What’s the Best Way to Remove a Former Employee from All Google Drive Files?

When dealing with Google Drive, you'll find a transfer ownership option under Drive & Docs settings. You can ask the former employee's manager who should receive their files. This can all be done when you delete the account too.

It really depends on how the files were shared, like if there are any shared drives or personal accounts involved. Consider using GAM (Google Apps Manager) for a more thorough approach—it helps a lot with bulk actions.

Just deleting or disabling the account is a straightforward solution, but be aware that permissions remain visible for 20 days after deletion. After that, they should disappear. It's good to keep that timeline in mind.

You guys really didn’t plan well if they had personal accounts accessing your files. Moving forward, consider using shared drives and assigning permissions through groups to avoid this hassle next time.

You can start by suspending the employee's account. After that, use the transfer ownership function in Google Drive settings to transfer files to a new owner. This is also accessible from the Delete user page. It’s the most effective way to manage their files post-departure.