Check the Google Workspace status dashboard
Use the official Google Workspace dashboard to see published incidents for Gmail, Drive and other Workspace services. Check the affected service and follow your organisation’s support process if your symptoms are not covered. An issue with one application does not establish that every Workspace service is unavailable.
We do not display live service status here. Follow Google’s dashboard for changing incident information.
Can Gmail work offline?
Gmail Offline can provide access to a previously prepared set of messages in a supported Chrome setup. The available history depends on what has been synchronised to that browser and device. Replies created offline still need a connection to be sent.
It is a useful device-level capability, but it needs enabling and testing while the required service is reachable. It is not a new independent mail server and cannot retrieve messages that were never copied locally.
Can Google Drive, Docs and Sheets work offline?
Google provides offline access for selected Drive documents. Preparation, supported browsers or desktop tools, available storage and organisational settings matter. Test the actual documents people need, rather than assuming the whole Drive is ready.
A pointer to a Google-native document is not an ordinary editable local file. In an independent local workspace, decide how documents are exported, which formats are usable, what formatting or collaboration features change and how offline edits return to the primary system.
Prepare local mail and shared files for the team
Orwell’s Google Workspace continuity approach brings agreed Gmail mailbox content and Google Drive files into an on-site environment. Open-source components provide the local mail and file services, with permissions and sign-in prepared for the team.
The scope must specify shared-drive coverage, account permissions, supported document exports and acceptable synchronisation delay. Cloud sharing links, full revision histories and Google-specific collaboration are not automatically duplicated. Sending new external email requires the agreed connectivity and routing design.
Plan the return as carefully as the interruption
During local operation, track who changes a file and where the authoritative version sits. Agree how the team handles queued communication, duplicate copies and conflicting changes once Workspace becomes available.
Before deployment, rehearse a defined interruption with the users who will rely on the local services. Include power, network access, authentication and the person authorised to activate the plan. The continuity checklist gives you a useful starting point.
If a recent outage exposed a gap, discuss Google Workspace continuity. For a wider view of where your copies and processing live, read about data sovereignty.