Looking to delete a Google Classroom? We’re going to outline a step-by-step guide for deletion, as well as other Google Classroom admin tips, like the reasons why archiving the Classroom may be the preferable choice.
At the end of this guide, you will have all the necessary information to delete, archive, view archived, and restore archived Classrooms. We’re also going to touch on how you, in our era of increasing cybersecurity threats targeted toward K-12 schools, can ensure a secure Google Classroom environment.
Pre-deletion checklist
Firstly determine whether the best course of action is to archive or delete the Classroom. Archiving a Classroom will involve the following.
- An archived class is moved to a separate area to preserve its materials, student work, and posts — making it invisible on your active Classes page.
- Both you and your students retain the ability to view an archived class. If you wish to use the class again, you must restore it.
- Access to class materials stored in Google Drive — including assignment attachments and other student work — is still available for you and your students.
- Students are unable to unenroll from an archived class, which may restrict their ability to manage completed classes.
- The class calendar will continue to appear in both your Google Calendar and your students’ calendars. You can choose to hide or permanently delete the class calendar if it is no longer needed. Note: An archived class remains in Classroom unless deleted, which is why its calendar continues to appear in your Google Calendar.
Instead of deleting, archiving is necessary if you may need to access the class materials or use the class setup in the future, without allowing further modifications or enrollments. Archiving preserves the entire class environment, meaning it may be a preferable option for maintaining records and resource accessibility while preventing any new activity.
On the other hand, five reasons for deleting a Google Classroom are as follows:
- The class is no longer relevant and will not be needed in any future academic or administrative capacity.
- You want to permanently remove all class materials and data to ensure privacy and security compliance, especially if sensitive information is involved.
- You aim to simplify your Google Classroom interface by eliminating unused or obsolete classes to enhance navigability and organization.
- The class was created for a one-time event or session that has no ongoing or recurring relevance.
- You need to comply with institutional or organizational policies that require the deletion of classes after a certain period or upon the completion of specific terms or projects.
If you fall within any of the above five reasons, ensure that you’ve gone through all the necessary pre-deletion steps. These include ensuring you have backed up any important materials, informed all class members about the deletion, and confirmed that all grading and administrative tasks related to the class have been completed.
It also includes verifying that all financial and educational records linked to the class are updated and stored according to your institution’s policies. Ensure that any dependencies or integrations with other platforms or services are properly managed or disconnected before proceeding with the deletion.
Steps for archiving and deleting a Google Classroom
Here are the steps that you can take to delete and archive a Google Classroom. If you run into out-of-the-ordinary trouble, consider opening a ticket and contacting Google’s support team directly.
How to delete a Google Classroom on a laptop
Here’s how you can delete a Google Classroom on desktop.
Step 1: Navigate to classroom.google.com and log in using your Google School account.
Step 2: Click the Menu icon (represented by three horizontal lines) located in the upper left corner.
Step 3: Choose “Archived classes” from the menu.
Step 4: Locate the class you wish to remove, click the three dots adjacent to the class name, and choose “Delete.”
Step 5: Confirm the deletion by clicking “Delete” once more.
How to delete a Google Classroom on mobile
If you tend to use mobile, here’s how you can delete a Google Classroom.
Step 1: Launch the Google Classroom app on your iPhone, iPad, or Android device.
Step 2: Click on the Menu icon (three horizontal lines) located in the upper left corner.
Step 3: Choose “Archived classes.”
Step 4: Locate the class you wish to remove, press the three dots beside the class name, and select “Delete.”
Step 5: Confirm the deletion by tapping “Delete” once more.
How to archive a Google Classroom
Archiving a Google Classroom is simple, just go through the following three step process:
Step 1: Navigate to classroom.google.com.
Step 2: On the card for the class, select the three vertical dots and then choose “Archive.”
Step 3: Confirm by clicking “Archive”.
If you’ve decided you want to archive the Google Classroom, it’s likely that you’ll want to access its information in the future either for reference or to reactivate them. To view an archived Class, navigate to classroom.google.com. Then, open the navigation drawer and click on the menu at the top left. Scroll down and select archived classes. Note that this option will not appear in the menu if you have not archived any classes.
If you’d like to reactivate a Classroom, locate the specific class card in the Archived classes section. Click on “More” (usually indicated by three dots or a similar icon), and then select “Restore.” Confirm your choice by clicking “Restore” again. This will move the class back to your main dashboard, allowing you to access and use all its content — including posts, assignments, comments, and materials — just as before.
For more information on deleting, arching, viewing, and restoring Classrooms, refer to Classroom Help.
Ensuring your Google Classroom environment is secure
It’s important to ensure your Google Classrooms are safe and secure. Google Classroom holds potentially sensitive information like private student details, behavioral data, communications, and more. Additionally, students have been known to use unattended Classrooms for bad behavior. Unfortunately, there aren’t many native Google Classroom admin tools available for admins to investigate issues or even manage Classrooms easily.
That’s where Cloud Monitor by ManagedMethods comes in. Cloud Monitor enables district IT teams to monitor and manage their district’s Google Classrooms by providing admin tools that are non-existent in Admin console.
“The new features that ManagedMethods rolls out are fantastic, and they are provided at no additional cost to existing customers. One example is their Google Classrooms management tool. It’s been a huge help and time-saver. We can now easily add ourselves to Classrooms as co-teachers to get in and help troubleshoot problems our teachers are experiencing,” said Neal Richardson, CISO at Hillsboro-Deering School District.
Furthermore, Cloud Monitor actively protects against phishing, malware, ransomware, and other emerging cyberthreats in Google Workspace and Microsoft 365. On how Cloud Monitor helps ensure staff and student safety, Bremerton School District’s Systems Specialist, Justin Feltus, said: “Cloud Monitor is the forensics tool that l use to get Google Workspace information our campus safety team needs to properly follow up with potential issues and incidents. It is an invaluable tool for keeping our Google for Education environment and, to a degree, our campus a safe place for students to thrive.”
Learn More: Request Your FREE Demo Today
