Changing domain from a free Google Apps account (10 users) to another (100 users)

Question

I have one Google Apps account—@mysite.com—which has 10 free users limit and it’s the one we use for everything in the company and I have another account—@mysite2.com—which has 100 free users limit because it was an account created at the beginning of Google Apps.

So, my question is: if I close the first account (10 users), will I be able to change the second account to my original domain without losing any info like Google Docs, transactional mails, and other Google Apps tools?

(There's also the probability of losing my Google Apps account and no way to having it back for free and start paying by the user.)

Answer 1

There is no way to change the domain name you use with your Google Apps account.

Yes, you can delete your @mysite.com Apps account, but all files and email will be lost. I do NOT suggest taking this drastic step.

No, you will not be able to sign up for a new Free Google Apps account, even if you do make the @mysite.com domain available again.

The only way to get more users in the @mysite.com Apps account is to upgrade to a paid account. (There are many new features available to paid accounts)

Yes, you can "transfer" your users from @mysite.com to @mysite2.com if you are willing to use that domain. Email and Docs can be "transferred" too. Roughly export then import (via POP3 method). This sounds easy in principal but it is MUCH harder in practice.

Example: To "transfer" a single Google Doc from one domain to another I took these steps:

1. Share the doc with a user in the destination domain, include edit permissions
2. Have that user open the document in the destination Apps account
3. Make a copy of the doc under the new domain, optionally copy the shared users too.
4. Realize this process will not work for the 100's of existing docs that have built up

Try adding @mysite.com as a sub organization in Users in your second Admin Control Panel. If you can do that you might be able to test some of the things I mention above and it might be easier.

Let us know what you decide and how it turns out.

Answer 2

From: Google Apps Support

Q: My domain is already registered

A: Did you recently delete your domain? It takes seven days for a deleted domain to leave our system. You'll be able to sign up again once seven days have passed.

This is relevant because, having hypothetically deleted your last account, you'll be without service for seven days.

In short, you hold the power with your domain. It is completely possible to do this, but you'll just have to wait for seven days after you make the jump. .