Onboarding New User in Google Workspace

Learn how to provision a new user in Google Workspace, assign a workspace license, and verify account login and email functionality.

August 27, 2026 By Ben Fairchild

This guide walks through creating a new employee account in Google Workspace, assigning the appropriate product license, and verifying account access by sending a test email.

This procedure applies to IT administrators and onboarding specialists provisioning accounts for new hires during the IT onboarding process.

Add a New User

Step #1: Click Add a user on the Admin Console home screen. — Click **Add a user** on the Admin Console home screen.

If the Add a user card is not visible on the homepage, navigate to Directory > Users in the left sidebar.

Type the user's name and primary email address into the form.

Step #3: If you have received their info also add Secondary email and phone number here — If you have received their info also add **Secondary email** and **phone number** here

Click Manage user's password, organizational unit, and profile photo to expand additional settings.

Step #5: Select the Create password radio button. — Select the **Create password** radio button.

Step #6: Type a temporary password in the Password field using standard formatting (e.g., newSTART<Name>123). — Type a temporary password in the **Password** field using standard formatting (e.g., `newSTART<Name>123`).

Step #7: Uncheck Ask user to change their password when they sign in to allow initial testing prior to handoff. — Uncheck **Ask user to change their password when they sign in** to allow initial testing prior to handoff.

Step #8: Click ADD NEW USER to save the account. — Click **ADD NEW USER** to save the account.

Assign a Workspace License

New accounts require an active license to access services such as Gmail.

Step #9: Click View billing on the confirmation banner. — Click **View billing** on the confirmation banner.

Step #10: Click Google Workspace Business Standard in the Subscriptions table. — Click **Google Workspace Business Standard** in the Subscriptions table.

Step #11: Click Assign licenses in the Plan details panel. — Click **Assign licenses** in the Plan details panel.

Step #12: Select the checkbox next to the newly created user. — Select the checkbox next to the newly created user.

Step #13: Click Assign licenses on the action toolbar. — Click **Assign licenses** on the action toolbar.

Step #14: Select the checkbox for Google Workspace Business Standard in the dialog, then click Assign. — Select the checkbox for **Google Workspace Business Standard** in the dialog, then click **Assign.**

Verify Account Login and Send Test Email

Verify that the account is operational by signing in and sending a test message.

Open a new private browsing window using Shift + Cmd + N (or Ctrl + Shift + N on Windows).

Step #16: Navigate to Gmail and Sign in. — Navigate to **Gmail** and **Sign in**.

Step #18: Send a test message — Send a test message

Q: Why is automatic license assignment turned off by default?

A: Automatic licensing is disabled to prevent incurring unnecessary subscription charges when accounts are created for administrative or non-user purposes.

Q: Why uncheck the option to require a password change on first sign-in?

A: Disabling this requirement during creation allows administrators to log in to the account and verify that email delivery works before handing credentials over to the employee or manager.

Onboarding New User in Google Workspace

Learn how to provision a new user in Google Workspace, assign a workspace license, and verify account login and email functionality.

August 27, 2026 By Ben Fairchild

This guide walks through creating a new employee account in Google Workspace, assigning the appropriate product license, and verifying account access by sending a test email.

This procedure applies to IT administrators and onboarding specialists provisioning accounts for new hires during the IT onboarding process.

Add a New User

If the Add a user card is not visible on the homepage, navigate to Directory > Users in the left sidebar.

Type the user's name and primary email address into the form.

Click Manage user's password, organizational unit, and profile photo to expand additional settings.

Assign a Workspace License

New accounts require an active license to access services such as Gmail.

Verify Account Login and Send Test Email

Verify that the account is operational by signing in and sending a test message.

Open a new private browsing window using Shift + Cmd + N (or Ctrl + Shift + N on Windows).

Q: Why is automatic license assignment turned off by default?

A: Automatic licensing is disabled to prevent incurring unnecessary subscription charges when accounts are created for administrative or non-user purposes.

Q: Why uncheck the option to require a password change on first sign-in?

A: Disabling this requirement during creation allows administrators to log in to the account and verify that email delivery works before handing credentials over to the employee or manager.