Gopher for Gmail Quick Start Guide

Gopher for Gmail is your email purge tool. It is based on the Email Log Search report in the Admin console and purges emails from users' inboxes, regardless of whether they are opened or not. Example use cases would be spam, phishing, inappropriate, or accidental blast emails. As long as the email was sent to someone within your domain, you can pull it back. The emails do stay in Google Vault, however, for e-discovery.

In this article, you will learn how to:

Allow list the add-on

Install the add-on

Complete one-time authorization

Create a CSV of emails

Purge emails

Review the audit Log

Reach support

Allow Listing the Add-on

If you are blocking Marketplace apps, you will need to update your settings to at least allow the apps on the allow list. You can change this setting in Apps > Google Workspace Marketplace Apps > Settings. See this article for further information on installing Gopher for Gmail. 

Installing the Add-on

1. Once on the allow list, you can open up a new sheet and install Gopher for Gmail by going to Extensions > Add-ons > Get add-ons.
2. Once the Google Workspace Marketplace window launches, search for Gopher for Gmail.
3. Click on the Gopher for Gmail card.
4. Then select Individual Install. 
   

One-Time Authorization

Due to the need to address email and privacy concerns, Gopher for Gmail is currently restricted to Super Admin users only. The first time the sidebar launches, a prompt asks Super Admins to perform a one-time authorization of the tool. This only needs to be done once by the first person to use the tool on your domain. To learn more about the required API scopes, refer to this Help Center Article.

Creating the CSV

Before you can purge the emails, you must create the CSV with the ones you want to purge. To do this, you'll use the Email Log Search report in the Admin console to search for the emails and then download the search results as a CSV file. It is important to make your search as granular as possible, as all the results will be what Gopher for Gmail looks to purge.

Purging Emails

Once you have your CSV file, you can open the sidebar of Gopher for Gmail and select that file. It will load the contents of the CSV into the sheet, and then the stepper will walk you through purging the messages.

Audit Log

Tracking user actions is made easy with the activity log, which is located under the 3 line tab of the sidebar. Input the desired dates and a comprehensive report will be generated on a separate tab of the worksheet, showing every action and user who has used the tool on your domain during that time.

Support

The best way to reach Support is to enter a support ticket through the Help Center. The direct Submit a ticket link is available at the top of every Help Center page. You can also connect with our Support team by emailing [e-mail]. 
If you want to obtain a support contract or have questions, reach out to a Google Customer Support Specialist. 
Learn more about the various ways we can help your team.