Set up advanced settings for data regions

Supported editions for this feature: Enterprise Plus and Enterprise Essentials Plus. Compare your edition

Data regions allow administrators to define the regions where their data is stored and processed.

Some Google Workspace features rely on services that process data globally. Consequently, some services might not function as expected if they are required to comply with a particular data region policy.

Before you begin

With Data regions advanced settings, you can choose whether or not your users can access enhanced features that process data globally. The advanced settings are provided for organizations with stringent data location requirements.

Google recommends that you carefully consider tradeoffs. Google Workspace works best when core services like Gmail, Drive, Docs, Calendar, Meet, and Chat integrate. This integration results in a more efficient, feature-rich working environment for your users. Deactivating these enhanced features may result in users losing familiar functionality and possibly experiencing unexpected behaviors.

Set up advanced settings

Step 1: Understand the settings

Advanced settings allow you to turn off non-regionalized services on a per-service basis.

You can turn off non-regionalized features for the following applications: Google Calendar, Google Docs and Google Drive, Gmail, Google Chat, and Google Meet. All features that process data globally are organized into a single control for each application. When a specific control is off, the corresponding application’s non-regionalized features will not run. Keep these controls on if you wish to continue using global features.

If you choose to leave a specific control off, the corresponding features will be turned on once they are regionalized in the future.

Note: To modify advanced data regions settings for specific organizational units and groups, you need an Enterprise Plus or Data Regions add-on subscription. For instructions on upgrading your service, go to Switch to Enterprise Plus.

Step 2: Define advanced settings

Sign in to your Google Admin console.
Sign in using your administrator account (does not end in @gmail.com).
In the Admin console, go to Menu DataComplianceData regionsAdvanced settings.
Note: You only see this option if you have Enterprise Data Regions.
Click the service.
To apply the setting to all users, select the top organizational unit. Otherwise, select a child organizational unit or a group.
Select an option:
- Enable features that may process data across multiple regions—This option is turned on by default and doesn’t change the user experience.
- Disable features that may process data across multiple regions—This option turns off any feature that may process data globally.
Click Save.
Note: If you're applying a setting for a child organizational unit, click Override.

Non-regionalized features affected by advanced settings

When you set a service’s data regions advanced setting to OFF, some features are deactivated. The following tables show all of these affected features.

Calendar

Feature	Expectation	Actual behavior
Location suggestions	When users enter text in a location field, the exact location is auto suggested. Also applies to building locations in the Admin console.	The text entered in the Location field isn't automatically recognized as a location. This is true for both locations added in the Admin console and the Admin SDK API, which means no geographic coordinates are automatically added.
Side panel	The side panel in Calendar links to other applications, such as Contacts.	Some application links are not available.
Images for autogenerated events from emails	Events that are auto generated from emails, such as booking confirmations, display a snapshot of the Maps location.	The location snapshot isn’t shown.

Note: When you use Calendar Interop to search for the availability of a Calendar user from Microsoft Exchange, the Google role account determines the location of data processing, not the user’s location.

Drive and Docs

Feature	Expectation	Actual behavior
Various intelligence features	Examples of intelligence features include Autocorrect, Sheets formula correction, Sheets formula suggestions (auto-completing formula contents), Smart Compose, Smart Select, Smart Summary, Smart Reply, universal entry point, Smart Fill, pivot table recommendations and suggestions, and background removal.	Impacted services don’t appear for users.
Integrations with non-regionalized applications	Users can send content back-and-forth with non-regionalized applications like Google Sites, Google Tasks, Google Maps and Google Keep.	Users cannot send content to non-regionalized Google applications, such as Sites, Tasks, Maps, and Keep
Voice features	In Google Docs and Google Slides, users can use voice-to-text speaker notes. Users can present Google Slides with automatic captions, displaying the speaker’s words in real time.	Users cannot use these voice features.
Companion	In Google Drive and Google Docs, users have a sidebar that provides links to other applications like Calendar and Contacts.	Some application links aren’t available.
Templates	Users can design preset layouts for use in their documents.	Users can’t submit templates for moderation by their admins.
Various Sheets functions	Users can use the functions that rely on intelligence services, such as DETECTLANGUAGE, GOOGLEFINANCE, and GOOGLETRANSLATE.	Users can’t use these functions.
Google Translate	Users can translate documents.	Users can't translate documents.

Gmail

Feature	Expectation	Actual behavior
Images in email signatures	Users can include images in saved email signatures.	Users can’t add images to email signatures.
Google Tasks	Users can assign to-do items to others in an email.	Users won’t see Add to Tasks in Gmail.
Google Photos	Users can include a photo from Google Photos in an email.	Users can’t use Save to Photos and Insert Photo from Gmail. However, photos can be saved.
Gmail Layouts	Users can use predefined text and email layouts.	Users can’t use email templates and layouts.
Dynamic email	Users can interact in an email with other Google or third-party services, such as responding to a calendar invitation.	Users can’t interact with features in an email. Instead, users can access those features in another browser tab.
Confidential mode	Users can use encryption and set TTL for email.	Confidential mode is deactivated.
Themes	Users can customize the design and color palettes for Gmail.	Users can’t select custom themes for Gmail.
Companion	Users see a sidebar in Gmail that provides links to other applications, such as Calendar and Contacts.	Some application links aren’t available.
Home/Work location suggestions	When users write an email and type a saved Google Map address, the address is autocompleted.	This feature is turned off and no autocompletion suggestions for saved addresses are shown.

Google Chat

Feature	Expectation	Actual behavior
Google Tasks	Users can assign to-do items to others within a chat.	Users can’t view and assign Tasks.
Chat apps	Users can install Chat apps to direct messages and spaces (when applicable).	Users can’t install Chat apps to spaces.
Companion	Chat users see a sidebar that links to other applications like Calendar and Contacts.	Some application links aren’t available.
Chat relevance Search	Users see intelligently ordered results, not chronologically ordered results.	Users only see chronologically sorted messages over joined spaces. Users can’t browse spaces.

Google Meet

Feature	Expectation	Actual behavior
Transcription	Users can open a meeting’s written transcript.	Transcription is unavailable.
Live streaming	Hosts can broadcast a meeting to many attendees.	Live streaming is unavailable.

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