3 Ways to Update User Information in Your Google Workspace Account

Keeping user records current in Google Workspace feels like a never-ending chore when people change roles, names, or locations. If directories drift out of date, email routing breaks, license counts climb, and audits hurt.

The good news: Workspace offers several paths to refresh profile fields, from quick fixes in the Admin console to bulk uploads and API calls. Picking the right route saves time and keeps data clean.

Table of Contents

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

Use Google Workspace’s UI

Here, you’ll use the Google Admin console to tweak a user’s profile.

1. Sign in with the right role

• Open your browser and go to admin.google.com to reach the Google Admin sign-in page.
• Use an account that holds User Management or Super Admin rights; otherwise the edit buttons stay gray.

2. Open the user list

• From the Admin console home page, open the Directory section to see user options.
• Select Users to display the full roster of people in your domain.

3. Find the person you want

• Scroll through the list or type the person’s name or email into the search bar.
• Click the matching result to open that user’s account page.

4. Jump to the info you need to change

• In the left panel, choose Account and then select User information to view profile fields.
• Several tabs, including Basic, Contact, and Employee details, appear for quick navigation.

5. Edit the fields

• Click the pencil icon sitting next to any field you need to update.
• Enter the new value; common edits include first or last name, job title, phone number, secondary email, or address.
• For a new primary email, click Rename Email, enter the new address, and decide if the old one should stay as an alias.

6. Save

• When you finish updating a section, click Save or Done to confirm the change.
• Changes sync across Gmail, Calendar, Drive, and the rest in a minute or two.

7. Double-check extras

• Group memberships, shared drives, and classrooms follow the new name automatically, but it’s smart to confirm any third-party apps that relied on the old username.

Use Torii

Instead of signing in to Google Workspace every time, use Torii to manage user details. The platform centralizes oversight of your SaaS apps and integrations, letting you onboard or offboard employees, review subscription data, and more, all from one place.

With Torii, the process is automated, removing the manual steps needed in Google Workspace. You can set up triggers for a new hire, an employee departure, or an upcoming contract renewal, and Torii will complete the user-update each time the trigger fires. This approach saves time when the task repeats often.

To refresh user information in Google Workspace directly from Torii, follow these instructions:

1. Sign up for Torii

Contact Torii to arrange a free, two-week proof of concept and start your trial.

2. Connect your Google Workspace account to Torii

Once your Torii instance is active, connect your Google Workspace tenant (assuming Workspace is already configured). You can follow these guidelines for the Google Workspace integration.

3. Create a Torii workflow for Google Workspace

Inside Torii, open the Workflows tab, pick a trigger, and add an action that updates user information in Google Workspace. When the trigger runs, Torii automatically pushes the changes to Workspace.

Use Google Workspace’s API

Need to tweak a user’s name, phone number, or org unit without opening the Admin console? The Admin SDK Directory API offers the users.patch method for that.

1. Make sure the Admin SDK is on

• Pick or create a Cloud project tied to your Workspace domain.
• Turn on the Admin SDK with gcloud services enable admin.googleapis.com.

2. Set up trusted access

• Create a service account in the same project.
• In the Admin console, give that service account domain-wide delegation.
• Add the scope https</b>://www.googleapis.com/auth/admin.directory.user when you delegate.

3. Trade credentials for an access token

# service-account.json is your key file
gcloud auth activate-service-account --key-file=service-account.json
gcloud auth print-access-token

Make sure to copy the token from the command output and store it somewhere secure.

4. Build the JSON payload

Include just the fields you plan to update, nothing more. When the patch request runs, any property you left out stays as it was before, so you won’t accidentally overwrite data.

{
    "name": {
        "givenName": "Alicia",
        "familyName": "Lopez"
    },
    "phones": [
        {
            "value": "+1-555-123-4567",
            "type": "work"
        }
    ],
    "orgUnitPath": "/Sales/NorthAmerica"
}

5. Call users.patch

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

curl -X PATCH \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $(gcloud auth print-access-token)" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-D @payload.json \
"https://admin.googleapis.com/admin/directory/v1/users/{userKey}"

6. Read the response

A 200 status returns the updated user record in JSON. If the call comes back with a 4xx code, the response body spells out the problem, such as a missing scope, an unknown user, or a bad field value.

7. Confirm the change

Run a quick GET on the same endpoint or list the user in your directory sync job. If the new data shows up, you’re done.

Torii for SaaS Management

Curious about improving how your company manages SaaS applications? We’re here to help. Torii’s SaaS Management Platform helps you: With deep visibility and automation baked in, Torii shows you where apps hide, what they cost, and how to bring them under control.

• Uncover shadow IT: AI continuously scans your organization to detect unauthorized apps as soon as they appear.
• Reduce spending: Cut costs by eliminating unused licenses and overlapping tools.
• Automate joiner/mover/leaver workflows: Streamline onboarding and offboarding to save time and prevent mistakes.
• Stay on top of renewals: Get proactive alerts so you never miss a contract deadline.

Torii is the industry’s first comprehensive SaaS Management Platform, giving Finance, IT, and Security teams one reliable source of truth.

For a closer look at these capabilities, visit Torii today.