How to delete a Google Classroom course, or archive it to keep its data and grades

October 30, 2020

Google Classroom app on an Android phone resting on a Mac laptop — You can delete a Google Classroom class on any platform.
SOPA Images/Getty Images

You can delete a Google Classroom class once it's over or canceled.
Before you can delete a Google Classroom class, you'll need to "Archive" it, which is essentially a way to deactivate it.
Any instructor can archive a class, but only the head teacher can delete it.
Visit Business Insider's Tech Reference library for more stories.

Google Classroom acts as a virtual learning space, where teachers can hand out assignments, grades, and feedback to everyone in their class. Meanwhile, students in the class can turn in projects and track their progress along the way.

Then, when the Google Classroom class is over for the semester or school year, it can easily be deleted or archived.

If you're an instructor, you can archive any of your classes — this is essentially a way of saying the class is over, but preserving all the materials and items. And if you're the head teacher of a class, you can then delete it too.

Deleting a class will erase all posts and comments, although files can still be accessed by students who have a link to the relevant Google Drive folders.

Here's how to archive and then delete Google Classroom classes on desktop, iPhone, iPad, or Android devices.

How to archive and delete Google Classroom classes on Mac or PC

To archive a class:

1. Visit classroom.google.com and log into your account, then find the class you want to archive. Remember that you need to be an instructor in the class.

2. Tap the three vertical dots on the upper-right corner of the class card you wish to archive.

3. Click "Archive" to confirm your choice.

how to delete a google classroom 1 — You can archive any class you're an instructor in.
Jennifer Still/Business Insider

To unarchive a class, click on the three horizontal lines in the upper-right corner of the Google Classroom dashboard, and then select "Archived classes."

How to delete a google classroom 2 — Open the "Archived classes" page.
Jennifer Still/Business Insider

On the archived class card, click the three vertical dots on the upper-right corner and then click "Restore."

To delete a class:

1. First archive the class using the steps above, and open the "Archived classes" page.

2. Find the card for the class you want to delete, and click the three dots in its upper-right corner.

3. Select "Delete."

how to delete a google classroom 3 — You can delete archived classes that you're the head teacher of.
Jennifer Still/Business Insider

How to archive and delete Google Classroom classes on iPhone or iPad

To archive a class:

1. Open the Google Classroom app on your device and log into your account.

2. On the class card for the class you wish to archive, click the three horizontal dots (...).

3. Tap "Archive."

How to delete a Google Classroom 4 — You can also edit the class from here.
Jennifer Still/Business Insider

To restore an archived class, tap the three horizontal lines in the upper-left corner of your app's screen and then tap "Archived classes." On the class card, tap and choose "Restore" to bring the class back.

To delete a class:

1. Archive the class, and then open the "Archived classes" page.

2. Tap "Delete" on the class card you want to delete.

How to delete a Google classroom 5 — Deleting a class will only take a few taps.
Jennifer Still/Business Insider

How to archive and delete Google Classroom classes on Android

To archive a class:

1. After opening the Classroom app and finding the class you want to archive, tap the three vertically stacked dots on the upper-right corner of the class card.

2. Tap "Archive," then "Archive" again to confirm.

To restore the archived class, tap the three horizontally stacked lines in the upper-left corner of the app. Then tap "Archived classes," and once you see the class card, tap the three dots again before tapping "Restore."