Providers / Google Workspace
Workspace
Google Workspace API keys and credentials
What every Google Workspace credential a founder holds does, whether it expires, and what tends to break. Each fact links to Google Workspace's own docs.
At a glance
| Credential | Expiry | Permissions |
|---|---|---|
| Workspace super admin login | Not documented | – |
| Gmail app password | Not documented | Not documented |
Each credential
Workspace super admin login
- Not documented
Admin roles are assigned in the Admin console. When 2-Step Verification is enforced for the organization, users cannot have it turned off individually. Only super admins can generate backup verification codes for other admins.
Gmail app password
- Not documented
Can only be created when 2-Step Verification is on. Google says app passwords are revoked when the Google Account password changes (confirmed on the official help page). No expiry period and no count limit are stated; they stay valid until removed or revoked. Revoke one when a device or app is retired. From May 1, 2025 Workspace accounts no longer support less secure apps with username/password sign-in, so OAuth is required (search snippet of Google admin docs). Admin controls over app passwords not confirmed. Option may be hidden for work/school accounts.
What usually goes wrong
- App password is created for a shared device and not revoked when the device is lost
- Annual plan commitment may still be charged after a team shrinks (cancellation terms not confirmed on Google pages)
- Super admin account has no backup codes and locks out administration
- 2-Step Verification enforcement breaks a legacy app that only supports password sign-in
Renewals and billing
- Google Workspace subscription, billed monthly or yearly. Flexible plan: no committed term, billed monthly, can upgrade or downgrade at any time. Annual/Fixed-Term plan: commit to a year or more, prepaid upfront (a monthly-payment variant exists), no downgrade during the contract. At term end the default behavior is described inconsistently in Google docs (one page says it converts to Flexible, another says it auto-renews for a year); check the Renewal options setting in the Admin console. Google sends notifications 30 and 3 days before renewal; opting out of renewal suspends service. Early-cancellation terms for annual plans were not confirmed on Google pages.
Per-user licenses. Payment plan rules come from the Google Workspace billing help pages.
What Google Workspace's docs don't say
We couldn't confirm these from official docs, so don't rely on them either way:
- Whether admins can block app passwords for the organization
- Super admin session and password expiry
- Current per-user prices
- Whether the Admin SDK exposes app password or 2SV status
- Default at annual term end (Google pages conflict)
Rotating or replacing a Google Workspace key
The steps are the same for most providers: make the new key, deploy it everywhere the old one is used, check it works, then revoke the old one. Our guides walk through it:
Sources
- support.google.com/accounts/answer/185833
- knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/security/manage-a-users-security-settings
- knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/billing/google-workspace-transition-for-fixed-term-yearly-payment-plans
- support.google.com/a/answer/2500693
Keep track of every Google Workspace key
StackHangar stores your Google Workspace keys in an encrypted vault, grouped by the product they belong to, warns you before they expire, and walks you through rotating them. We can't read your secrets.