence in Google Workspace
An Archived User licence in Google Workspace retains a departed employee's data for Vault search and export for up to 1 licence per departed user at a fraction of a full seat price, with 0 sign-in access for that account. It requires an edition that includes Vault, such as Business Plus or Enterprise.
| Archived User | Data retained and searchable in Vault, no sign-in, reduced licence cost |
|---|---|
| Suspended | Data retained, no sign-in, full licence still billed |
| Deleted | Restorable for 20 days, then removed unless Vault retention applies |
| Requirement | An edition that includes Vault |
| Typical use | Leavers whose mail must stay searchable for a retention period |
The billing mistake this exists to fix
Suspending a leaver keeps their data but keeps billing the full seat. Estates we audit frequently carry suspended accounts that have been paid for over several renewal cycles because nobody revisited the offboarding decision.
Converting those accounts to Archived User licences keeps the same data searchable in Vault at a fraction of the cost, and it makes the retention decision explicit rather than accidental.
When archiving is the wrong answer
If the mailbox still needs to receive mail, archiving is wrong: use a group or a delegated alias so messages reach the team covering the role. An archived account cannot receive anything.
If nobody has a retention reason for keeping the data, deletion is the honest choice. Paying to retain data with no legal or operational reason increases both cost and exposure.
What we see that others don't say
Suspended leaver accounts billed at full price are among the largest recoverable line items we find during pre-renewal seat audits, ahead of over-tiered licences for light users.
What this doesn't cover
- Archived User requires a Vault-inclusive edition; lower editions cannot use it.
- Archived data is searchable through Vault, not browsable through a normal Drive or Gmail interface.
Questions we get asked
- Is an archived user the same as a suspended user?
- No. A suspended account is still billed at the full seat price. An Archived User licence costs a fraction of a seat, blocks sign-in permanently and keeps the data available only through Vault search and export.
- Can an archived user's mailbox still receive email?
- No. Mail addressed to an archived account is not delivered. If the address must keep receiving, redirect it to a group or an active colleague before archiving the account.
How this page is verified
Reviewed by Pearl Lemon Cloud security desk, Workspace security and compliance reviewers. Last checked .
- Licence behaviour verified against Google's Archived User licence documentation at the review date.
- Cost recovery pattern drawn from pre-renewal seat audits we have performed.
Sources you can check
Related pages
Paying full price for people who left?
A seat audit lists every suspended and over-tiered account against actual usage and returns a costed change list before your renewal date.