--- title: "Deactivate or delete user" slug: "managing-team-account" description: "Learn how to efficiently manage team accounts in Document360, including creating, editing, deleting, and converting accounts to SSO or reader roles." updated: 2026-05-18T10:54:26Z published: 2026-05-18T10:54:26Z excludeFromExternalSearch: true --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.document360.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Deactivate or delete user When a team member leaves your project or no longer needs portal access, you can either **deactivate** or **delete** their account. Deactivation is reversible — the user loses access immediately, but their contributions, articles, and analytics data are preserved, and the account can be reactivated later. Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone. Choose deactivation when you may need to reinstate the user; choose deletion only when you are certain the account is no longer needed. --- ## Deactivation vs. deletion | Action | Deactivate | Delete | | --- | --- | --- | | Portal access | Removed immediately | Removed permanently | | Articles and content | Retained; attributed to the user | Retained; not attributed to the user | | Analytics and audit data | Retained | Retained | | Reversible | Yes — can be reactivated | No — permanent action | | User seat freed | Yes | Yes | --- ## Before you begin - You have a Project **Owner** or **Admin** role. Admins cannot deactivate or delete Owners. - You are not the last remaining Owner of the project. The last Owner cannot be deleted. --- ## Delete a user Deleting a user permanently removes their account from the project. Their authored articles and content remain in the knowledge base and continue to be attributed to them, but the account cannot be recovered. Use this option only when you are certain the user will not need access again. > [!WARNING] > ** WARNING > > Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone. If you want to preserve the option to restore access later, use **Deactivate** instead. You can delete a user using one of two methods. **Method 1: From the user profile page** 1. Navigate to **Settings** (**) > ****Users & permissions****in the left navigation bar in the Knowledge base portal. 2. In the left navigation pane, navigate to **Users & groups** > **Users** and select the desired user. 3. In the user profile details page, click the **Delete** icon and select **Yes** in the confirmation dialog. ![User profile page showing the Delete icon option for removing a user from the project.](https://cdn.document360.io/860f9f88-412e-4570-8222-d5bf2f4b7dd1/Images/Documentation/user profile delete(2).png) **Method 2: From the user list** - Select the checkbox next to the user in the list and click **Deactivate**. A dialog box will appear. - Select the **Delete user** radio button and click **Delete** to permanently remove the user.![Deactivate or delete dialog showing the Delete user radio button option.](https://cdn.document360.io/860f9f88-412e-4570-8222-d5bf2f4b7dd1/Images/Documentation/delete user(3).png) > [!NOTE] > ** NOTE > > Bulk selection of both Active and Inactive users will not display the Deactivate button. > > Bulk selection of only Inactive users will display only the Activate and Delete buttons. > [!NOTE] > ** NOTE — Role-based restrictions > > - Admins cannot delete or edit Owners, but can delete all other roles. > - Owners can delete Admins, Contributors, and Reviewers. > - The last remaining Owner of a project cannot be deleted. --- ## Deactivate and reactivate a user Deactivation suspends a user's access to the knowledge base portal without removing their account or any data they have contributed. Their authored articles remain published, their name stays in audit logs and analytics, and the account can be reactivated at any time. Deactivation also frees up a user seat on your plan. ### Deactivate a user To deactivate a user: 1. Navigate to **Settings** (**) > ****Users & permissions**** in the left navigation bar in the Knowledge base portal. 2. In the left navigation pane, navigate to **Users & groups** > **Users**. 3. Select the checkbox next to the desired user and click **Deactivate** at the top. The **Confirm user deactivation** panel will appear. 4. Click **Deactivate user** to confirm. > [!NOTE] > ** NOTE > > - You can deactivate standard users, SSO users, and reader accounts. > - Deactivated accounts lose portal access immediately but all their data — articles, analytics, audit logs — is retained. > - For SSO users, deactivation takes effect only after the current SSO session ends. The user will remain signed in until their session resets. ![Confirm user deactivation panel with the Deactivate user button.](https://cdn.document360.io/860f9f88-412e-4570-8222-d5bf2f4b7dd1/Images/Documentation/deactivate(2).png) ### Reactivate a user To reactivate a deactivated user: 1. Select one or more deactivated users from the list. 2. Click **Activate**. 3. Click **Confirm** in the **Confirm user activation** panel. ![Confirm user activation panel with user details and Confirm button.](https://cdn.document360.io/860f9f88-412e-4570-8222-d5bf2f4b7dd1/Images/Documentation/Activate%20user.jpg) > [!NOTE] > ** NOTE > > If reactivating a deactivated user exceeds your plan's user limit, the **Exceeding user limit** panel will appear. You can either remove existing active users or purchase additional users as [add-ons](/help/docs/add-ons). --- ### FAQ #### Can a deleted user be recovered? No. Deletion is permanent and cannot be reversed. The user's account is removed from the project and cannot be restored. Their authored articles and content remain in the knowledge base, but the account itself is gone. If there is any chance you will need to reinstate access, use **Deactivate** instead of Delete. #### What happens to articles authored by a deleted or deactivated user? Articles and content created by the user remain in the knowledge base exactly as they were. They stay published, are attributed to the original author, and continue to appear in analytics and audit logs. Neither deactivation nor deletion removes or unpublishes any content. #### What is the difference between deactivating and deleting a user? Deactivation suspends portal access but keeps the account intact — all data is preserved and the account can be reactivated later. Deletion permanently removes the account from the project and cannot be undone. In both cases, the user's authored content and historical data stay in the knowledge base. #### Who can deactivate or delete a user? **Owners** can deactivate and delete Admins, Contributors, and Reviewers. **Admins** can deactivate and delete Contributors and Reviewers, but cannot deactivate or delete Owners. The last remaining Owner of a project cannot be deleted by anyone. #### Does deactivation free up a user seat on my plan? Yes. A deactivated user no longer counts against your plan's active user limit, freeing up a seat that can be used to add a new user. If you reactivate the user and that would exceed your limit, you will be prompted to either remove an active user or purchase additional seats as add-ons. #### How do I remove a user from Document360? To fully remove a team member from your Document360 project, use the **Delete** option described in this article. If you want to suspend their access without permanently removing them, use **Deactivate**. Both options are available from the user list under **Settings > Users & security > Users & groups**. ## Related - [Add new user](/add-new-user.md) - [Edit user](/edit-user.md) - [Roles and permissions](/roles.md)