Google adds expiring administrator roles to Workspace
By Automate Basics, written with AI from Google's original
Google says Workspace super admins can assign administrator roles that expire automatically. The option is available to all Google Workspace customers and is intended for temporary work such as absence coverage or audits.
What changed
Google says super admins can now give a user, group or service account an administrator role for a limited period in the Google Admin console. They can choose a preset duration or set a specific expiration date and time. When that time arrives, the access granted by the role is removed automatically.
The change gives organizations a way to avoid leaving temporary privileges in place after the work ends. Google points to short projects, cover for an absent employee and external audits as situations where timed access could help. The option does not apply to an organization’s primary admin, who must retain permanent super admin privileges.
Who can use temporary administrator roles?
Google says the feature is available now to all Google Workspace customers on both Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains. Super admins can set an expiration when assigning an administrator role to a user, group or service account. The announcement gives no separate price for the feature, so there is no stated add-on cost to report.
This is an administrative feature, not a setting for employees to turn on for themselves. A team member covering an absence might need admin access, but a super admin would assign the role and decide when it ends. Google also excludes the primary admin from temporary assignments because that account needs permanent super admin access.
How do I try it at work?
A short-term admin assignment is the clearest place to start. If someone needs elevated access while a colleague is away, ask a super admin to consider an expiration that matches the coverage period. Google says the same approach can be used for projects or external audits. The super admin can choose a preset duration or set a custom end date and time.
Before assigning the role, check that the recipient and the period of access match the work required. After the expiration, check that the temporary role no longer grants access. That review matters especially for a group or service account, where the assignment may be less visible to people doing day-to-day work. Google’s announcement does not provide a menu path, so consult its admin guidance for detailed instructions.
Frequently asked questions
Does a super admin have to remove a temporary role manually?
No. Google says access granted by a temporary administrator role is revoked automatically when the chosen period ends. A super admin can select a preset duration or specify an expiration date and time when assigning the role.
Can the primary admin have a temporary role?
No. Google says an organization’s primary admin must keep permanent super admin privileges, so temporary roles cannot be assigned to that account. Temporary assignments can be made to other users, groups or service accounts.
Related reading
Google opens free AI video creation in Vids to all account holdersGoogle says anyone with a Google or Google Workspace account can now generate AI videos in Google Vids at no cost. New controls let people extend scenes, choose clip lengths and create or upscale video in 1080p.
Google adds encrypted PowerPoint imports to Slides betaGoogle has added PowerPoint imports to its client-side encrypted Slides beta. Eligible Google Workspace organizations can convert presentations into encrypted Slides that users can access and edit.
Google adds a live video avatar to Gemini Enterprise conversationsGoogle has added Live Avatar to Gemini 3.8 Live in Gemini Enterprise. The feature pairs spoken conversation with a responsive video character for organizations building customer service agents and interactive walkthroughs.
Written with AI from Google's original and published after automatic checks: every figure here appears in the original, and no sentence is copied from it. The picture is AI-generated. The original is the authority.
Source: Assign temporary administrator roles in the Google Admin console, Google, 23 Sept 2026.