How To Create Organizational Units in the Admin Console

How does the organizational structure work?

Before we get started creating organizational units in the Google Admin console, let's learn what exactly they do. Initially in your Google Admin console, all your users and devices are placed in a single organizational unit. All settings you make in the Admin console apply to this top-level organization and therefore to all users and devices in your account.

Apply settings to groups of users or devices

To give different settings to a group of users or devices, create an organizational unit beneath your top-level organization. Then move users and devices to that sub-organization. When you make a setting in your Admin console, select the organization. Users or devices in that organization get the new setting. They inherit all other settings from their parent (the larger group they’re part of).

You can let some people in your organization use a feature or service in their managed Google account, but not others. For example, if you’re a Google Workspace administrator, you might turn on Google Hangouts only for your support team, or you might let only the sales department share public calendars. You can also tailor settings for different Chrome devices. Just group users or devices that have specific requirements into organizational units. Then apply your desired settings to each of those units.

Apply settings to one user or device

To change settings for a single user or device, create an organization for just that user or device. A user or device belongs to only one organizational unit and inherits that organization’s settings.

Build a hierarchy

Create as many organizational units in the Google Admin console as you want—either at the same level or in a hierarchy. Each child inherits settings from its parent, which you can then customize. Changing a setting at a higher level changes the setting for all sub-organizations that inherit that setting. Custom settings, however, remain unchanged.

If you use multiple domains

You can mix and match users from all your domains in an organizational unit. In fact, users in all your domains are initially in the same top-level organization. To change settings for users in a particular domain, create an organization for just those users.

3. Enter a name in the Name of organizational unit field.

4. (Optional) To add a description of the organization, enter it in the Description field.

5. (Optional) To place the organization under a different parent organization:

• Under Parent organizational unit, click the pencil icon.

• Choose a parent organization.

• Click Done.

6. Click Create.

Note: You can't add an organizational unit for Android devices. Instead, apply Android settings to the device owner's organizational unit.

Check out our Google Admin console beginner's guide to learn more tips and tricks!