Deactivate a user
Deactivate a user account to block sign-in while keeping their record, schedule future status changes, or reactivate access when needed.
Deactivating a user turns off their access to Fuxam without removing their record from the institution. The person becomes Inactive — they cannot sign in, cannot view assigned courses and data, and are no longer counted as an active subscription seat. This is the standard action when someone leaves temporarily or permanently but you need to retain their record for reporting, audit trails, or data-protection obligations.
Why it matters
Universities rarely want to erase a person the moment they stop attending or working. Grades, attendance records, application history, and official statistics often must be retained for years under institutional policy and regulations such as the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and local data-protection law. Deactivation gives you a reversible off-switch: access ends immediately, but the identity and historical data remain linked. Deletion, by contrast, removes institution membership permanently and should be reserved for cases where removal is explicitly required — see Delete a user.
How it fits
Deactivation sits in the middle of the account lifecycle — after invitation and activation, before optional permanent deletion:
Deactivation interacts with other User Management areas:
- Roles and permissions — roles and scoped access remain assigned while inactive; they take effect again on reactivation.
- User groups — group membership is preserved; inactive members remain in groups but cannot participate.
- Cohorts — cohort enrollment and study-plan data typically remain; deactivation blocks access rather than unenrolling.
- Bulk actions — deactivate many users at once or schedule term-end status changes.
Deactivate vs delete
| Deactivate | Delete | |
|---|---|---|
| User record | Kept in the institution | Removed permanently |
| Sign-in | Blocked | Blocked (account gone) |
| Billing | No longer counted as an active seat | No longer counted |
| Historical data | Retained and linked to the user | Institution membership revoked |
| Reversible | Yes — reactivate anytime | No |
| Typical use | Leave of absence, end of contract, exmatriculation pending archive | Duplicate record, pre-activation mistake, explicit erasure request |
See Delete a user for permanent removal.
What happens when a user is deactivated
When a user is Inactive:
- They cannot sign in to your organization.
- They cannot view assigned courses and data.
- They are not counted in your subscription plan’s active seat usage.
When you reactivate a user, access is restored and they are counted again. If they have never completed setup, Fuxam can send an invitation automatically on activation.
Roles, group memberships, cohort enrollments, and custom data remain on the record — only live access is suspended.
How to deactivate one user
Open the user’s profile from OrgHub → Management → Users, or locate them in the Users table.
Open the status control in the profile header (or use row actions where available).
Choose Inactive (or Inactivate instantly) and confirm.
The confirmation dialog explains billing and access implications before you proceed.
How to deactivate multiple users
On the Users table, select the checkboxes for the users you want to change.
Open the ⋯ (more options) menu in the bulk toolbar.
Under Status, choose Change status → Inactive.
Confirm the deactivation.
You need the Update user status permission.
For a full list of bulk status options, see Bulk actions.
How to reactivate a user
Follow the same steps but choose Active (or Activate instantly & invite) instead of Inactive. Confirm to restore access.
For users who were never activated, choosing Activate instantly & invite activates the account and triggers an invitation email using your invite email settings.
How to schedule active or inactive dates
Instead of changing status immediately, you can schedule a future change — useful for contract end dates, semester boundaries, or planned intakes.
Select one or more users (or open a single user’s status menu).
Under Change status, choose Set Active on or Set Inactive on.
Pick a date in the date picker and confirm.
The user’s status updates automatically on that date. Scheduled changes can be cancelled from the status menu (Cancel future activation / Cancel future deactivation) before they take effect.
Permissions required
You need Update user status to change active/inactive state or schedule future status dates.
Best practices
- Deactivate at access end, not at record end. When a student exmatriculates or staff leave, deactivate on their last day of access. Retain the record for transcripts, statistics, and audits.
- Use scheduled deactivation for predictable dates. Semester ends, contract expiries, and fixed-term appointments are good candidates for Set Inactive on.
- Communicate before deactivating. Users lose access immediately on deactivation. For staff especially, coordinate with HR or departmental leads.
- Reactivate instead of recreating. If someone returns after a leave, reactivate their existing record to preserve history. Creating a duplicate user fragments their data.
- Review pending invites. Users in Pending invite status can also be deactivated if an invitation should be withdrawn before activation.
Common pitfalls
| Pitfall | How to avoid it |
|---|---|
| Deactivated user still appears in groups or cohorts | Expected — membership is preserved. Remove from groups separately if they should no longer be targeted |
| User cannot sign in after reactivation | Confirm status shows Active; if they never completed setup, use Activate instantly & invite |
| Scheduled change did not fire | Verify the date passed and the change was not cancelled from the status menu |
FAQ
Does deactivation remove the user from their cohort?
Deactivation blocks access; it does not by itself unenroll the user from a cohort. Manage enrollment separately if academic status requires it.
Is deactivation enough for a GDPR erasure request?
Deactivation restricts processing by blocking access. Whether deletion or further steps are required depends on your legal basis, retention policies, and the specific request. Consult your data-protection officer; use Delete a user only when permanent removal is appropriate.
Can I deactivate a superadmin?
Status changes follow the same permission model. Superadmin accounts have additional protections on deletion — see Delete a user.