Porting a number out of Google Voice means asking a new carrier to take the number over, then letting Google release it once the transfer completes. The steps differ depending on whether the number lives in a personal Google Voice account (US only) or in Google Voice for Google Workspace (sold in 14 countries).
Check that first, because everything else follows from it: who holds the code, what Google asks for, what it costs and who has to click where. This guide covers both cases with the Google-specific steps. The general rules of porting (simple vs non-simple ports, LOA, CSR, the mistakes that lose a number) live in our business phone number porting guide, and we won’t repeat them here.
Everything below comes from Google’s official help pages, checked on November 5, 2026. Google renames menus from time to time: if a label has changed, look for its equivalent.
Personal Google Voice or Google Voice for Workspace: which one do you have?
Google sells two products under one name, and you leave them differently.
Personal Google Voice is the original free service, tied to a Gmail account. The App Store listing puts it plainly: Google Voice only works for personal Google Accounts in the US and Google Workspace accounts in select markets.
Google Voice for Google Workspace is a paid add-on that an admin attaches to the company’s Workspace subscription. Google’s supported-countries page (updated October 26, 2026) lists 14 countries: Canada, the US, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. Its editions and limits are covered in Google Voice for business.
A quick way to tell: if you sign in with an @gmail.com address and nobody manages your account, it is personal. If you sign in with your company address and an admin assigned you the number, it is Workspace.
| Personal Google Voice | Google Voice for Workspace | |
|---|---|---|
| Where numbers come from | United States | 14 countries |
| Who can start the port | The user | An admin with the Google Voice Admin role |
| What the new carrier gets | 10-digit number + voicemail PIN | Port-out code (4 to 10 digits) + country-specific details |
| Step at Google first | Unlock the number ($3) | No unlock, but check the primary location address |
| Volume | One number | Up to 1,000 numbers per request (50 in Canada) |
Case 1: porting a personal Google Voice number
Google Voice Help describes four steps.
Unlock the number
On a computer, open Google Voice, go to Settings, then Account. Under the number you want to port, click Unlock and pay with your Google Account. Unlocking costs $3, unless the number was originally ported in to Google Voice from another carrier, in which case it is free.
Export your data
Before anything moves, download your call history, texts and voicemails with your Google Account’s data export tool, selecting Voice. Porting does not carry them over.
Request the port at the new carrier
Most carriers ask for an account number and a PIN. Google spells it out: give your 10-digit Google Voice number as the account number, and the PIN you use to access your Google Voice voicemail.
Wait for confirmation, delete nothing
When the port succeeds, Google shows “Number unlocked” at the bottom left. Google asks you not to delete the Google Voice number once the request has been started with your new carrier. Leave the account untouched until calls actually reach the new provider.
Two things specific to personal Google Voice:
Not every service accepts these numbers. Google says so itself: some third-party services may not accept numbers that originated from Google Voice. Before paying the unlock fee, ask the new carrier whether it takes a number that started at Google Voice.
Changed your mind? You can lock the number again, and Google says you can always unlock it again later for no charge.
A single personal number usually falls in the FCC’s “simple port” category. The FCC timelines and what makes a port “non-simple” are explained in our porting guide.
Case 2: porting Google Voice for Workspace numbers
On the business side, users can’t port anything themselves. Everything runs through an admin who holds the Google Voice Admin role.
Where to find the port-out code
Google Workspace Admin Help gives this path: Admin console, Apps, Google Workspace, Google Voice, then Number porting and Port-out info. The code appears in the window. You can preview it, copy it, or replace it with a new code of 4 to 10 digits.
The address that has to match
Still under Google Voice in the Admin console, open Locations and note your primary address. That address must appear on the port request, not the address assigned to the individual number. A mismatched address is one of the most common reasons a port gets rejected, and it is easy to avoid.
Google then lists details some countries require:
| Country | Information Google lists |
|---|---|
| United States | PIN and address ZIP code |
| Canada | PIN (optional), customer name, service address ZIP code |
| France | SIRET code |
| Italy | Codice Segreto |
| Ireland | UAN |
| Portugal | CVP code |
If the receiving carrier asks for account or location details you can’t find in the console, Google’s advice is to contact Google Workspace support.
Numbers supplied by a partner
Google Voice for Workspace can run three ways, according to Google’s supported-countries page: on a Google calling plan (Google provides your numbers), through Carrier Link (a certified local carrier provides the numbers, preconfigured for Voice), or through SIP Link (you keep your own carrier and session border controller).
That matters for porting. If your numbers come from a Carrier Link partner or from your own carrier through SIP Link, Google doesn’t hold them. The port has to go through that carrier, under its own rules. Check where each number comes from before you start.
Limits to know
- Up to 1,000 numbers per request, 50 in Canada. Larger estates need several requests.
- All numbers in one request must belong to the same provider.
- Toll-free numbers are on Google’s list of numbers it can’t port.
- No move to a personal account: the admin FAQ says porting to other Google services (a personal Voice account, Google Fi, Google Fiber) is not yet supported.
Cancel last, and only after confirmation
Google’s admin help is explicit: don’t cancel your Voice service until the new provider tells you the port is complete. Cancelling early can make the receiving carrier reject the request. Remove Voice licenses from the users concerned after the cutover, not before.
How long does a Google Voice port-out take?
Google gives no timeframe on its port-out pages. The pace depends on the number’s country and the receiving carrier. Google also notes that its telephony service provider processes the request once the new carrier notifies it, and is not responsible for delays or inaccurate requests.
In the US, the FCC interval is one business day for a simple port and four business days for a non-simple one, which covers most business requests with several lines. Our porting guide explains the difference. In practice, most of the time goes into preparation: confirming the address, choosing the code, telling the team.
What happens to call history, texts and recordings?
They stay at Google. A port moves the number and nothing else: call history, texts, voicemails and recordings don’t follow it. Once the account or licenses are gone, so is your access.
- Personal account: use your Google Account’s data export tool and select Voice. Do it before you unlock, so it doesn’t get lost in the shuffle.
- Workspace account: Voice Standard includes eDiscovery for calls, voicemails and texts, according to Google’s product page. Agree with your admin on what must be retained, and for how long, before licenses are removed. Call recordings used for sales coaching deserve their own export.
Don’t forget what you can’t see: call forwarding rules, ring groups, auto attendants and greetings set up in Voice. None of it travels with the number. List it so you can rebuild it at the new provider, or decide you don’t need it.
The order of operations that keeps the number safe
- Identify the account type (personal or Workspace) and, under Workspace, where each number comes from (Google calling plan, Carrier Link or SIP Link).
- Export your data: history, texts, voicemails, recordings.
- Choose the new carrier and confirm it accepts numbers from that country and, for personal numbers, numbers that originated at Google Voice.
- Set up the destination: accounts created, users invited, apps installed, tested on a temporary number.
- Get the code: unlock and voicemail PIN (personal), or port-out code, primary address and country details (Workspace).
- Submit the request at the new carrier, without touching the code or the Google account.
- Test every number after cutover: inbound from an outside mobile, outbound with the right caller ID.
- Cancel last: remove licenses or delete the account only after written confirmation of the port.
Why teams leave Google Voice, and where they go
People rarely leave Google Voice because it works badly. They leave because it was designed as a phone line tightly woven into Workspace, and their use changed: a sales team that prospects, high call volumes, a need to dial fast.
A few limits from Google’s official pages as of November 5, 2026: the Starter edition caps at 10 users, Google’s product page lists no auto dialer for working through call lists, and the admin FAQ says Voice supports texting only in the US. We go through them in Google Voice for business: limits and alternatives.
On the other hand, if your main need is inbound handling (auto attendants, ring groups, call queues), Voice Standard covers features that many sales tools don’t. Leaving Google Voice isn’t always the right move.
Moving from Google Voice to Skipcall
Skipcall is phone software built for outbound prospecting: a power dialer, up to 4 simultaneous lines, pre-recorded voicemail drop, texting from your own numbers, and web and mobile apps. The Business VoIP plan covers simple business calling from $25 per user per month billed annually; the dialers start with the Starter plan, from $70 per month billed annually (see pricing).
On porting, Skipcall will soon let you port your existing numbers. Until then, Skipcall issues new numbers in 23 countries, including the United States, and the documents depend on the country; some countries require a company document, as our business phone number requirements tool shows. How numbers work once they’re in Skipcall is covered in the help center, managing phone numbers.
What Skipcall doesn’t do, so you can decide with eyes open: no IVR or auto attendant, no inbound call routing, no call queues. If your Google Voice number is mainly a front desk line, keep it for that or pick a phone system built for inbound. Skipcall is the right home for the numbers your reps call from.
What to remember
- Check your account type first: personal Google Voice (US numbers only) or Google Voice for Workspace (14 countries).
- Personal: unlock the number ($3), then give the new carrier your 10-digit number and your Voice voicemail PIN.
- Workspace: a Google Voice admin gets the port-out code in the Admin console; the request must use the primary location address, plus the details Google lists for the country.
- Numbers supplied through Carrier Link or SIP Link are ported through that carrier, not through Google.
- A port moves the number only. Export history, texts, voicemails and recordings before you go.
- Delete nothing and cancel nothing until the new carrier confirms the port in writing.
Leaving another tool too? Our other port-out guides: leaving Aircall, leaving RingCentral, leaving Dialpad, leaving Ringover, leaving JustCall, leaving CloudTalk.
