Revoke access, deactivate, or remove a user from your account

You have three options to limit a user’s access to your account. Each option depends on the access you want the user to have.

Remove sharing

When you revoke a user’s access to all items, they will still be able to sign in to Smartsheet. They will also have access to assets if they are assigned new ones. Use this option when you want to withdraw an external collaborator’s access to items in your account.

Deactivate the user

When you deactivate a user, they won't be able to sign in to your Smartsheet account. You'd still see their account and any assets they own. They won't have access to assets anymore. However, they'd still retain ownership of the assets and groups they created. They will only lose ownership over them if you transfer the assets to a different licensed user in your account. If needed, you can reactivate a user. 

Reactivate user

Enable a user’s access to Smartsheet and any assets that haven't been transferred to a new owner.

They will still be able to sign in to Smartsheet as a free collaborator, but they will no longer be associated with your account. 

Delete the user from your account

Before you delete a user, consider if it's better to deactivate them instead. A deactivated user loses access to the account or any assets. However, you can still manage their assets. 

When you delete a user, you remove them from your account. So, before you delete a user, you must transfer ownership of all their assets if you want to retain control over those assets. Delete the user when you've already transferred their assets and when you want to remove them from your organization completely. 

Deleted users can still sign in to Smartsheet as a free collaborator. However, they will no longer be associated with your account.

To revoke, deactivate, reactivate, or delete a user 

1. Go to the Admin Center 
2. Select User Management.
3. Hover over the row of the user account you want to manage.
4. On the right side of the row, select More.
5. Select one of the following:
   • Remove sharing
   • Deactivate user
   • Reactivate user
   • Delete user

Other things to know

In most cases, deactivating the user is a better choice. The only reason to delete a user is when they need the email address for a different account.

• You can’t remove yourself from an account even if you’re a SysAdmin. Another SysAdmin must remove you from the account. 
• If you don’t transfer the items before you delete the user, the items will be locked as read-only for 30 days. After 30 days, the items will be deleted. Any links, reports, or dashboards which reference these items won’t work.  
• If the user owns sheets, reports, or dashboards, transfer these items to another licensed user before deleting the account.
• You can’t revoke access to Smartsheet or deactivate users through third-party integration. 
• Any workflows and configurations for Smartsheet apps or connectors owned by the user will not be transferred and may break when you delete them. Reach out to Smartsheet Support for assistance before deleting these users.
• If the user is a Group Admin, you'll see this option: Transfer group ownership to <select new owner>. You can transfer ownership of their groups to another group admin on the account. You won't be able to delete the user until you transfer their groups. 
• To update assets without an admin or editor, use bulk ownership transfer 
• To add a deactivated user to a different plan, first transfer ownership of their assets as needed, then reactivate them so that you can deprovision them from the plan.