Google Workspace: Exporting Groups with Memberships

If your organization runs on Google Workspace, you already know that some seemingly basic administrative tasks can be surprisingly difficult. One common example is exporting a full list of Google Groups along with their members and roles.

This export is frequently required for:

Quarterly or annual access reviews
SOC 2, ISO, or other compliance audits
General security and permission audits
Migrations or directory clean-ups

Unfortunately, Google Workspace does not provide a simple “Export Groups with Members” button in the Admin Console.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through a simple, repeatable solution using Google Sheets and Google Apps Script. By the end, you’ll have a spreadsheet that automatically scans your organization’s Google Groups and exports every group, every member, and their assigned role, ready for download or sharing.

Let’s dive in.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you meet the following requirements:

You are a Google Workspace Admin
- The script uses the Admin SDK, which requires admin-level permissions.
You have permission to view Groups and Group Memberships
You can access Google Sheets and Apps Script

If you’re not an admin, the script will fail to return results.

Step 1: Create a New Google Sheet

Go to Google Sheets
Create a new blank spreadsheet
(Optional) Rename the file to something like: Google Workspace – Group Membership Export

Step 2: Open Apps Script

Inside your spreadsheet, in the top bar click:
Extensions → Apps Script

A new Apps Script tab will open
Delete any existing code in the editor
Give your Apps Script a name, I’m using WorkspaceGroupExport for this example.

Step 3: Paste the Script

Copy and paste the following code into the editor:

				
					function exportGroupsAndMembers() {
  const ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet();
  const sheet = ss.getSheetByName("Export") || ss.insertSheet("Export");
  sheet.clear();
  
  // Header row
  sheet.appendRow([
    "Group Email",
    "Group Name",
    "Member Email",
    "Member Role"
  ]);

  // Get all groups in the domain
  const groups = AdminDirectory.Groups.list({
    customer: "my_customer",
    maxResults: 500
  }).groups || [];

  // Loop through each group
  groups.forEach(group => {
    const membersResponse = AdminDirectory.Members.list(group.email);
    const members = membersResponse.members || [];

    // Loop through each member
    members.forEach(member => {
      sheet.appendRow([
        group.email,
        group.name,
        member.email,
        member.role
      ]);
    });
  });

  Logger.log("Export complete!");
}

Step 4: Enable Required Services (Very Important)

This script relies on Google’s Admin Directory API, which must be enabled manually.

Enable the Admin Directory API in Apps Script

In the Apps Script editor, click Services +
Click + Add a service
Find and select Admin SDK API
Click Add

Step 5: Run the Script

Make sure you have saved your App Script.
Click Run

The first time you run it:
- Google will prompt for authorization
- Review permissions
- Click Allow

You will see the run log below your script within the Execution Log area. Once the run is completed, you should see something like this:

Step 6: View Your Export

Return to your Google Sheet
A new sheet named “Export” will appear
You’ll see one row per group-member relationship

From here you can:

Filter by group or user
Create pivot tables
Export to CSV or Excel
Share with auditors or compliance teams

Notes & Tips

Large environments may take several minutes to run
This script exports current state only
You can schedule it with a time-based trigger for recurring audits
For very large tenants, pagination may need to be added

This approach provides a clean, repeatable way to export Google Workspace group memberships without relying on third-party tools. It’s especially useful for compliance, security reviews, and general IT hygiene.

If you’re managing audits, migrations, or access reviews regularly, this script can save hours of manual work.

Hope you find this helpful!

January 2, 2026 Dave Herrell

Dave Herrell