Deactivating vs Removing a Member
What deactivating and removing a member each do, what stays the same, and how to choose. A help center guide for program admins.
When someone leaves your program, you can deactivate them or remove them. Both stop the person from using your organization. They differ in whether the person stays attached to it, and whether you can bring them back from the Members page.
Neither action ends the person's matches. Read the section "What neither action does" below before you act.
The short answer
| Deactivate | Remove | |
|---|---|---|
| Person loses access | Yes | Yes |
| Sessions signed out | Yes | Yes |
| API keys revoked | Yes | Yes |
| Stays attached to your organization | Yes | No |
| Listed on the Inactive tab | Yes | No |
| Can be reactivated from the Members page | Yes | No |
| Recorded in the audit log | No | Yes, as a member removal |
Choose Deactivate for most departures, a leave of absence, or when you may want the person back. Choose Remove when the person should no longer belong to your organization at all.
Deactivate a member
- Go to Members.
- On the member's row, click the Deactivate icon button. Its tooltip reads Deactivate: revoke access, keep in org.
- In the Deactivate member dialog, read the text: the person will lose access to the organization but remain attached to it.
- Click Deactivate.
You see a message such as Jordan has been deactivated. The member moves to the Inactive tab, which shows the deactivation date.
On deactivation, MentorStack:
- Signs the person out of all sessions.
- Revokes their API keys.
- Frees their seat. See Settings.
- Keeps them attached to your organization.
To undo it, open the Inactive tab and click Reactivate on their row (tooltip Reactivate: restore access). Reactivating takes a seat, so it is blocked if you have none free. Reactivation does not restore revoked API keys. The person signs in again and creates new keys if they need them.
Remove a member
- Go to Members.
- On the member's row, click the Remove icon button. Its tooltip reads Remove from organization.
- In the Remove member dialog, read the text, then click Remove.
You see a message such as Jordan has been removed. On removal, MentorStack:
- Detaches the person from your organization.
- Signs them out of all sessions and revokes their API keys.
- Records a member-removal entry in the audit log.
- Disables the scheduled reports that a removed admin created.
The removed person does not appear on the Inactive tab, so there is no Reactivate button for them.
Several members at once
Select members in the list. A bar shows how many you selected, with Deactivate, Remove, and Clear. Each choice opens a confirmation. On the Inactive tab, select members and click Reactivate.
What neither action does
Warning
Neither deactivating nor removing a member ends their matches. The matches stay as they are. If the person should leave their pairs or groups, end those matches yourself, and tell the other participants.
To end a match, open it in Matches and use Cancel or Complete. See Managing Matches. Neither action deletes the person's goals, meetings, or messages.
Guards
- You cannot deactivate or remove yourself. Your own row has no action buttons.
- You cannot deactivate or remove the only admin. The deactivate button is disabled with the tooltip Cannot deactivate the last admin, and a remove attempt fails with
Cannot remove the only admin. Make someone else an admin first.
HRIS departures
If you use an HRIS integration, a terminated employee is deactivated, not removed. See HRIS Integration.