Deactivating a user immediately blocks their ability to log in while preserving all their history — stories, comments, assignments, and audit trail. The license is freed and can be reassigned. Reactivating restores full access instantly.
Use deactivation for leavers, temporary suspensions, or contractors whose engagement has ended. Use deletion only when you need to permanently remove all traces of an account.
| Action | Login access | Data | License | Reversible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deactivate | Blocked immediately | Preserved | Freed | Yes — reactivate any time |
| Delete | Blocked immediately | Permanently removed | Freed | No |
Only Admins and Financial Admins can deactivate or reactivate users. You cannot deactivate your own account.
The user's account remains visible in the Users list but is shown with a deactivated indicator. Their stories, assignments, and history are fully preserved.
Deactivating a user does not remove them from any stories, sprints, or projects. Their assignments remain in place so the team can see what was assigned to them. You may want to manually reassign open work to another team member after deactivation:
I don't see the Active toggle on the user's profile
Deactivating users requires Admin or Financial Admin access. If the toggle is missing or read-only, ask an admin to make the change.
The user can still log in after I deactivated them
Deactivation takes effect immediately for new login attempts. If the user was already logged in when you deactivated them, their current session will expire at the next token refresh (typically within minutes). They will not be able to log back in.
I can't reactivate the user
Reactivation requires an available license. If your organisation is at its license limit, a Financial Admin needs to purchase additional licenses under Enterprise Settings → Billing before the account can be reactivated.
The user's stories and assignments are missing after deactivation
Deactivation does not remove any data — stories, comments, and assignments are preserved. If items appear missing, check for active filters in the relevant view that may be hiding them.
I need to permanently remove a user's data
Deactivation preserves data. To permanently remove a user and their data, use the Delete option on their profile instead. Note: you cannot delete a user who is currently set as a department or project manager — reassign those roles first.
I can't deactivate myself
Admins cannot deactivate their own account. Ask another admin to do it, or contact Silverile support.