3 Ways to Reactivate Users in Google Workspace

When a Google Workspace account sits inactive, shared documents stall, email threads break, and teammates scramble for access. If you manage IT, you’ve probably felt that spike of panic when someone suddenly needs their login restored.

This article walks through three safe ways to reactivate dormant users, no command-line deep dives or marathon support calls required. By the end, you’ll know which option fits each scenario and how to turn credentials back on without disruption.

Table of Contents

• Use Google Workspace's UI
• Use Torii
• Use Google Workspace's API

Use Google Workspace’s UI

Restoring a suspended Google Workspace user is quick when you stick to the Admin console and avoid the API. The steps below usually take less than a minute.

Step 1: Sign in with the right role

• Go to admin.google.com.
• Sign in using a super-admin or user-management admin account.

Step 2: Open the Users page

• From the Admin console home, choose Directory.
• Click Users.

Step 3: Filter for suspended accounts

• At the top, open the “User status” drop-down.
• Choose Suspended to show only suspended users.

Step 4: Select the user that needs to return

• Click the person’s name to open their account page.
• Double-check you’ve got the right user: look for their primary email address and any aliases.

Step 5: Reactivate

• On the banner at the top of the account page, click Reactivate.
• Confirm by clicking Reactivate again.
• If Google suspended the account for abuse, you’ll see extra prompts to acknowledge that you’ve reviewed the situation.

Step 6: Reset or keep the password (optional)

• Google offers to send a reset link. Choose:
• Keep existing password, or
• Send reset instructions to the user’s recovery email.

Step 7: Let the user know

• Tell them they’re back in action.
• If you forced a password reset, remind them to check their recovery mailbox.

Use Torii

Instead of reinstating a user inside Google Workspace, handle the job through Torii, a SaaS Management Platform (SMP). SMPs give teams one place to track SaaS licenses and integrations, letting you automate onboarding, offboarding, subscription monitoring, and more.

Google Workspace needs a manual click-through, but Torii can tie the same step to an automated sequence. Events like a new-hire start date, a returning employee, or a contract renewal can trigger the workflow and save time every time it runs.

To reactivate a Google Workspace user directly from Torii, follow these steps:

1. Get started with Torii

Contact Torii and request your free two-week proof-of-concept.

2. Link Google Workspace to Torii

Once your Torii environment is up, connect your existing Google Workspace tenant. Follow the instructions in the official Google Workspace integration guide: Google Workspace integration steps.

3. Build a Torii workflow that reactivates the user

In Torii’s Workflows tab, create a new automation: choose your trigger, then add the action to reactivate the user in Google Workspace. From that point on, whenever the trigger fires, the user’s status in Google Workspace will be updated automatically.

Use Google Workspace’s API

Below you’ll flip a suspended Google Workspace account back to active using the Directory API. No Admin console clicks, only API calls.

1. Get an access token with the right scope

• Make sure the Directory API is turned on in your Google Cloud project.
• Request an OAuth 2.0 token that includes this scope:

https://www.googleapis.com/auth/admin.directory.user

• If you use a service account, enable domain-wide delegation and impersonate a super admin.

gcloud auth application-default print-access-token

Save the token; you’ll pass it in the next call.

2. Build the PATCH request

To reactivate the user, change the suspended field from true to false.

PATCH https://admin.googleapis.com/admin/directory/v1/users/{userKey}

Replace {userKey} with the user’s primary email or unique ID.

Request body:

{
    "suspended": false
}

3. Send the call

Below is a straightforward curl example you can run from any terminal. Swap in the access token and user key you grabbed earlier.

curl -X PATCH \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $ACCESS_TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"suspended": false}' \
"https://admin.googleapis.com/admin/directory/v1/users/[email protected]"

A successful 200 response returns the updated user object for confirmation.

4. Confirm the change

Always double-check that the suspended field in the response now reads false. If you need extra peace of mind, run a quick GET on the same user:

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $ACCESS_TOKEN" \
"https://admin.googleapis.com/admin/directory/v1/users/[email protected]?fields=id,primaryEmail,suspended"

After the GET request returns, the suspended field should display false; that means you’re done.

Torii for SaaS Management

Ready to take command of your growing SaaS stack and trim the noise? Let us know. Torii’s SaaS Management Platform helps you to:

• Uncover unauthorized software: Our discovery engine scans your environment around the clock, surfacing apps that slipped through the cracks.
• Reduce spend: Cut waste by pruning inactive licenses and overlapping subscriptions.
• Automate employee lifecycle tasks: Streamline onboarding and offboarding to save hours and prevent errors.
• Receive proactive renewal reminders: Stay ahead of every contract deadline with timely alerts.

Torii brings Finance, IT, and Security teams together with a single source of truth.

Get the full story and request a demo at Torii.