← Back to Home

Google Workspace Marketplace App Management Guide for Administrators

Topic: Automated Guide

Audience: Google Workspace Administrators

Version: N/A | Last Updated: 2025-06-15

title: 'Google Workspace Marketplace App Management Guide for Administrators' topic_type: 'Technical deep dive' audience: 'Google Workspace Administrators' product: [Google Workspace, Marketplace, Security] user_goal: [Manage third-party apps, Enhance security, Control data access] version: 1.0 last_updated: '2025-06-16'

Google Workspace Marketplace App Management Guide for Administrators

This comprehensive guide is designed for Google Workspace administrators to effectively manage Google Workspace Marketplace applications within their organization. It covers everything from understanding the Marketplace and evaluating apps to controlling user access, installing apps, managing allowlists, and ensuring data security.

1. Introduction to Google Workspace Marketplace

The Google Workspace Marketplace offers a wide array of apps and add-ons designed to extend the functionality of Google Workspace applications such as Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, Google Sheets, and Google Meet. These third-party tools can significantly enhance productivity and integrate Google Workspace with other business applications.

As a Google Workspace administrator, your role is crucial in managing these Marketplace apps to maximize user workflows while simultaneously safeguarding your organization's data. You have the ability to install apps for all or some users and to control which apps users can install themselves.

2. Evaluating Marketplace Apps

Before deploying any third-party application, it is essential for administrators to thoroughly evaluate its security and privacy posture. While Google performs a review process, the ultimate responsibility for installing and using apps lies with the administrator.

2.1 Google's Evaluation Process

Every publicly available app in the Google Workspace Marketplace undergoes a review by Google's Marketplace team to ensure it meets specific criteria. This includes:

It's important to note that Google does not review internal apps developed privately by your organization.

2.2 Administrator's Responsibility

To make an informed decision, administrators should evaluate app listings by asking key questions:

3. Controlling User Access to Marketplace Apps

Google Workspace provides administrators with flexible options to control how users in their organization can install and use Marketplace apps.

3.1 Overview of Access Options

You can choose from three main access options for Marketplace apps:

These settings can be applied to your entire organization, specific organizational units (OUs), or groups, allowing for tailored access policies. Group settings take precedence over organizational units.

3.2 How to Configure User Installation Settings

To set whether users can install Marketplace apps:

Changes typically take up to 24 hours to propagate. If you make the setting more restrictive, users might lose access to previously installed apps.

3.3 Specific Considerations for Users Under 18 (Education Editions)

For Google Workspace for Education editions, administrators can manage access to Marketplace apps for users designated as under 18. These apps are blocked from accessing Google data unless allowlisted, admin-installed, or configured in the Admin console.

If a user under 18 attempts to access an unapproved app, they may be blocked and see a message with an option to request access. As an admin, you will see and can approve these requests in the Admin console under App access control. Your organization is responsible for obtaining parental consent if required.

3.4 Interaction with API Controls

API controls provide another layer of data access control, allowing you to restrict which Google services apps can access. These controls can override the allowlist. When data access is restricted via API controls, only apps with a trusted access level can access that service. Apps on your Marketplace allowlist are automatically considered trusted.

4. Admin Installing Apps for Your Organization

Administrators can install Google Workspace Marketplace apps for all or some users, even if users are not permitted to install apps themselves.

4.1 When to Admin Install

Admin installation is useful when you want to:

4.2 Prerequisites

Before installing an app, ensure you have:

4.3 Steps to Install an App

To install an app for users in your organization:

Changes can take up to 24 hours to take effect.

4.4 Changing Installation Scope

If you need to change who an app is installed for:

5. Managing the Marketplace App Allowlist

The allowlist gives you granular control over which Marketplace apps users can install and run.

5.1 How the Allowlist Works

The allowlist specifically impacts users whose "Manage access to apps" setting is configured to "Allow users to install and run allowlisted apps from the Marketplace". It does not affect users who can install any app or no apps.

Key aspects of the allowlist:

5.2 Adding an App to the Allowlist or Excludelist

To manage your allowlist:

Allowlisted apps will appear in the "Approved for you" category in the Marketplace for users.

5.3 Changing Who the App is Allowed or Excluded For

To modify the scope of an allowlisted or excluded app:

5.4 Removing an App from the Allowlist or Excludelist

Removing an app from the allowlist will cause users to lose access, even if they still have it installed.

To remove an app:

6. Managing Data Access for Admin-Installed Apps

Administrators can control the data access permissions of admin-installed Google Workspace Marketplace apps.

6.1 Reviewing Data Access

To review an app's data access:

6.2 Granting or Revoking Access

7. Monitoring Marketplace App Settings Health

The Security Health page in the Google Admin console allows administrators to monitor the configuration of Google Workspace Marketplace applications usage settings. This feature is available for specific Google Workspace editions (e.g., Frontline Plus, Enterprise Plus, Education Standard/Plus, Enterprise Essentials Plus).

The Security Health page indicates how many domains have the "Do not allow users to install any application from Google Workspace Marketplace" option not configured. It recommends enabling this setting to mitigate risks of data leaks, exfiltration, and malicious insiders.

To configure this setting, navigate to Apps > Google Workspace Marketplace apps in the Admin console.

8. Support and Reporting

Understanding how to get support for Marketplace apps and report issues is important for administrators.

8.1 Getting Support for Marketplace Apps

Customer support, documentation, and warranty information for apps acquired through the Google Workspace Marketplace are provided by the developer, not by the Google Workspace support team.

To find support for an app:

8.2 Reporting Abuse or Copyright Infringement

If you find an app or review that violates the Google Workspace Marketplace Terms of Service, or if you encounter trademark or copyright infringement, you can report it.

Submitted reports are reviewed by a specialist, and if a violation is found, the app or review will be removed.

8.3 Reviewing and Rating Apps

Administrators and users can rate and review Marketplace apps to provide feedback and help others. You can only review apps that you or your administrator have installed. Your reviews are public and include your name and photo.

To review an app:

Reviews must adhere to specific guidelines, including being genuine, on-topic, polite, and free from illegal content, advertising, sexually explicit content, hate speech, offensive content, conflicts of interest, copyrighted material, impersonation, or personal information. Google may remove reviews that violate these policies.

References

(Note: URLs 11 and 14 were inaccessible during content browsing, so the references are adjusted based on accessible information. URL 11 from the original prompt is now URL 12 in the references due to sequential re-numbering of successfully browsed pages.)